Making Lard!

The stuff we can buy from the store in my neck of the woods is useless so I started making my own lard a few years ago. I use it in place of oils for frying and pastry applications as well. Anyways this is my method (there are others). Enjoy!

Go to a good butcher and get some pork fat, if you can get them with the skin on you can make chicharron (they will be left once you're all done making the lard. The pictures do not have the skin on). The fat from different parts of the pig will give you a little different flavor. For a neutral flavor I use back fat. That is what I'll demonstrate here. For a unique flavor that I find most people seem to like go and get kidney fat.

It is as simple as this: Once you have the pork fat cut it into workable cubes, the smaller the cubes the quicker they will render. Put them into a dutch oven. Fill the dutch oven half way up the pork fat with water. Simmer on the stove top until the fat begans to render. The purpose of the water is to not scorch the fat, it will evaporate. Once it is evaporated put it in the oven at about 225 degrees or so. Then I go to bed! It is done about noon the next day (depending on the amount of fat you're using). Pour the hot fat through a strainer lined with cheesecloth.Let it cool to room temperature and then store it in the fridge or freeze it. All done!
5 pounds of pork fat gave me 2 liters of lard in this case. The total cost was $5!