See that beautiful pie above?! That’s the magic of leaf lard!
If you were to ask me the difference between leaf lard and regular lard 2 years ago, I would have had no idea how to answer. I didn’t even know what lard was before raising pigs. I thought it was the same thing as crisco!
I’ve learned a lot these last few years, especially when it comes to honoring the whole animal we’ve work so hard to raise well. I’m still learning daily.
One of the things that heritage breed pigs raised outside tend to have a lot of is fat.
Fat is where all the flavor in the meat comes from, fat is amazing for our brain & it is amazing for our skin. After all the regular cuts such as bacon, chops & roasts are packaged and sausage is made, there’s always some back fat left which is typically called pork fatback.
We save some of this for people that want to make venison sausage and need a little extra fat, but mostly, our amazing butcher saves it to make lard for us.
What is lard?
Lard is rendered pig fat. Basically, you cut the fatback into small pieces and cook slowly until the fat melts, you strain out the meat bits and are left with pure natural fat. We are so very grateful that our butcher does this for us!
Typically lard can be stored at room temperature, however we like to store it in the fridge for optimum freshness. Plus, it’s still easy to scoop out to cook or bake with.
Lard made from fatback tends to have a slight porky flavor which I love for most dishes.
My favorite ways to use lard are:
sautéing veggies, I just sub lard for cooking oil
roasting veggies, I either massage into my veggies or melt first and drizzle
searing pork chops or steaks - I add just a bit of lard to the pan to coat
cooking eggs
making savory pie crusts (recipe here)
Lard has a high smoke point (unlike olive oil) so it’s ideal for frying, broiling or grilling. Plus, because it’s a natural source of fat, lard has some pretty great health benefits as opposed to super processed fats. You can read more about that here.
You can also make soap with lard which is super gentle and moisturizing. We offer some amazing options from our farm!
When you get lard from our farm, it’s frozen in quart containers. Once thawed in the fridge, it should last 6 months to a year.
What is leaf lard?
Leaf lard is made the same way but from the fat around the kidneys of a pig.
Since this fat isn’t in the muscle meat of the pig, it has a much more neutral flavor, not porky at all making it great for dessert pie crusts, pastries, etc.
You can use leaf lard just as you would coconut oil but with a less tropical taste which I love!
Some of my favorite ways to use leaf lard are:
pie crusts for pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, basically any sweet pie (recipe here)
chocolate chip cookies (recipe here)
roasting potatoes - I simply chop into bite sized pieces, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, melt 2-3 T lard and drizzle over potatoes with salt and pepper, roast at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes
zucchini bread - I just sub half the fat with leaf lard
I am also super interested in making some moisturizers and candles with leaf lard since it doesn’t have much of a scent, I’ll be excited to share how this goes.
Let us know some of your favorite ways to cook with or use lard or leaf lard. I’m always looking for new ideas!