So, I made some lard

[MakinBacon]

This is my first time ever doing something like this, and I’m not all that great in the kitchen. So I did make some mistakes. I think I started removing the liquid fat a bit too soon, and it also took way longer than expected. I used the crock pot method and gave myself 3 hours, and at the 4 hour mark it still wasn’t done. I had to go to bed at that point, so I had to shut it down. I think another 2 hours or so would have done the trick. I ended up getting 16 oz by volume or 14 oz by weight of lard, from 3 lbs of pork fat. From what I’ve been reading, I should have ended up with about 2-3 times that. Oh well. Also, I have read that back fat or leaf fat is best for this. I just used some random scraps that I got for free from a butcher, so I have no idea what part of the pig it came from. Anyway, on to the pics.

Chunks of fat in the food processor.

All ground up. Not sure how necessary this step is. Could have just cut it into small bits by hand I guess, but this was quick.

Into the crock pot it goes, with a little bit of water.

After a couple of hours in the pot. At this point I started removing some of it to strain out.

Straining through cheese cloth.

This is all I got out of 3 lbs of pork fat.

Nice and solid after sitting over night in the fridge.

[Fiorella]

Oh, yes…by cooking it longer, you would have achieved much higher yield of fat. You had a lot left over. Did you throw it in the garbage? If not, you can continue cooking it, and get more fat out of it.

Here’s a step by step fat rendering method. I showed how to do a small batch in photos. I recommend learning how to render fat in a small batch, to get the feel, and then you can scale up and do in larger batches.

Quick and easy tallow - render beef fat

There is no need to buy beef tallow (or pork lard). Your butcher is probably throwing out all the fat scraps. You can get them for free or almost no cost. When you get home, divide the fat into small plastic bags, and store in your freezer. Here’s a beautiful free piece of fat I got from my butcher: [image] Cut up into little cubes, and throw into cold pan [image] Crank up the heat, and the cubes will melt down to make tallow [image] When the cubes look like they are starting to get to…

[Fiorella]

By the way, if the butcher can separate the leaf fat from back fat next time you get more, that would be better. The leaf fat is the stuff around the kidneys, and it is the best quality stuff. The rendered fat from leaf fat is the whitest and no porky taste at all. I use my pork leaf fat sparingly, and for the rare occasion when I need the best fat with no background taste. It’s a high value prized item in my kitchen.

[Vega]

I haven’t done a crock pot, but it sounds like it takes way longer than the stove top method. I just put in in a large pan at a low heat, and I’m probably done within an hour or so. I know when I’m done when the cracklins get crispy. At that point all the fat that’s going to render has done so. Then the cracklins are for snacking on. I get about 32 oz. of lard when I’m done from around 3 pounds of pork fat.

[MakinBacon]

Unfortunately, yes, it all went in the trash. I wasn’t sure if I could store it and try again the next day, and I was super tired by then and about to pass out. Next time I will try it in smaller batches until I get the method perfected.

Also, the original plan wasn’t even to make lard, but to make tallow. When I went to the butcher to pick up some steaks, I asked if he had any beef fat laying around so I could make tallow. He said he just tossed a bunch of it, but if I came back the next day he would have some saved for me. When I came back, he had 3 lbs of pork fat ready to go instead of the beef fat. I wasn’t gonna turn down free fat, so I took it and went on my way.

[Fiorella]

Hey, chin up. You did real good the first go at it! And nothing was lost from a money perspective…the fat was free.

You will pick up rendering technique in no time.

And the taste of your food in the future will be so much better cooking with home rendered beef and pork fats…and the fat is free/no cost from butcher…woohoo!!!

[MakinBacon]

True! And if I think about it, 16oz of yummy lard is going to good use now, instead of in the trash where the butcher was going to send it.

I don’t have enough really to deep fry with (and I don’t have a deep dryer anyway, lol). But, I do plan on pan frying some stuff and I have plenty now for that. Normally I use coconut oil. I still will on occasion, but now I can save more of that for my BPC and use the lard instead for frying.

[Fiorella]

That’s sounds like a great plan.

By the way, you don’t need to buy a deep fryer, either. I don’t have one (I cannot stand accumulation of stuff in my kitchen and keep tools to a minimum, for space economy). All I do is use stainless steel or cast iron sauce pans for deep frying…works perfectly fine. And then I return the fat back into the jar, through a metal sieve to catch the little brown bits. The fat can be used over and over again, and will eventually be consumed, because the food absorbs some of the fat. So, this is another tip for saving money, and minimizing wasted space in the kitchen. Also, I don’t buy jars to store rendered fats…I recycle them from when I buy other stuff like olives and mustard. I take advantage of FREE stuff as much as possible.

[MakinBacon]

I do have a cast iron pan with fairly high sides… I think I need to head over to the recipes section and look up some ideas.

I’ve owned a set of mason jars for years, so luckily I didn’t have to buy anything new for this, except for the cheesecloth.

[logullo]

@i960, you are on the right path! A cast iron pot is only truly happy when bathing in simmering pork fat

The crock pot method avoids browning, but it’s slow (as you discovered). Give your cast iron dutch oven a try – so long as you’re in the kitchen or can check on it periodically.

Ah! Time has passed. Did you try rendering in your cast iron yet?

[MakinBacon]

I have not rendered any more actually. I still have about half the jar left, lol. I’m just not using it as much as I thought I would. I’m kind of on a bacon and egg kick right now, so when I tire of that, I’ll look up some recipes to use the rest of it.

[fourdorrs]

Thanks I just emailed my butcher!

[Oscar_Gomez]

I made some lard too!

I really like my lard, but I think it’s probably low quality fat because I made it from the belly or back, probably. It’s still white and cute.

Do I need to keep it with a cover?

[Fiorella]

no cover needed at all…it is very stable.

But, of course, if it sits in a dusty place (like near an open and breezy window), you will need to cover it so dust does not settle on it

[Mglasbrener]

You can make in in large batches too! I’ve used my instapot, a food processor a dive/filter and recycler (my dog).