Rendering lard

This past weekend we slaughtered our first hog. We purchased the hog from a friend, put him on the smoker, and had 70 of our friends over for a wonderful afternoon of fellowship, food, and fun. I have been wanting to render lard for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity to try it. I couldn't believe how simple it was!

RENDERING LARD

Remove all meat from the portions of fat. Cut the fat into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the quicker the fat will dissolve. In a crockpot on low setting, put a very small amount of water. This will prevent the fat from sticking until the fat starts to render, and it will evaporate over time. Add the diced pieces of fat to the crockpot.

There should be a picture here, but I forgot to take it!

Cook uncovered until the fat pieces begin sinking to the bottom. This is how mine looked after 15 hours. Yours could take more or less time depending on the amount of fat you began with.

Line a colander with cheesecloth and carefully, I repeat...CAREFULLY, pour the lard into the colander making sure you have a heat proof container beneath to catch the lard. It is such a beautiful sight!

Now, pour your beautifully rendered lard into a storage container. I used canning jars, and ended up with almost one and half quarts. Refrigerate it and it becomes this lovely white lard.

If you wish to make cracklins with the fat pieces that are remaining, simply return them to the crockpot for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. As they continue to cook, they will become firm and crispy. My mom loved to add them to cornbread...me? not so much! They might make a nice addition to a salad or casseroles. The lard that is rendered from the cracklins will be stronger tasting but can also be used for cooking. In fact, I bet it would be great to season beans and greens with!

I didn't make a picture of the cracklins either!

This post is linked to Homestead Barn Hop!