Rendering lard in a roaster or crock pot makes this preservation technique easy, fast, and painless. You’ll be so glad to have this versatile cooking staple once you’ve finished this step-by-step guide on how to render your own lard.
D’s grandma was one of the best cooks around. Everything she made was good, from her apple pie bars to her German Potato Salad. I remember a conversation with her once, when I had asked her for her secrets to making the delicious treats she often baked, and I also remember cringing when she smiled and said, “It’s lard. That’s the best thing you can use.”
At the time, the thought of using lard sounded absolutely disgusting. I mean- even the word sounds gross. But the truth of the matter is that lard can be used on the homestead in a variety of ways and is actually a really great natural and useful product. When we got a pig butchered this fall, I was excited for the cuts of meat we got, like the bacon, but I was most excited to get the lard! I was eager to partake in the tradition that has been done for thousands of years. Anything that my ancestors did as a natural way to live off the land is something I’m looking to try!
Where Can I Get Lard?
Lard is the fat from a pig that can be harvested after slaughter. If you raise and process your own pigs, you will of course have this pig by-product to use. If you don’t raise your own pigs, obtaining your own lard isn’t too hard either. Many meat processing plants have an abundance of lard, as many people don’t want it and leave it behind. If you give your local meat processor a call and let them know that you’re interested, odds are they’ll have some at a really cheap price.
Lard is Actually Good For You!
High in Cholesterol
Now, really, eating too much lard is NOT good for you. However, eating lard in moderation can actually be beneficial for your health. Lard is rich in cholesterol. Our bodies make cholesterol already, but eating good, healthy cholesterol, like that found in lard, actually reduces the burden on our own body to produce cholesterol. This cholesterol consumed from lard and other healthy whole food options then helps to support natural body processes like inflammation management and hormone production.
A Good Source of Healthy Fat
In terms of other health benefits, lard is 60% monosaturated fat. Most of this monosaturated fat is oleic acid, which is actually an essential fatty acid needed for our bodies to decrease LDLs and lower “bad cholesterol”. This oleic acid is also found in olive oil.
Lard is Loaded with Vitamin D
Lard is also extremely high in Vitamin D- just one spoonful of lard from a pastured pig contains 1000 IUs of Vitamin D! Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, has tons of health benefits of its own and has been shown to help treat depression, help with calcium absorption, boost immune systems, and protect bone, muscle, and heart health. Only trailing liver and cod liver oil, lard is one of the highest natural sources of this vitamin.
Rendering Lard Isn’t As Hard As You Think
You will soon find that rendering lard in a crock pot or roaster really isn’t very hard. Basically, all that you’re doing is cooking the fat down into a liquid form and draining off the excess. That’s it!
Gather Your Materials
To render your lard, you’ll need to first gather your materials:
- Roaster
- Wooden spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Pig lard (ground)
Our lard came back from the processor already ground, which was really nice and made this process go much more smoothly.
Step One: Cut up the lard
To begin, cut the lard into small pieces and place them into the roaster. This will help the lard to cook down evenly.
Step Three: Slowly Cook
Next, begin the cooking process. The process of rendering lard in a roaster or crock pot is a slow one and should be cooked down on very low heat. I turned my roaster at about 200 degrees and just kept an eye on it throughout the day, stirring it occasionally. When the fat began to float to the top and turn brownish, I knew that it was time to strain and jar the lard.
Step Four: Strain the lard
To strain, I simply poured the contents of the roaster through a strainer into a pot. You can consume the leftover fat, called the “cracklings”, as well. These are are very rich. We chose not to eat ours. Instead the birds very much enjoyed the fatty treat!
Step Five: Allow the lard to solidify
From the pot, I poured the clean liquid lard into jars and left it outside to solidify. I actually did the whole process outside as it can be a little smelly and not everyone is fond of the aroma. As it solidifies, it should turn snow-white and be odorless. You can see on the left my first batch that had solidified and was ready to go, while the second batch on the right was still in liquid form, hot, and just beginning to cool down and solidify.
Step Six: Storage
Once it’s solid, you can keep it just like you would any other oil, though know that it will liquify in a warm area (and that can be a problem!). Store your rendered lard in a cool place for up to a year. I chose to freeze mine (by leaving it outside), which is the safest method. You could also choose to store it in the refrigerator as well.
Uses of Rendered Lard
You can use rendered lard in a variety of ways. It has traditionally been a valued asset on the homestead:
- Use it as a cooking oil for frying foods
- Replace shortening or butter in pie crusts and other baked items (like biscuits) with your newly rendered lard
- Season your cast iron pan
- Moisturize by turning it into a hand balm
- As soap: My friend Rebecca from WeGrow has a nice line of lard-based soaps that she has developed, and I’m hoping to one day learn from her how to make it!
- In Survival Situations: As a burning oil for light and heat and as a medicinal help for inflammation and burns
- Birds also love lard! You can use lard to make homemade bird feeders for your birds in the winter month.
Do you use lard on your homestead?
After completing the easy process of rendering lard in a roaster, we had a nice supply of lard ready for the year. I am looking forward to making soaps, baking treats, and cooking dinners with this useful by-product on our own homestead.
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Excited to try this tomorrow.
I hope it goes well!