Lard

Find out what our ancestors have known for thousands of years and why you should use lard. Learn how to render, store and use lard!

Any time I mention our use of lard, reactions tend to fall into one of two camps: morbid curiosity or thinly veiled disgust. And it's no wonder, given its reputation as an unpalatable, unhealthful 'poverty food.' For a century, our culture has preached the gospel that this is the stuff of coronaries and early graves. (We can thank Proctor and Gamble, and their poisonous invention, Crisco, for getting that bandwagon rolling.) So before I tell you how I render lard, let me tell you WHY I…

Lard is a perfect fat in so many ways. Its high smoke point makes it an excellent choice for frying. Its large fat molecules give pastries and pie crusts a beautiful, flakey texture. My favorite reason to use lard? It's super high in Vitamin D! It's time to bring back the ages-old tradition of rendering fat in our kitchens! Here's how to render lard in your crock pot.

Making lard is as simple as cooking pig fat over low heat, straining it, and cooling it. That's it!

Whether on the stove, in the crockpot, or in the oven, rendering lard doesn't have to be tricky! Here are 6 tips I use to get snow white, odor-free lard.

Lard is healthy! In recent generations, lard has seemed to completely disappear from home kitchens. Until the early 1900's, lard was a staple cooking fat across the globe. It was the secret to perfectly flaky pie pastry, crispy fried chicken, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits and luscious gravy. Now, when people hear the term lard, they immediately conjure up a vision of clogged arteries. It's time to set the record straight - lard is a healthy cooking fat and deserves to make a comeback in…

18 · It was the mystery of the missing pig fat… That almost sounds like it could go with a Nancy Drew novel, huh? Our first home butchering experience was last year when we cut up our steer. (If you are curious about the emotional aspect of butchering one of your own animals, you’ll find this post interesting.) […]

They say lard is bad for you because it's fat, but it's actually one of the healthiest ingredients to cook with. Here's why.

There's no question that old-fashioned "pie paste" recipes with lard give the lightest, flakiest, best-ever pie crusts. BUT - did you know that nearly all commercially available lard is either fully or partially hydrogenated? Thankfully, it's easy & cost-effective to render your own lard at home, creating a natural cooking fat that's a joy to work with, and that hasn't been damaged by unnatural processing methods. This post will talk you through making perfectly white, neutral tasting lard!

Leaf lard is an incredibly versatile traditional fat, and the highest grade of lard. Made properly, it has no porky taste and it's perfect for pastries.