Homegrown lard, cracklings, and pulled pork

shtgunal3

Smoked 1/2 a butt from a hog I had slaughtered. As I always do I removed the fat cap from the butt. I had quite a bit of fat so I decided to give homemade lard a try. It turned out really well and I now have three half pint jars of snow white lard to cook with. The jars are numbered 1, 2, 3 to signify the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd straining of the fat. After the 3rd straining I fried the remaining fat down to cracklings. Now on to the pics.

mikeinccfl

That's some hog goodness! 

RRP

EDITED

I've been meaning to ask this question so I might as well play tag along here. I save my bacon grease as I use 1/2 cup in every batch of chili that I make. Trouble is we don't eat that much bacon anymore and accumulating even 1/2 cup takes time. I have researched and I do see that jars of bacon grease are made and can be purchased at Amazon. Anybody ever try it? Is it OK?

Killit_and_Grillit

RRP said:

EDITED

I've been meaning to ask this question so I might as well play tag along here. I save my bacon grease as I use 1/2 cup in every batch of chili that I make. Trouble is we don't eat that much bacon anymore and accumulating even 1/2 cup takes time. I have researched and I do see that jars of bacon grease are made and can be purchased at Amazon. Anybody ever try it? Is it OK?

I haven't tried that brand but there is one they sell at Sprouts...those guys are getting $8 a jar for that stuff. My dad got some to compare since all of mine was dedicated to the dogs for about a month. He said it was fine for doing cornbread and cooking. 

Killit_and_Grillit

Oh also...

Part of me wants to be skinny. The bigger part wants some of those cracklings. The bigger part usually wins out. 

RRP

Killit_and_Grillit said:

RRP said:

EDITED

I've been meaning to ask this question so I might as well play tag along here. I save my bacon grease as I use 1/2 cup in every batch of chili that I make. Trouble is we don't eat that much bacon anymore and accumulating even 1/2 cup takes time. I have researched and I do see that jars of bacon grease are made and can be purchased at Amazon. Anybody ever try it? Is it OK?

I haven't tried that brand but there is one they sell at Sprouts...those guys are getting $8 a jar for that stuff. My dad got some to compare since all of mine was dedicated to the dogs for about a month. He said it was fine for doing cornbread and cooking. 

In reading some of the reviews at Amazon I'm not sure what brand to choose so I guess I was asking for recommendations here so I thank you for being the first!

bgebrent

Very nice brother!

Darby_Crenshaw

FWIW... you can save bacon grease in a cup in the fridge.  if you want, press a little plastic wrap down in contact with the surface to prevent it getting stale flavors or off odors.

it will keep indefinitely.  keep adding bacon grease after the bits settle out, and you will build up more than you need in a short time.  it is not the sort of thing that 'goes bad' and gets tossed out after a while.  you can keep the thing going forever

fat as a layer over pate' (even liver pate) is a form of preservative.  think confit, too.  don't even need a fridge, if you have the proverbial "cool dark place"

salted, as with bacon, the stuff lasts perpetually with occasional refreshing with new

blasting

I foodsaver the fat from about 8 butts and once I have enough, I render the lard.

I've probably been missing out.  So after you've rendered all the lard at a reasonable temp - you crank it up to get the cracklings?

NorthPilot06

@RRP Happy to volunteer to eat bacon for you and save the remaining fat 

RRP

Darby_Crenshaw said:

FWIW... you can save bacon grease in a cup in the fridge.  if you want, press a little plastic wrap down in contact with the surface to prevent it getting stale flavors or off odors.

it will keep indefinitely.  keep adding bacon grease after the bits settle out, and you will build up more than you need in a short time.  it is not the sort of thing that 'goes bad' and gets tossed out after a while.  you can keep the thing going forever

Oh I'm well aware it can be saved as I have for years. I use a Tupperware container with a tight lid. It's just that nowadays we typically take a couple months to eat a pound of bacon so I accumulate so little grease at a time!

shtgunal3

@blasting  I rendered the lard in a crockpot on low. I've been told the lower and slower that you render it, the whiter the finished lard will be. After it was petty much rendered out I salted the hell out of what was left and threw it in a cast iron skillet on the stove on medium to get the cracklings.

shtgunal3

@rrp I'm no help. I've never heard of store bought bacon grease.  You could probably buy a chunk of fatback and render it down to the grease you need. Might be cheaper (but more time consuming) than mail order grease.

blasting

shtgunal3 said:

@blasting  I rendered the lard in a crockpot on low. I've been told the lower and slower that you render it, the whiter the finished lard will be. After it was petty much rendered out I salted the hell out of what was left and threw it in a cast iron skillet on the stove on medium to get the cracklings.

Thanks @shtgunal3.  I use the same process, up until the skillet.  Do you use that final lard for anything, or just toss it after you get the cracklings?  I'm embarrassed to say, that is when I've tossed the unrendered fat until now.

Next time I'll be doing the final rendering for cracklings.  I think the final rendering of lard with the cracklings would probably be ok to use on the Blackstone.  

shtgunal3

@blasting this is the first time that I have done this although it is not the last. After getting the cracklings I tossed that grease. There wasn't much anyway. Question for you since it sounds like you've done this a lot. What do you put the finished lard in and where do you store it? As you can tell I used 1/2 pint canning jars. I put one jar in the refrigerator to use and the others in the freezer.

blasting

shtgunal3 said:

@blasting this is the first time that I have done this although it is not the last. After getting the cracklings I tossed that grease. There wasn't much anyway. Question for you since it sounds like you've done this a lot. What do you put the finished lard in and where do you store it? As you can tell I used 1/2 pint canning jars. I put one jar in the refrigerator to use and the others in the freezer.

I've only done it a half dozen times, but I do the same as you did.  Canning jars in the fridge and freezer.  @SGH may have some input on this.

RRP

shtgunal3 said:

@rrp I'm no help. I've never heard of store bought bacon grease.  You could probably buy a chunk of fatback and render it down to the grease you need. Might be cheaper (but more time consuming) than mail order grease.

Well the research I have done clearly shows fatback, lard and bacon grease are each in their own element and aren't really interchangeable taste wise. Guess I'm just going to have to break down and start fixing BLTs more often plus having it more often than just for Sunday breakfasts!

blasting

RRP said:

shtgunal3 said:

@rrp I'm no help. I've never heard of store bought bacon grease.  You could probably buy a chunk of fatback and render it down to the grease you need. Might be cheaper (but more time consuming) than mail order grease.

Well the research I have done clearly shows fatback, lard and bacon grease are each in their own element and aren't really interchangeable taste wise. Guess I'm just going to have to break down and start fixing BLTs more often plus having it more often than just for Sunday breakfasts!

Mmmm.  BLT's.  Thanks Ron - While not traditional dinner food, it will be for me tonight!

Focker

Looks great.  Had a super sweet 96 year old IA lady tell me her favorite thing to cook was pie.  
Her favorite kind to bake, cherry.  Her secret, lard.  

It's also perfect to cut venison.

I strain and keep all bacon grease in Balls.  Great for sauteing, eggs, greasing pans, seasoning CI, etc.  Even the paper towels I wipe the pan down with get tossed unto a large "fire starter" Ball.

Smoked butt fat is great to add to sauces.  Strain into an ice tray, toss in the freezer.  Perfect portion size, and adds great flavor.

RRP

Focker said:

Looks great.  Had a super sweet 96 year old IA lady tell me her favorite thing to cook was pie.  
Her favorite kind to bake, cherry.  Her secret, lard.  

It's also perfect to cut venison, and sausage.

I strain and keep all bacon grease in Balls.  Great for sauteing, eggs, greasing pans, seasoning CI, etc.  Even the paper towels I wipe the pan down with get tossed unto a large "fire starter" Ball.

Smoked butt fat is great to add to sauces.  Strain into an ice tray, toss in the freezer.  Perfect portion size, and adds great flavor.

Yet another 80 year old neighbor told me her secret to her super flakey crust is to substitute vodka for the water in your recipe! Know what? SHE is RIGHT!!! Don't ask me why!!!