Eating Nose-to-Tail is sustainable and delicious, but sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with something you’ve never cooked and maybe never seen before! We’re here to help. Our Offal, Not Awful series highlights delicious ways to enjoy more confusing cuts.
Pork fat or Lard as it is often called is a flavorful and versatile cooking and baking oil that can be used to make breakfast, cook dinner, or bake dessert. For this reason, many people consider it the best part of the pig! Despite the fact that it is fat, many now promote its health benefits. While you can certainly add lard unrendered to your pot of beans or melt a bit in a skillet to cook your eggs, you’ll want to render lard for use in most recipes. This process makes it a consistent, spreadable solid at room temperature, and removes the pork flavor from the oil. This can be done easily in a stock pot or in a Dutch oven. Once rendered you can use your lard in a variety of ways. Whether making scones for breakfast, roasting veggies for dinner or making the “best-ever pie crust” for dessert, we hope you’ll enjoy discovering or rediscovering the wonder of lard!
