How to Render Pork Fat in A Slow Cooker​

If you’ve been looking for the best way to render pork fat into lard, this is it: take your slow cooker and get ready to enjoy a clean-tasting cooking fat that’s great for frying baking or seasoning cast iron. This method is fast, low-hands on time and perfect for a new home cook or experienced chef.

Lard, Rendered pig fat in smooth, creamy form. For centuries, it has been used in traditional cooking both for its high smoke point and how well it bakes into flaky pastries. The main varieties of lard are two:

• Leaf Lard: sourced from the fat around the kidneys of a pig, this is prized for its neutral flavor and packed with properties great for baking.

• Fatback (Back Fat): The oromentic fat of a pig rendered and refined for use, having such enhanced porkiness it is often suitable to keep on frying at will.

Advantages of Making Your Own Lard

Why Render Your Own Lard:

• No Additives and Preservatives: Homemade lard does not contain additives or preservative ingredients that are typically found in commercial products.

• Frugality: Using pork fat that may have gone unrendered is not only inexpensive but also cuts down on food waste.

• Flavor: Freshly rendered lard tastes very different and more vibrant than commercially produced alternatives.

Use ample amounts of high-quality pork fat:

• Heritage Breed Pigs (Pasture Raised): The fat from pastured pigs usually has a milder flavor and is more nutrient dense.

• Leaf Fat vs Back Fat: Use leaf fat for baking (neutral flavor) andrendered dulce slip backfat/touro synofa.

Local butchers or farmers markets are good sources of quality pork fat.

You will need the following to get started with your slow cooker lard:

• A 6-quart slow cooker for the all of the batches.

• Knife (make sure it is quite sharp so you can chop through the fat)

• A board to chop on.

• Strainer or Cheese Cloth to strain for impurities

• Glass Jar or Container to hold rendered lard.

• Trim : Cut any skin, meat or blood spots from fat, to get rid of these off flavors.

• Cut: Set each of fat into small uniform sized cubes (about 1- inch) Makes smaller, more efficient chunks.

• Add Water: Put about a 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of your slow cooker. When heating this allows the fat to give out smoke in a controlled manner before it starts scorching.

• Insert Fat: Fill the slow cooker with fat, but make sure not to stuff it too much as even rendering occurs when packing is loose.

• Heat: Turn the slow cooker on low heat. Making it fat family will make quite a hoggy flavor, but rendering helps mitigate that to some degree.

• Stir Occasionally: Every hour, stir the fat slowly to help in melting evenly and stop sticking.

• Watch: The bake usually takes 4-6 hours. You will see the fat rendering — turning into clear liquid, with pieces of browned tissue called cracklings settling to the bottom.

• Strain: Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a heatproof container.

• Pour through: Using a strainer, carefully ladle the liquidfat to strain out any of the solid bits.

• Cool: Strain the lard cool until it sets up into a cream white mass.

• Refrigerate: Once the lard has cooled down, pour it into airtight containers and refrigerate for up to a few months.

• Freeze: To store lard longer, put it in freezer-safe containers and freeze.

Render at a Low Heat: A strong, funky taste will result if you render lard too hot.

Use a Thermometer: Maintain 225°F to 250± for gentle rendering (be sure you ae using a thermometer)

Save the Bits: The small bits you now have left from rendering are called cracklings and they can be salted, eaten as a snack or used in sauces for additional flavor.

Lard is a very versatile rendered fat that can be used in many recipes:

• Best For: Pie crusts, biscuits and pastries that should be flaky.

• Sautéing: With its high smoke point, great for frying

• Sautéing: used for example when sautéing vegetables or meats, it brings rich flavor.

• Seasoning Cast Iron: Seasons cast iron cookware, creating a non-stick surface.

Lard is a traditional cooking fat, but that tradition comes with key words – in moderation:

Nutrients : Lard of pasture-raised pigs have vit D and monounsaturated fats.

Dietary Balance: As part of a healthy diet may include lard, taking into account the total amount of fat.

After rendering your lard at home, you have the control over both the quality and purity of this flexible cooking fat which will greatly improve taste and texture in what ever food that ask for it.

Rendering lard typically takes 4 to 6 hours on low heat, depending on the quantity and size of the fat pieces. Patience ensures a clean, neutral-flavored lard.

Cut beef fat into small pieces and place them in a slow cooker set to low. Allow the fat to melt over 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Once fully melted, strain the liquid tallow into jars for storage.

Chop pork fat into small pieces and place them in a heavy-bottomed pot over very low heat. Add a small amount of water to prevent burning. Allow the fat to melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until fully rendered. Strain the liquid lard into containers for storage.