Rendering Lard / Tallow

So I don’t know about you, but I love me some bacon grease for cooking. I mean… it’s bacon… Come on. I save mine in a mason jar in the fridge and love to pop a Tbsp into a skillet of potatoes or green beans other items. It adds so much flavor so why waste it. (I cook my bacon LOW and SLOW and it renders out the fat beautifully)... yeh I know.. super healthy. blah blah blah...

Sometimes I will have an abundance of pork or beef fat and I will render them down into lard or tallow. (Lard is from pork fat and Tallow is from beef fat - technically you can get tallow from other animals too). I had a weekend that was such a time. I did not want to waste that beautiful fat.

So the first step is to chop up the fat into small pieces. If you have a meat grinder, PERFECT! The smaller the pieces the faster the fat is rendered out. It is easier if the fat is cold or partially frozen. You will want to try to keep as much of the meat out as possible. I usually end up with a bowl of meat scraps that are perfect for making soups or stews or if they are really gnarly looking I will use them for making broth. 

Next you have a couple of choices. You can use a crock pot on the warm or low setting OR you can use a large pot on low OR you can put it into the oven on warm. You are essentially trying to melt the fat at the lowest heat possible to not scorch the fat.

Throw your chopped up fat into the container you are using. I use a large stock pot or crock pot. I usually add 1-2 cups of water to start to prevent scorching. It will cook out via evaporation. I keep stirring the pot until some of the fat is melted out and then it is just a waiting game from there. It takes a few hours so don’t plan on going anywhere and don’t forget to stir every so often. I generally usually use a wooden spoon for this.

 

After several hours the "bits" turn a golden color (these are called the cracklin’s and some people absolutely love these crispy bits as snack items or on salads… to each their own) and the bubbling has stopped (this means the moisture has cooked off completely) scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

Then CAREFULLY pour or ladle your rendered lard/tallow through a cheese cloth over a strainer. It will catch all the itty bits. I usually do this right into the jars (Which should be HOT, DRY and STERILE). You aren’t actually processing these in a canner so clean, sterile, dry jars ARE necessary. I usually only leave ½ inch head space and then I pop the lids and rims on right away. They will seal tight but remember they are not “pressure or waterbath canned”. Moisture and Air are going to be the two things that can make your rendered fat rancid so getting those lids on right away to take advantage of that heat is important.

The liquid will be a yellowish color but as it cools it will become a creamy white color. You can store these in the freezer if you are so inclined. I keep one in the fridge for use, and the rest I put in my basement pantry. My basement pantry is cool and dark which makes it perfect for my canning items. This usually keeps for a solid 6 months or more. Because there is no air or moisture exposure they are shelf stable.

NOW DISCLAIMER – The National Center for Home FoodPreservation does NOT recommend this process. They do not have a process for this, however people have been doing this for a VERY long time with success. I have never had an issue. You are responsible for your health so you will have to decide if this is something you are comfortable with.

What to use lard for?

Lard can be used 1:1 in anything that would call for Crisco.

Example: in pie crust. By the way bacon fat in an apple pie crust is the bomb!

Nutritionally speaking, lard has nearly one-fourth the saturated fat and more than twice the monounsaturated fat as butter. It is also low in omega-6 fatty acids, known to promote inflammation; according to lard enthusiasts free-range pigs that eat greens, not grains, have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Tallow has a lot of uses too.

I like to use it in place of butter when cooking meat or veggies – so basically savory dishes.

You can use it to keep leather soft.
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