Slim Palate

Healthy Gourmet Lifestyle and Recipes

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Cookbook
  • Recipes
  • Store
  • Contact
  • Book Tour
  • Links
  • FAQ’s

How To Render Lard

31 March, 2014 by Slim Palate 11 Comments

How-To-render-Lard-From-Slim-Palate

Well these past few weeks have just been awfwonderful. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, that’s not a word. But you have to understand, the only way I could explain my feelings was simply to create a new one. Since I am the creator of this word I suppose I have to define it. Basically it’s when the majority of something that you do is so wonderful yet so crazy that you can’t decide whether you’re enjoying it or going moderately insane.

So far I’ve done two of my locations for my book tour and they went great but the planning for the rest is a bit sporadic. I’m working my hardest to contact the places that I want to go to but not all of them like to reply to me. I don’t take it personally, it’s just one of those predicaments you get set in whenever you email someone and cannot email anyone else about that subject until you get a response from the first person you emailed; which you have no clue whether or not they ever will. I didn’t know that send button could be so evil.

Pork-fatMeanwhile, I noticed that that I was completely out of lard. Which in my world is unacceptable. Usually I’m better about this and I did myself a disservice to allow that to happen. That’s like forgetting about your grandmother in a tanning bed. Okay, not that severe. The point is that you know you’re overloaded when you forget to make your batch of lard. So despite the fact that I was too busy to even take a bathroom break I had to take a moment to make another batch of lard.

Chopped-pork-fatYou would think that it’s pretty straightforward and that there is only one way to render lard but there are actually several ways that you can do it. Some people prefer to make it simmering the chunks of pork fat in water or in the slow cooker. My method happens to be one of the more simple and straightforward methods that my grandmother used until the whole low fat B.S. started running amuck. It’s actually incredibly simple yet I get questions about it quite often through email and in person.

Pork-Fat-RenderingSpeaking of lard I actually have been giving out these T-shirts for my book tour that have an illustration of a canister of lard and above that it says “Eat Real Food.”. I gave some to my friends at my school and they have been wearing them around the building, which as you can imagine has been getting quite an interesting response. People saying ignorant things like “lard isn’t real food!”, “lard is bad for you!”, etc. The ironic thing about their statements is that they make state them all the while biting into a McDonalds hamburger or some other various toxic mass manufactured amalgamation of toxic ingredients. Clearly we have steered this generation into an awkward direction.

Rendered-lard-finishedPlus, even though we aren’t afraid of saturated fat here I would like to take this moment to express that pastured lard is over half unsatured fat, and the vast majority of that is monounsaturated fat. Which happens to be the same fat found in things like avocados, olive oil, etc. So moral of the story would be: get your facts straight before you scold someone about something you know nothing about. So lard lovers, raise your mighty lard pale and fear not as we will rise out of ashes of burnt brussels sprouts and show what the superior cooking fat truly is. Praise the lard people and remember to use it for good and not evil.

Lard-Via-Slim-palate

 

4.8 from 4 reviews
How To Render Lard
 
Print
My grandmothers method on creating the beautifully creamy, snow white, and versatile cooking fat known as lard.
Ingredients
  • pork fat (enough to fit in a skillet without going to the top)
Instructions
  1. Chop the pork fat finely into small bits or grind it through a meat grinder.
  2. Place the pork fat in a large cast iron skillet over medium low heat and allow to render stirring occasionally. If it begins to simmer to hard take the heat down to low and continue rendering. (if you have to, use a diffuser over the burner)
  3. After 7-10 minutes or until ¾ of the pork fat is rendered but pork fat is not browning yet, strain the rendered fat through cheese cloth set over a mesh sieve into a heat safe container. Return the un-rendered bits of pork back to the skillet and finishing rendering until the remaining pork fat begins to brown. Strain it once more through the cheese cloth set over the mesh sieve and into the container.
  4. Let cool slightly and store in the fridge. The finished product after being refrigerated should be a beautiful snow white and have a thick creamy consistency.
Notes
Note on where to get pork fat: I recommend buying pastured pork fat from a reputable source such as a local farm to get the best quality and healthiest animal fat you can. The keyword is "pastured" and not "pasture-raised". I get my pork fat from a local farm in Houston called Yonder Way Farm.
Note on color of the rendered pork fat: Your pork fat right after rendering will be a very faded yellow but not a solid yellow or brown. If your lard is brown and smells bitter then you have burned the batch. This can be avoided by making sure you don't allow the batch to simmer to hard and brown the bits of fat while rendering.
3.2.2310

 

Filed Under: Food Tips, Recipes Tagged With: cooking fat, high heat oils, lard, pork, pork fat

« Praise Roundup For My Cookbook
Homemade Ricotta »

Subscribe to my mailing list

* indicates required

Comments

  1. Christine Tham says

    1 April, 2014 at 1:56 am

    The dried pork fat is delicious when eaten with rice. Fry dried pork fat with green and red chillies (sliced into small slices) together with fine brown bean paste, with lastly add in raw bilimbing (small green fruits found in Southeast Asia).

    Reply
    • Slim Palate says

      2 April, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Oh I’m definitely going to be trying this in my rice soon. Move over butter(only half kidding here)! Thank you.

      Reply
  2. Andrea @ Pencils and Pancakes says

    1 April, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    I am a teacher and it’s frustrating and sad how little my students know about real food and nutrition. It must be a whole different world for you living this lifestyle!

    Reply
  3. Anthony S. says

    7 April, 2014 at 9:31 am

    After having made a few of the recipes as well as loving the entirety of Slim Palate, I cannot help myself. this will definitely be high on my new attempts list. Maybe it will assist in not letting my bacon fat run out so fast.
    side note, your mexican chocolate chocolate cookies were the absolute best treat yet after a dinner of Paleomg’s almost 5 ingredient Pizza casserole.

    Reply
  4. Phil says

    13 April, 2014 at 10:23 am

    Love all your posts but this one hits home for me. I recently bought pastured pork from and local farm and I rendered the lard for my use at home. I love it and the different uses never cease to amaze me. I also follow you on Instagram and saw the shirts. I love them, is there any way to get one!?

    Reply
  5. Paula J Countryman says

    14 April, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    Very nice of you to show how to render fat to lard. I love it!

    Reply
  6. Brenda Windell says

    27 October, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    This same instruction can also be used to render tallow, (beef fat). It is ALSO a healthy fat. Once again, grass fed is better and know where you are getting your tallow and lard from! In Southern Indiana, Hasenour’s Organic Produce in Huntingburg, can provide you with fresh lard or tallow from their organically raised livestock.

    Reply
    • Slim Palate says

      28 October, 2015 at 2:23 pm

      I purchase all of my meat/eggs/fats from Yonder Way Farm. They’re like family to me.

      Reply
  7. Lorelle says

    9 January, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    I like this as a starter very much. Can you tell me though how you render other fats such as the fat from roasts? I seem to remember hearing that you need bread to take up juices and leave the fat? I love roasts and would love to be able to render the fat from them so that they don’t go rancid.
    cheers and thanks

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Roasted Root Vegetables | Slim Palate says:
    24 April, 2014 at 7:30 am

    […] link […]

    Reply
  2. Habit Making: Recommitting to Paleo/Primal! | Paleopino says:
    8 September, 2014 at 11:37 am

    […] I am talking lard and not fake lard in a tub, but the kind that’s runoff from bacon. Although rendering your own fat is really the best way) or coconut oil or even occasionally olive […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Follow me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to my newsletter

Optional
* = required field

My First Cookbook!

Recent Posts

  • Peach Cobbler (Video)
  • Super Easy Shrimp Scampi
  • How to make Fried Chicken
  • How To Cook A Proper Steak
  • Gluten Free Brownie Cookies

Recent Comments

  • Jenn on Coffee-Chipotle Pork Chops
  • Tanya on Cauliflower Tortillas (Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten free)
  • Jade on Lemon Chia Seed Muffins (Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free)
  • 10 Reasons to Eat Dark Chocolate – Julia Hale Fitness on Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups with Smoked Sea Salt (Paleo, Refined Sugar free)
  • 28 Enticing Paleo Frittata Recipes on Hazelnut, Feta and Rosemary Frittata

Archives

  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012

Categories

  • Baking
  • Book and Cookbook Reviews
  • Breakfast
  • Drinks
  • Food General And Travel
  • Food Tips
  • Rants/Raves/Talks
  • Recipes
  • Savory
  • Snacks
  • Soups
  • Spreads, Sauces, Dips and Dressings
  • Sweets/Desserts
  • Uncategorized

Categories

Archives

About Joshua Weissman

Categories

  • Baking
  • Book and Cookbook Reviews
  • Breakfast
  • Drinks
  • Food General And Travel
  • Food Tips
  • Rants/Raves/Talks
  • Recipes
  • Savory
  • Snacks
  • Soups
  • Spreads, Sauces, Dips and Dressings
  • Sweets/Desserts
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012

Categories

Archives

Featured Posts

Peach Cobbler (Video)

Super Easy Shrimp Scampi

How to make Fried Chicken

Connect

Joshua Weissman is an influential 21 year old cookbook author (published at 17 years old), food photographer, food blogger, cook, and real food advocate. Read More…

Subscribe to my mailing list

* indicates required

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress