Confusion and curiosity is why you are most likely reading this article. We have been taught and conditioned that lard is bad. How to Render Lard, what the government doesn't want you to know starts with the history of lies surrounding lard marketing. It has totally changed society. Not because lard is "bad" but because the industry needed to make money.

Medical myths confused our ancestors. Regardless of the fear marketing "health conditions" they live longer than we do and without the number of health conditions we have today.

USA History 101

What happened?  Why do we strongly reject one of our ancestors’ most basic food staples?

Early 1900’s, Proctor & Gamble

Proctor & Gamble produced cotton, loads of it.  The cottonseed, a LARGE unwanted portion that they couldn't do anything with needed to find a way to profit provide profit.  (I wonder what this brain storming session was like!)

Not long after Proctor & Gamble discovered that they could extract the oil from the cottonseed. The only challenge was that the oil quickly turned rancid. To solve this they discovered they could Hydrogenate the oil making it shelf stable for a really long time.  Even better the oil turned solid and looked like Lard. Proctor & Gamble called it Crisco.

An issue of Popular Science summed it up this way: “What was garbage in 1860 was fertilizer in 1870, cattle feed in 1880, and table food and many things else in 1890.”  This changed the way we thought about food and the way we ate for generations.  The legacy of the anti-lard and anti-butter mindset still continues today.

Crisco, marketed as cheaper and “healthier” than lard or butter.  Even gave away free cookbooks with every purchase of Crisco. And of course you can guess which ingredient replaced everything that normally would have called for butter or lard. At the same time the most marketing dollars of that time were spent labelling butter and lard as intrinsically “bad.” 

The sad irony

In only a few years lard and butter were successfully labeled as hazardous to our health. This turned an entire nation away from the source of fat that had been used for centuries by their ancestors. 

Mounting illnesses; cancer, obesity, Alzhiemers, could no longer be ignored the statement was finally released that hydrogenated oils are bad for you.  But the fat phobia continued as did the manufacturing of substitute oils.

One such oil:  Canola. 

The “canola” plant developed in the 1970’s and is nothing more than a modified, cross-bred version of the rapeseed plant.

During WWII, navel ships used rapeseed oil as a lubricant.  

The war ended and farmland in Canada already dedicated to growing rapeseed wanted to find other uses for it so they could continue pulling a profit.  The problem with rapeseed oil:  It’s such a terribly foul-tasting and rancid-smelling oil that it isn’t fit for human consumption.  

They spent the next few decades until the 1970’s working out a way to make it edible.  That process required heavy refining, bleaching and deodorizing using harsh chemicals (as far from “natural” as it gets) to finally yield the neutral-tasting, odorless oil that now sits on grocery store shelves bearing the American Heart Association’s seal of approval.   

Unfortunately we have come full circle. 

Medical research over the past several years has continued to confirm that fat is not the devil it’s been made out to be.  Medical literature is finally starting to reflect this as are many health professionals in their medical advice.  Links between cancer, Alzheimer's, obesity and other rising health issues are continually being studied. However, the notion that fat is bad has been so deeply engrained in our culture and medical philosophy for so long that it’s going to take some time before we’ve all caught up to the facts.  

Our families philosophy and approach to diet is a simple one that echoes centuries of wisdom:  1) Eat real, whole foods as close to their natural state as possible and 2) eat things in moderation.

So that brings us back to lard and what the food industry doesn't want you to know.  It’s a fully natural, whole food.  Lard can be made in your own kitchen without any special equipment and the process is simple.

How to Render Lard = Melt it.  Strain it.  Use it.

Benefits of Lard & Tallow

Lard and beef tallow have several advantages, one of them being that it they have one of the highest smoke points.  That means it doesn’t oxidize when you heat it (oxidization = cancer).  So lard is ideal for high heat cooking (i.e., anything above a light sauté).

Lastly, it tastes awesome!  Lard and Tallow make the best fried chicken, crispy hash browns and just about anything you want to taste just that much better.

Finally, it has health benefits.  That’s right, lard is a good thing.  To read about its health benefits along with several other reasons to use lard, check out this article:  Top 10 Reasons To Bring Lard Back.

***IMPORTANT NOTE:  The health benefits of lard apply only to pasture-raised pork.  Fat (and marrow) is where a lot of the bad stuff is stored and concentrated (ie, chemicals, additives, vaccinations, by-products of junk ingredients, etc). For this reason we strongly recommend only using fat from pasture-raised pigs and cows.  Avoid fat from commercially raised livestock. Find farmers like our farm who are refuse to vaccinate and do not treat with hormones/antibiotics.

Homemade rendered lard/tallow is very shelf stable.  The process of rendering it removes excess water and other impurities, thus preserving the fat and keeping it from spoiling.

Refirgeration

Before refrigeration was invented lard and tallow kept at room temperature for a long time (traditionally many kept it for up to a year).  Nevertheless, today most recommend storing it in the fridge. It’s your call.  In the fridge it will keep for at least 6 months and up to a year also and many say it’s less likely to get rancid in the fridge. 

Frozen

Freeze it in bars, in cubes, in tablespoon amounts, in tubs (slicing off what you need, no need to thaw), whatever you prefer.  Lard can also be frozen in glass jars once the fat has solidified at room temperature.

It is best to only freeze it once though, not thaw and re-freeze.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Help, my lard has grown mold!  Pure fat doesn’t grow mold, it goes rancid.  Not rendering long enough or not straining it propertly are the culprits of mold. If there are any bits of meat or sediment left in the lard after rendering it, those will grow mold. This is why I render twice.

A WORD OF CAUTION

If you choose to buy lard/tallow rather than render it yourself, be very careful about the lard you find in stores.  Many of them are hydrogenated and many also contain large amounts of highly toxic benzene derivatives known as BHA and BHT.  Avoid these.  Plus, making it yourself is MUCH cheaper than buying it.  Most “clean” commercial lard on the market charge more than $20 per pound.  I’m able to make more than six times that amount for the same price!

If you have a local butcher you trust that makes lard from pasture-raised pigs/beef, perfect. The health benefits of lard apply only to pasture-raised pork.  Fat (and marrow) is where a lot of the bad stuff is stored and concentrated (ie, chemicals, additives, vaccinations, by-products of junk ingredients, etc). For this reason we strongly recommend only using fat from pasture-raised pigs and cows.  Avoid fat from commercially raised livestock. Find farmers like our farm who are refuse to vaccinate and do not treat with hormones/antibiotics.

How to Render Lard

INGREDIENTS

Pasture raised pork lard or beef tallow

INSTRUCTIONS

1. I highly recommend freezing the fat first because it makes the job of chopping the fat MUCH easier and cleaner!

2. Dice the fat as small as you can.  Our farm sells our un-rendered lard/tallow ground so you can avoid this step. The smaller you chop the pieces the quicker it will render and the more lard you will get out of it. 

4. Leave the lid off to prevent water/moisture from building up, which can lead to spoiling.  By leaving the lid off, any developing water/moisture will evaporate.

Caution

If you over-cook it or allow it to burn on the edges, the lard will begin to brown and you’ll end up with a lard that has a stronger porky flavor.  It’s still completely usable for things like frying and sautéing, it’s just not ideal for making sweet pastries, pie crusts, soap and lotion.

 What about mold?

It’s critical that you remove any bits of fat and gristle along with any tiny bits of sediment, otherwise your lard will get moldy.  Pure fat doesn’t grow mold, it goes rancid.  So if there’s mold on it it’s because it wasn’t rendered long enough to remove all the water and/or it wasn’t strained properly.  So be sure to properly strain it.

Enjoy!