How to Render Lard
Animal fats have (and continue to be) an important staple in kitchens across the world. In America, beginning in the mid 20th century, use of animal fats in the home was progressively replaced with “healthier” vegetable oils- produced through a whole heavy process involving extraction, refinement, bleaching, and deodorizing. As animal fats were largely phased out in lieu of cheap seed oils, interestingly enough, the health of the country as a whole did not improve, but in fact worsened. This rabbit hole runs deep, dive in if you dare.
Fortunately, within the past decade, the use of lard in the kitchen (again!) is gaining momentum. This traditional fat is easy to render at home. My preferred method does produce more dirty dishes than a slow cooker method, but the extra steps and extra dishes are well worth it. Your lard will be beautiful, white, and have little to no scent or porky taste.
Chop/grind - chop your lard in as small of pieces as possible or, alternatively, run through a meat grinder.
Melt - this is key. You’ll want to melt your lard slowly over medium low heat. As the lard turns from solid to liquid, scoop out the bits of meat and tissue with a slotted spoon. The idea is to remove these as soon as able to do so, you do NOT want these cooking in the melted fat.
Filter - lard should be hot enough to be completely fluid. Filter using whatever you have available. Typically, I filter first using a fine mesh strainer and then a paper towel twice. You are going to want to work rather quickly, or even consider returning to your stockpot to keep the lard fluid. I find that coffee and milk filters clog up rather quickly, but these would work in a pinch.
Render - now that your lard has had all particulates removed, heat on medium to medium high. Keep an eye on your lard, as you want to remove all the excess water content without scorching or creating smoke.
Jar - ladle into your glass jars. Your lard will be HOT. Set aside to cool away from children or pets. I personally freeze my lard, and store in the fridge when in use.
Unrendered lard- this is what I receive from the processor when the pigs are butchered.