Nola Cuisine

• 2 lbs. Clean Fresh Pork Fat cut into 1/2″ cubes (back fat is usually easier to find. Leaf Fat is the best and is preferred for baking purposes)
• 1/2 Cup water

1. Add the fat and water to a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven.
2. Cook the fat and water at medium-high heat until you start to see the fat really start to liquify in the pot, turn the heat to low. Cook slowly for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Your lard is ready when the remnants in the pot, now called cracklings are golden brown.
3. Strain the cracklings in a fine mesh strainer.
4. Drain the cracklings on paper towels season them with salt and snack on them, or use them to make crackling corn bread.
5. Place fat into a clean, dry container and store in the refrigerator for at least six months.

• Use only CLEAN, FRESH fat. If the fat has an off flavor, your lard will have an off flavor. The fresher the better! I get my pork fat from a polish butcher here in Michigan where I live, who, by the way, also has a ton of house made rendered lard for sale! The polish word is “Smalec.”
• Cut the fat into equal sized pieces, this helps to prevent some pieces from geting too brown before others, which will give the lard an off flavor.
• Remove all lean meat from the fat before rendering.
• 1/4 cup of water is added to the pot for each pound of pork fat. This keeps the fat from burning or browning in the pot, before the fat starts rendering. The water will evaporate away.