Well, who doesn’t love crispy potatoes fried in aromatic lard? Try this easy homemade lard recipe. Homemade lard is not only aromatic and tasty, but it can also be stored for a very long time.

The recipe for making lard is simple.

To begin with, the lard from which we are going to render lard must be washed and placed in cold water for 6 hours.

Then, the water needs to be drained, and the lard should be poured again with fresh cold water, and let it stand for another 6 hours.

Then, the slightly salted lard must be cut into cubes as for frying.

It is best to heat lard in an enamel bowl, always with a thick bottom. And so we need to pour a small amount of water into the bowl for melting the lard (as they say - onto your finger).

Then, you need to put the chopped lard into the pan, but not all at once, but in parts. After we have put the first portion of lard into the pan, we need to reduce the heat to low and heat the lard, stirring it constantly (preferably with a wooden spatula). It would be very good to place a flame divider on the burner, then the lard will burn evenly.

As it melts, new portions of lard must be added to the pan. Thus, we drown the lard until all the fat has been rendered out of the lard.

In the meantime, the lard is melted, we can prepare jars for packaging and further storage. To do this, you need to place the jars in a cold oven (the optimal volume is from 500 to 800 grams). Turn on the oven and heat the jars so that they don’t crack when we pack the hot lard into them.

Pour the finished rendered fat into jars, simultaneously filtering it through several layers of gauze. Then, let the melted lard settle in a warm place and filter it again through gauze (fresh), leaving sediment at the bottom of the jar.

This homemade lard is usually stored in a cool, dry and dark place (a cellar is ideal).

You can use rendered lard for various fryings, or you can simply spread it on bread and sprinkle with crystals of coarse salt.

For an original recipe on how to make delicious and aromatic homemade lard with onions, watch the video from Juicy Cake Channel. It turns out so delicious that you will lick your fingers.

Sometimes there is a need to cook something that harmonizes with toasted bread - for example, delicious or homemade lard. Read the recipe!

Ingredients

Lard recipe

Lard is rendered pork fat, which has long been considered a village product. But it is not so. Lard, first of all, is a national product. Many cuisines around the world cannot do without lard, and its use is varied and multifaceted - from confectionery to a base for frying.

Lard, as a natural product, is used for both household and medicinal purposes. When preparing lard, lard is usually used from lard, but regular lard can also be used. Properly prepared lard is not only a high-calorie dish, it is rich in vitamins and amino acids. To preserve all the benefits of a folk product, try the following recipe. For cooking we will need the following utensils and tools:

• Wide sharp knife
• Wooden cutting board
• Frying pan or saucepan with a thick bottom
• Dry glass containers

Homemade lard is a product of unusually high nutritional value

Preparation

The process of making lard is fuss-free and requires a lot of time, but the result is worth it.

1. A piece of lard or fat should be slightly frozen, this makes cutting the product much easier. For 1 kg of lard, 15-20 minutes are enough. If you cut frozen lard on a wooden board, the board will not absorb the fat and there will be no loss. A wooden board is not only environmentally better than any other, it is most suitable for slicing frozen fat. This point in the preparatory process can be skipped, which will not affect the taste of the final product at all.
2. Cut lard or fat into small pieces. You should not grind it; accelerating the melting process greatly deteriorates the quality of the lard, giving it a slight but noticeable bitterness.
3. Cut the onion into small cubes. The amount of chopped onion should be enough to completely cover the layer of chopped lard in the bowl.
4. We heat the dishes well, but do not heat them. It is very important that not a drop of moisture remains at the bottom.
5. Reduce the heat to the minimum, put chopped lard or fat in a bowl, and chopped onion on top. Close the lid and leave to simmer for 6-8 hours.
6. If you want variety, at the very end of heating, you can add garlic, cumin, marjoram, rosemary. Each of these ingredients can be added separately, or different compositions can be made. The readiness of the lard is determined by the color of the cracklings - they should turn dark brown.
7. Turn off the fire. Pour the hot lard into clean, dry containers and cover with parchment. If you used spices, pour the lard through a strainer to strain it.
8. After cooling, close the containers with lard with tight lids and store in a dark, cool place.

Snow-white, aromatic lard is ready!

Some people believe that animal fat has nothing beneficial. But this opinion is erroneous, because by observing the measure, you can enrich the body with vitamin B4 (choline), vitamin E and selenium. Therefore, take note of recipes for making lard.

Classic recipe at home

We take fresh lard, clean it of possible contaminants, and remove meat, if any.

Fill with water, add a little salt and leave for 12 hours. We change the water from time to time.

Now cut the lard into small pieces. Place a cauldron or frying pan on the fire, add lard and fry over low heat. Take out as needed.

As soon as there is no liquid in the pan, the fat must be strained through cheesecloth, having first folded it into 4 layers.

How to cook with milk

Milk is used to thoroughly render the lard.

Take pork lard, cut it into small pieces, put it in a cauldron.

Pour in milk until the lard is half covered.

Close the cauldron, turn on low heat and simmer the product for 2 hours.

After this, turn off the stove and let the lard cool.

There will be lard on the surface, it must be removed, making sure that no water gets in. Place it in a jar and refrigerate.

Lard will have a special delicate taste; it can be stored for 3-4 weeks.

How to make homemade lard in a slow cooker

Take 500 g of lard, trim the skin, remove the meat.

Transfer to the multicooker bowl. Set the mode to “Stewing”, cooking time is 4 hours.

After this, take out the cracklings, pour the resulting lard into jars and into the refrigerator.

How to make aromatic lard

The preparation will be classic, but the ingredients will be special. We cut the lard, fry it in a frying pan and take it out.

Now chop the sour apple and onion, do it as finely as possible. Next, add pepper, salt, dried marjoram. Mix thoroughly and cool to room temperature, but do not let it harden.

Strain the finished lard through cheesecloth and transfer it to a jar. The product must be stored in the refrigerator.

For lard, it is more correct to use interior fat. Alternatively, you can choose lard from the sides or back of the pig.

Do not make lard from the peritoneum; it does not contain enough fat. In addition, it may contain capillaries that are not easy to remove.

The selected lard should have a white color and a pleasant aroma.

After classic preparation, lard can be stored for a year without additives.

How to use

If you do not take into account home cosmetology and traditional medicine recipes, there are enough dishes using lard, since they can safely replace butter (both butter and vegetable), margarine and other cooking fats. For example, you can put it:

- in dough for cookies, pies, flatbreads, gingerbreads, biscuits;

— while frying potatoes, cabbage, onions, meat, mushrooms;

- for fat content and juiciness in soups, porridges, vegetable stews, fillings for pies and dumplings;

A product such as lard can be found in almost any kitchen. It is fat that has been rendered from lard over very low heat. To prepare this culinary product, intramuscular lard or internal fat, which is of little use for other purposes, is most often used. Additionally, this culinary product is often made from goose or duck fat.

Being a traditional product of the village cuisine of many nations, it is in high demand and is involved in the preparation of a large number of dishes. So, in Germany it is called schmalz, in Poland - smalec, in Ukraine - lard, but the meaning of this word in all languages ​​is the same - to melt, drown.

Lard in cooking – what is it?

This tasty and natural product is quite widely used in the culinary world of Europe and the former USSR for preparing various dishes. It is consumed as a snack, mixed with spices and garlic.

Various foods are fried on it: pancakes, potatoes, eggs and omelettes, quite successfully replacing any vegetable oils with them. In addition, lard can be used as a dressing for various porridges - buckwheat, pearl barley, wheat or barley.

They even prepare delicious and very appetizing baked goods based on this product. There are plenty of recipes for making puff pastries, yeast pies, muffins and breads that the whole family is sure to love.

Preparation of lard

There is no special secret in how lard is prepared at home. There are many ways to prepare it at home, and housewives who actively use this culinary product in their kitchen necessarily have their own recipe.

To prepare milky-white, aromatic lard for further frying other products on it, you need to purchase good, clean lard without meat inclusions. Before heating, the raw materials must be thoroughly washed, cleaned of various contaminants and blood residues, placed in a container and filled with cold salted water for 12-14 hours.

In this case, the water needs to be changed every 3 hours. Such long-term soaking will make the product perfectly clean and help prevent the appearance of an unpleasant odor after melting.

After soaking, the lard should be allowed to dry a little, then cut into small cubes of the same size and placed in a container with a thick bottom. A cast iron duck pot or stewpan is perfect for these purposes.

Melting of lard must be done over very low heat, without allowing the lard to burn or stick, otherwise the taste of the product will be hopelessly spoiled and the color will become dirty yellow. Melted fat should be almost transparent when hot, and after hardening it should be pure white.

The finished product, while still warm, is filtered through several layers of gauze to prevent solid, unmelted particles from getting into the lard and poured into glass jars or ceramic pots.

Preparing the sandwich mixture

From melted lard you can make a very tasty sandwich mass that even children will enjoy eating. To prepare lard according to this recipe, you need to purchase good, clean lard without streaks.

Pieces of lard are melted in a frying pan over low heat until dry cracklings are obtained. Then add diced sour apples, marjoram, onions, salt and pepper to taste to the melted lard. Heat the mixture for another 10-15 minutes over low heat, then cool to 40-45 degrees and filter through several layers of gauze, pour into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

If you want to make not only delicious lard for sandwiches at home, but also decorate it a little, you can add finely chopped dill to it after straining and heat it for another 5 minutes over low heat, then pour it into storage containers.

Preparing lard according to the Ukrainian recipe also involves adding grated lard along with dill.

What is more benefit or harm?

The debate about how beneficial animal fats are for the human body never subsides, and no one has yet been able to reliably determine whether there is more benefit or harm from consuming lard.

During the process of overheating, some of the beneficial substances are lost, so it would be completely wrong to compare the benefits of consuming lard and lard. However, even after heat treatment, a lot of vitamin B4 remains in the melted fat, which has a positive effect on the metabolism of fats and proteins in the body, prevents the appearance of sclerosis and improves heart function.

Lard also contains vitamin E, which strengthens capillary walls, prevents the formation of blood clots, improves blood clotting and promotes tissue regeneration. Therefore, there are still benefits from using this product.

Today, more and more people monitor their health, weight, and adhere to proper nutrition. However, the body should receive 20-30 g of fat daily. Its source can be not only butter and vegetable oil or lard, but also lard. This product is very popular not only among village residents, it is valued and widely used in cooking to create delicacies by chefs from around the world. Most people don’t even know what beneficial properties lard has and what can be cooked with it.

Rendered lard

So, lard or lard is fat rendered from lard for a long time over low heat. To obtain the product, pork fat is often used, but duck and goose fat is also suitable. The least processed is nutria lard, which has an unpleasant odor and requires additional processing. In Latin, the name of lard sounds like lardum, in Polish - smalez, in German - schmaltz, but it is translated from all languages ​​the same way - to melt, drown.

Benefits and harms

When processing lard, its chemical composition changes, but rendered fat cannot be called harmful, since the product has a number of useful properties:

1. Includes up to 40% saturated fats, which are less oxidized during breakdown, without provoking the formation of free radicals.
2. Contains vitamin E, which is responsible for strengthening the walls of blood vessels and capillaries, preventing the formation of blood clots, promoting cell regeneration, and improving blood clotting.
3. Contains vitamin B4 (choline), which has a positive effect on protein-fat metabolism, improves the functioning of the heart and liver, stimulates mental activity, and prevents the development of sclerosis.
4. Includes selenium, which normalizes the functions of the thyroid gland, the functioning of the immune system, and promotes the regeneration of liver cells.
5. Contains fat-soluble vitamin D, which strengthens bone tissue and replenishes the lack of phosphorus and calcium in the blood.
6. It is a source of cholesterol, the lack of which provokes the development of Alzheimer's disease and depression.

The disadvantages of rendered fat include its high calorie content and difficult digestibility. In addition, when processing lard, the body uses glucose, which is necessary for normal brain function. The product should not be eaten by people with impaired bile production, obesity, atherosclerosis, or pancreatitis. Reasonable consumption of lard does not lead to disruptions in the functioning of internal organs and human systems.

Lard in cooking

Previously, rendered fat was used to lubricate cart wheels, locks, metal parts, the skin of the face and hands, which provided protection from frost. Lard was used to melt stoves and lamps, and was added to traditional medicine for external and sometimes internal use. After rendering the fat, cracklings remain, which are an excellent addition to dumplings, mashed potatoes, stewed cabbage, and other delicious dishes. Today, rendered lard is widely used in cooking for the preparation of:

• goulash;
• fish soup;
• paprikasha;
• omelette;
• confectionery, bakery products, pastries;
• dressings for buckwheat, wheat, barley and other porridges;
• sandwich snacks;
• frying for any side dishes, beans, peas;
• Lard is used to replace vegetable oil when frying meat and vegetables.

How to make lard at home

You can buy rendered fat at any large store, but it is better to prepare lard from lard yourself by purchasing the original ingredient at the market. The resulting product will be much healthier, thanks to the fact that farm pigs walk in open pens under the sun, producing vitamin D, which is important for humans. In addition, homemade rendered lard will differ favorably in taste. To learn how to cook lard and render lard at home, use recipes with photos.

Pork

First you need to choose lard; the layer located in the kidney area is best suited. The product must be washed and soaked for about 12 hours in lightly salted water to remove dirt and blood residues. Then the tenderloin is passed through a meat grinder, placed in a cauldron with a thick bottom and melted over low heat until the water evaporates. The remaining amber-colored fat will be lard, which must be strained into a jar through several layers of gauze, removing pieces of meat and skins, and sealed.

Goose

To make goose lard, collect the subcutaneous, internal fat of poultry, after preliminary preparation, finely chop, place in a bowl with a thick bottom. Place the container on the stove and simmer the lard over low heat for about half an hour, without letting it boil. Then strain the resulting melted product into a glass jar, cool, and put in the refrigerator, covering with a lid or parchment. If this is your first time, follow the step-by-step recipes with photos.

With cracklings

If you want to get cracklings, then do not grind the raw materials, but cut them into small identical pieces. Place the prepared component in a cauldron, place on low heat, heat, stirring gradually. During the process, cracklings of a golden-brown hue will float to the surface, which, after hardening and browning, must be removed with a slotted spoon. The remaining rendered fat is filtered, poured into jars, and the greaves are used to prepare other dishes.

How to store lard

The storage conditions for rendered lard are simple. If you plan to use the product in the near future, cool it and put it on the refrigerator shelf. Lard intended for long-term storage must be hermetically preserved, isolated from light and air, and then stored in a cool place, for example, a cellar, where it will retain its properties for a long time.

Recipes with lard

Dishes with lard turn out very tasty, satisfying and even healthy. If you don’t know how to prepare such treats correctly, follow the detailed recipes with photos. In addition, remember that food that includes rendered fat is very high in calories, so do not overuse it; if you are watching your weight and health, take into account the contraindications.

With garlic for sandwiches

• Time: 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Number of servings: 10 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 740 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: snack.
• Cuisine: Ukrainian.
• Difficulty: easy.

This recipe for lard with garlic is very simple, the dish is prepared quickly, and turns out incredibly tasty. The appetizer goes best with rye bread and is ideal with borscht instead of traditional garlic dumplings. If you want to enhance the aroma and taste of the dish, add spices before finishing cooking - dried dill, marjoram, thyme, chili pepper.

Ingredients:

• lard (fresh) – 250 g;
• garlic – 5 cloves;
• salt - a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Finely chop the lard, place in a deep frying pan with a thick bottom, and simmer for 1 hour over low heat.
2. Remove any floating cracklings and pour the lard into a jar.
3. Add squeezed garlic, salt, spices. Stir, cool, and place on the refrigerator shelf.

Shortbread

• Time: 1.5 hours.
• Number of servings: 7-8 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 426 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: baking, dessert.
• Cuisine: international.
• Difficulty: easy.

If you don’t know how to make amazing shortbread cookies, try the lard recipe that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used. Melted fat will not only not spoil the taste of the dessert, but will make the baked goods softer and more crumbly. For variety, you can add nut crumbs, lemon or orange zest to the set of products, or make a layer of jam or preserves.

Ingredients:

• flour – 0.5 kg;
• sugar – 250 g;
• egg – 2 pcs.;
• Lard – 10 tbsp. l.;
• baking powder - 3 tsp;
• soda – 0.5 tsp;
• powdered sugar.

Cooking method:

1. Beat the eggs with granulated sugar with a mixer until the sugar dissolves and foam appears.
2. Melt the fat in the microwave or in a water bath and cool.
3. Add the melted fat to the egg-sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.
4. Gradually adding soda, baking powder, flour, knead the dough.
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
6. After 20 minutes, take it out and roll it out into a layer 5 mm thick.
7. Using special molds, we cut out the shapes of future cookies.
8. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
9. Bake in the oven until golden brown.
10. Remove, cool slightly, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Omelette Atamansky

• Time: 20 minutes.
• Number of servings: 3 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 198 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

This dish is an excellent breakfast, filling not only with fats and protein, but also with energy for the whole coming day. To prepare an omelet, you will need cracklings that float to the surface when the fat mass melts. Moreover, this product is not just a flavoring additive, but the most important ingredient. Ground black pepper and fresh herbs will add additional taste and aroma to the omelette.

Ingredients:

• egg – 3 pcs.;
• sour cream – 3 tbsp. l.;
• flour - 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt, cumin - a pinch;
• cracklings – 30 g;
• cheese – 50 g.

Cooking method:

1. Combine eggs with flour, sour cream, salt, cumin. Beat everything with a mixer (blender).
2. Place cracklings on a hot frying pan.
3. When the fat has released, pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
4. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 8 minutes.

Hungarian goulash

• Time: 2 hours 10 minutes.
• Number of servings: 4-5 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 171 kcal/100 g.
• Cuisine: Hungarian.
• Difficulty: easy.

This dish gets its name from the Hungarian “guyash”, which means “shepherd”. Initially, goulash was cooked over a fire and was a thick, rich soup. Later, the recipe was liked by noble people, began to be used in the royal kitchen, and underwent a number of changes. However, the original recipe for Hungarian goulash is still often used by chefs from different countries.

Ingredients:

• beef – 450 g;
• water – 800 ml;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• lard – 30 g;
• tomato paste – 20 g;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• paprika (dried) – a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the meat and vegetables into approximately equal pieces.
2. Fry the onion in melted lard, sprinkle with paprika, stir, remove from the stove.
3. Separately, fry the meat until golden brown, add to the onion fry, squeeze out the garlic, pour in 400 ml of water. Stir and simmer covered for about an hour.
4. Add the remaining vegetables, tomato paste, water, stir, simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Fish soup Halasle

• Time: 3 hours.
• Number of servings: 12 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 87 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch.
• Cuisine: Hungarian.
• Difficulty: medium.

Hungarian Halasle soup is very popular among fishermen, so it must be cooked over a fire. Modern cooks have adapted the recipe for use in the home kitchen. The main conditions are the use of several types of fish, among which carp and catfish must be present, and the addition of hot, sweet paprika. By following these requirements, you will receive a rich fish broth with the taste of real Hungarian Halasle.

Ingredients:

• fish (crucian carp, carp, catfish, pike perch) – 3 kg;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• bell pepper, tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• sweet paprika – 3 tbsp. l.;
• hot paprika – 1 tbsp. l.;
• Lard – 2 tbsp. l.;
• salt pepper.

Cooking method:

1. We clean the fish, gut it, and cut it into steaks. We peel the largest pieces from the skin, remove the bones, lightly add salt, and put them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
2. Fill the remaining parts, heads, tails with water, and set to cook.
3. Finely chop the onion and fry in melted fat.
4. After boiling, add salt, add tomatoes, onions, peppers, reduce heat, cook for an hour.
5. Then rub the fish and vegetables through a sieve, strain the broth, add paprika, pepper, and salt if needed.
6. Dilute with water to the desired consistency, add pieces of fish from the refrigerator and cook for another 20 minutes.

Paprikash

• Time: 2 hours 20 minutes.
• Number of servings: 5-6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 137 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Hungarian.
• Difficulty: easy.

The Hungarian dish paprikash is prepared from white meat (veal, chicken or lamb) with the addition of cream, sour cream and, of course, paprika. Some housewives deviate from the original recipe and add pork or beef, but the main rule of chefs when preparing paprikash is the slogan: “No black or fatty meat.” Use hot or sweet paprika to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

• veal – 1 kg;
• lard – 70 g;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• sour cream – 100 g;
• meat broth - ¼ tbsp.;
• paprika (hot, sweet) – 1 tbsp. l.;
• flour - 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt, basil.

Cooking method:

1. Melt the pork fat in a frying pan, add the onion cut into half rings, and fry.
2. Add veal cut into medium pieces, add salt, and fry until the meat becomes white.
3. Stir with paprika, basil, pour in broth, simmer for 1.5 hours.
4. Mix sour cream with flour, add to meat, stir, cook for another 10-15 minutes, serve hot.

Bigos in Polish

• Time: 6.5 hours.
• Number of servings: 10 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 97 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Polish.
• Difficulty: medium.

Bigos, traditional for Polish cuisine, is also popular in Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. The dish has an appetizing smoked aroma and a beautiful bronze color. Delicious, hearty Bigos should be served only on the 3rd day after preparation, cooling and reheating several times. In addition to the products indicated in the recipe, the treat may include prunes, raisins, apples, tomato paste, and honey.

Ingredients:

• pork, onion – 300 g each;
• sausages, smoked sausage – 150 g each;
• sauerkraut – 1 kg;
• fresh white cabbage – 0.5 kg;
• dry white wine – 200 ml;
• water – 800 ml;
• lard – 100 g;
• dried porcini mushrooms – 40 g;
• bay leaf – 1 pc.;
• coriander – 0.5 tsp;
• black pepper – ¼ tsp;
• salt - a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Soak the mushrooms for 2 hours, rinse, add water, let it boil, cook for another hour.
2. Squeeze out the sauerkraut, put it in a deep saucepan (cauldron), add 300 ml of water, simmer for an hour after boiling.
3. Melt the fat and fry the onion, cut into half rings, until golden brown.
4. Add pork, cut into large pieces until golden brown, to the onion and remove from heat.
5. Chop the boiled mushrooms and strain the broth.
6. Add chopped white cabbage to the sauerkraut, stir, simmer for half an hour.
7. Cut the sausage into small cubes.
8. When both types of cabbage are equally soft and half-cooked, add meat, sausage, sausages, wine, mushroom broth, coriander, pepper, bay leaf, mushrooms, and salt to taste.
9. Mix everything, simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

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