Pork Fat

[Shel_B]

The pork chops we had for dinner on New Years Eve came with a thick fat cap, much of which was trimmed off.  I saved the fat thinking it may have some use.  Would rendering the fat provide something like lard which can be used for various cooking purposes, or is it just pork fat with limited use?  Thanks!

[ojisan]

I would save the fat for sausage.

[huiray]

JUST.EAT.IT.

 

REALLY.

 

You won't die.

[Okanagancook]

It will render nicely.  Cut into small dice and set on a low, low heat with a couple of tablespoons of water and render until the solids have melted and add more water if needed.  Strain and I keep mine in the freezer 'cause I made a big pot of the stuff with one of the two bags of back fat we got with our Berkshire pig last year.  Or, sausage is easier if so inclined....what no stuffer, just make some nice patties, yum.

[Franci]

I do buy a lot of pork cutlets to make schnitzels, I do freeze all the fat (and the skin), when I have enough I render the fat and make cracklings.

[Shel_B]

Thanks for all the responses, however, I wanted to know if I could use the fat as one would use lard.

[dcarch]

Thanks for all the responses, however, I wanted to know if I could use the fat as one would use lard.

 

Lard (commercial) is bleached to be white and filtered to be non-"porkie" ?

 

dcarch

[Okanagancook]

Lard is by definition rendered pork fat.

[Shel_B]

Lard is by definition rendered pork fat.

[barolo]

Lard, from what I've been taught, is the fat from specific areas of the pig, around the kidneys and abdomen.  Have I been misinformed?

[lesliec]

Or you may be thinking of suet; a 'special' fat from around the kidneys of cattle or sheep.  But not pigs, as far as I know.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I believe barolo is correct, at least in North America.  For myself I have had good results rendering lard for baking by the MC method...which reminds me I am out of it.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lard

[liuzhou]

I regularly render pork fat - into, yes, lard.

 

It is extremely common in Chinese cooking to render down some pork fat in which to stir fry your vegetable dishes. 

[dcarch]

But you wouldn't call bacon fat "lard".

 

dcarch

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Who said anything about bacon?  I call lard rendered pig fat.  Bacon fat is nice but if it's not rendered it's not lard.

[rotuts]

commercial lard ( those blocks ) is hydrogenated.

 

pig fat, however named, just the fat from pig, is healthier than cow and chicken and turkey fat.  probably also lamb fat, but lamb fat

 

has a terrible taste, at least to me.

 

but a very far cry from duck fat.

 

if youve ever had a pie crust from non-hydrogenated natural pig fat, that pie was made in heaven.

 

not all fillings work w this pie crust though.

[Martin Fisher]

commercial lard ( those blocks ) is hydrogenated.

 

 

Not all brands.

[rotuts]

consider :

 

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food

[rotuts]

bacon fat is not lard as its not rendered.

 

its left w the bacon.

 

if it were to be trimmed off pre-salting, smoking, and bacon-ing

 

and rendered, it would be classified as lard.

 

there is 'hard' and 'soft' pork  ( or really any animal except fowl ) fat

 

that comes from the connective tissue around the fat cells that hold the cells together.

 

the hard fat is cut thin and becomes leaf lard, a current rage on the Antipasta plate.

 

rendering is removing as much tissue from the mass leaving only the fat.

 

at room temp,  ie your room temp, not mine, lard is soft.

 

as its less saturated than other animal fat.

 

its been argued that fat completely rendered ie with no supportive animal issue in the fat

 

does not have a animal-specific taste.  we are talking generally the animals we commonly eat.

 

hard to say if this is true. 

[Smithy]

consider :

 

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food

That is some fine, fine writing: thought-provoking and funny as well. I particularly love this bit from that article:

"After hanging out in your mouth for a minute, though, a lard-fried crust becomes soft and creamy, as voluptuous as a Rubens nude but not as heavy."

 

[dcarch]

"---its been argued that fat completely rendered ie with no supportive animal issue in the fat

does not have a animal-specific taste.  ---------------------------"

 

Dry rendered or wet rendered may make a difference.

 

dcarch

[rotuts]

a corollary to the " does fat taste " item above, is that

 

if you remove all the 'fat' from the animals muscle you are about to eat, you cant taste animal specific taste any more

 

These folks but be from a different 'school' than the above.

[Okanagancook]

commercial lard ( those blocks ) is hydrogenated.

 

pig fat, however named, just the fat from pig, is healthier than cow and chicken and turkey fat.  probably also lamb fat, but lamb fat

 

has a terrible taste, at least to me.

 

but a very far cry from duck fat.

 

if youve ever had a pie crust from non-hydrogenated natural pig fat, that pie was made in heaven.

 

not all fillings work w this pie crust though.

Oh yeah:  pie crust made from real pig lard is just outstanding.  Especially good when making sausage rolls  .  Double pig fat coming at you.

[rotuts]

""  sausage rolls  ""

 

makes sense

 

" full flavor "

[btbyrd]

the hard fat is cut thin and becomes leaf lard, a current rage on the Antipasta plate.