leaf lard

There is definitely more to a whole hog than just meat. My new favourite part is leaf lard. Okay, that’s not true. My favourite part is bacon. My second favourite part is leaf lard. Leaf lard is the highest quality fat, which surrounds the kidneys and loin. Pork fat is decidedly tasteless, making it very good for pastry and frying, where neutraility of flavour is desirable.

Leaf lard is easily removed and easily rendered. It takes anywhere from 4-8 hours to render completely, and only needs to be stirred once every 45 minutes to an hour during that time. It does smell yucky, but that’s a small price to pay. Honestly, the process is so effortless. I will definitely be processing all of my own lard from now on.

Here’s how I processed my leaf lard.

Cut the lard into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the faster and more fully the fat will render. Add some water to prevent scorching during the initial heating, prior to the fat getting juicy. I added about 1/3C for every few pounds of lard, which covered the fat about half way up. Place in a roasting pan and heat your oven to 300-350 degrees, depending on your oven. You definitely want to stir the fat more often during the first hour or so, to ensure that none of it browns.

In “Fat” Jennifer McLagan advised the removal of the papery membrane surrounding the fat. I did this and regretted it. The pieces which still had the membrane attached (and this was alot of it…the membrane is tough to remove) rendered the same as those with the membrane removed. Removing this membrane added about an hour and a half to the process, was frustrating, and wasted a lot of precious fat. If anyone has a good reason why it ought to go, please email me and I’ll post an update. Otherwise, I suggest you leave it on.

The process should be slow, with the fat never getting a chance to brown. This retains the neutrality of flavour and the creamy white colour. Once the fat is mostly or all rendered simply strain into the container of your choice. I was tired and filled mason jars out of habit. After a little more research I found people doing all kinds of clever things with their lard, like forming it in molds and muffin tins.

I’ll be re-processing what remained unrendered from the leaf lard, as well as some reserved fatback, at a higher heat to make a tastier version of the rendered lard, for dishes where the pork flavour would add depth. Like baked beans or fried potatoes.  Or roasted celeriac. Yum.

It also occurs to me that because very few people render their own lard, the leaf lard may be available from the butcher for a song. It is generally the case that the “undesirable” parts of the animals are either sold very cheaply or simply discarded. Makes a strong case for developing a taste for offal.