Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 Does anyone know of a source for organic lard? I'd love to try it. Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 Ellen- >Can someone please tell me what >to do? Also, once rendered, how and where do you >store the lard, and how long will it keep? It's pretty simple, at least if you have the right equipment. You need a really heavy-duty pot, preferably cast iron, so the heat will be extremely even without any hot spots that would burn the lard. I prefer enameled cast iron, but regular cast iron will work fine. Anyway, you cut the pig fat up into tiny little pieces and put a little of it into the pot on a fairly low flame. As the fat starts to give off grease you can add more and more of the fat until the pot is, I don't know, half full, maybe even more. The key is to keep the heat pretty low, so you'll probably have the lower the flame at least once, maybe several times, because of the excellent heat-holding and heat-conducting properties of cast iron. Trust me, you really don't want to burn the fat! You'll probably want to stir it periodically, and you'll need to leave the pot's cover at least cracked at times to let moisture evaporate. I generally leave the cover off for part of the rendering. It's important to get every last bit of water out, or your lard won't keep. Not everyone emphasizes cutting the fat into tiny pieces, but I find it's essential, at least in my stove-top setup, because otherwise there's lard left behind inside the larger pieces. Once you think you've gotten all the lard out that you can and left no moisture behind, strain the mixture of grease and cracklings through cheese cloth. I press as much lard out of the cracklings as I can. As to how long it can keep, I'd say a long, long time -- I always use mine up much too quickly to find out. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but it should be kept away from light, so a ceramic container is probably best. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 , Did you get your lard from a butcher in NYC? or did you mail order it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 - >Did you get your lard from a butcher in NYC? or did you mail order it??? Mail order, unfortunately. (Or fortunately, I guess -- it's cheaper and better, and at least we can get healthy stuff that way if not here in the city.) - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 >>>It's pretty simple, at least if you have the right equipment... ---->thanks for the explanation (i didn't save it last time you posted your method). i'm going to save this one. do you think the same method would work for lamb tallow? I've got a freezer full of lamb trimmings - just about all fat, with maybe a little meat stuck to it here and there. I've got two lambs' worth, and don't know what to do with it. would love to make tallow. Suze Fisher Lapdog Design, Inc. Web Design & Development http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg/ mailto:s.fisher22@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 Noticed last night in The Good Fat Cookbook her source for very good lard is F. 717-336-2804. How its fed she doesn't say but her criteria for good pork is organic fed, hormone and antibiotic free. Wanita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 , Where did you mail order your lard from? Thanks, Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 Suze- >do you think the same method would work >for lamb tallow? I don't see any reason it shouldn't -- I've rendered bison suet the same way. I can't emphasize the importance of cutting the fat into very small pieces enough, though. Someone else suggested running the fat through a grinder first, and if you have a grinder that would be an excellent way to do it. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2003 Report Share Posted February 26, 2003 Laurie- >Where did you mail order your lard from? I didn't actually order lard, but pig fat which I rendered into lard. (In fact, I'll be rendering some more tonight.) There are piles and piles of farms which raise pigs and can sell you lard listed on www.eatwild.com, so you ought to see if there are any near you. This year's WAPF shopping guide actually lists www.vermontorganicpork.com as a source of good lard, but last year's shopping guide did too and the site STILL isn't up and running, so I don't know what to make of that. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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