Any time I mention our use of lard, reactions tend to fall into one of two camps: morbid curiosity or thinly veiled disgust. And it's no wonder, given its reputation as an unpalatable, unhealthful "poverty food." For a century, our culture has preached the gospel that this is the stuff of coronaries and early graves. (We can thank Proctor and Gamble, and their poisonous invention, Crisco, for getting that bandwagon rolling.)
So before I tell you how I render lard, let me tell you WHY I render lard.
Simply put, this out-of-fashion fat is high in many qualities that I look for in a cooking fat. By cooking fat, I mean any fat that I'm going to subject to heat in any way at all - whether it be baking, frying, sauteing, or simmering. Here are my criteria:
- Low percentage of polyunsaturated fat
Consumption of higher levels of polyunsaturated oils has been linked to increased risk of cancer and heart disease, impaired cognitive ability, liver damage...you get the idea, it's a long list of serious health woes! Most vegetable oils (corn, soy, canola, safflower...) are very high in polyunsaturated fat. I appreciate that lard is only about 12% polyunsaturated - the rest is about 40% saturated and 48% monounsaturated. (Note that I don't speak with precision when it comes to those percentages, since as with all animal nutrients, the exact profile can change depending on diet and lifestyle of the animal.) While many think of lard as a primarily saturated fat, it's interesting to note that it's actually more monounsaturated than saturated.
- Low in Omega 6 fatty acids.
You probably know this - there are two fatty acids considered "essential fatty acids", since our bodies don't produce them. Both are polyunsaturated, 18-carbon molecules. These are the omega 3 (double-unsaturated linoleic) and omega 6 (triple-unsaturated linolenic) fatty acids. They've been getting a lot of press for quite a few years now, so most of us are probably well aware that foods high in omega 6's promote inflammation, and are specifically linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease and dementia. So it's important to me that our diet reflects a low ratio of omega 3's to omega 6's. Now it's not so much that lard is particularly high in omega 3's (it's not), it's that the level of omega 6's is very low. If you're like me, you're getting your omega 3's elsewhere (cod liver oil, wild salmon, sardines, walnuts, brussels sprouts...) - but you want to make sure you don't crowd them out by consuming excess omega 6's with your cooking oil. When it comes to minimizing omega 6 intake, lard, butter, ghee, and coconut oil are some of the best possible choices.
The other thing to keep in mind here is that the source of your lard is extremely important. Commercially raised pigs that are fattened on grain have a ratio of omega 3's to 6's that is about 1:9, making its 3 to 6 ratio the same as what you'd find in olive oil. This fascinating study compared fatty acid profiles in pastured vs. grain-fed pork, and demonstrated that that while levels of omega 6's were virtually the same, pork from free-range pigs offered an omega 3 level five times higher than that of their grain-fed counterparts. That's an enormous difference, and puts the ratio of 3's to 6's at less than 1:2 - a very desirable ratio indeed!
- Long chain fatty acid.
Fatty acids are classified according to length, as well as saturation. Short chain fatty acids contain 4-6 carbon atoms, medium chain acids contain 8-12, long chain contain 14-18, and very long chain contain 20-24. The length of a fatty acid dictates how well it can stand up to heat, before reaching its "smoking point". Not using oils above their smoking point is important, because that's the point they start to release toxic compounds, called Aldehydes. These have been linked to cancer, heart disease, and dementia. While most vegetable oils contain shorter-chain fatty acids, lard contains mostly 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids, putting it in the long chain category - along with butter, goose fat, and tallow. Another interesting thing is that foods fried in these fats with higher smoking points, actually absorb less grease than those fried in other oils.
- Good source of Vitamin D
Most Americans are pretty deficient in vitamin D, not even getting the paltry 600 IU suggested by the US RDA (recommended daily allowance). The Weston Price Foundation recommends a much heftier 5,000 IU, and that's closer to what I aim for. Getting enough vitamin D is important, especially in the winter when those of us in the northern climes aren't obtaining it from the sun. It has an impact on virtually all of your body's systems, from maintaining healthy bones and teeth, to facilitating facilitating proper immune system function and boosting resistance to diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Lard leaves almost all other food sources of vitamin D in the dust. At 2,800 IU per 100 grams, the USDA's list of Vitamin D food sources puts lard in the number 2 spot, behind cod liver oil (10,000 IU) and well ahead of the #3 contender, Atlantic herring (680 IU).
- Taste and texture
Lard is a very neutral-tasting oil, making it quite a "user-friendly" fat. You're not going to end up with every meal tasting like bacon, I promise you. It's great for cooking anything from eggs to vegetables. And when it comes to baking...oh, baby. There is a reason lard has a special place in the hearts of pastry chefs worldwide. Truly, nothing makes a pie crust or a cream puff quite like it - delicate but rich, lofty, and flaky.
Alright then. That's why I use lard. I render it myself because it's important to me that it be from pastured pigs - and pastured lard that's already rendered is expensive, and hard to find! So let's get down to the fun part:
How to Render Lard
First, you need to get your hands on some good raw pork fat from a pastured pig. Ask your farmer for raw "leaf lard" (this is a visceral fat from around the kidneys), or "fatback" from the back of the pig. Leaf lard is considered slightly superior since it's even more completely neutral in flavor than fatback. In my experience though, if you get good quality fat from a pastured pig, either one will render up beautifully - milky white and very mild-flavored. Wondering where to find a farmer who sells pastured pork? Try www.eatwild.com. They offer a nation-wide listing of farms, and it's a good bet you'll find a local pastured pork farmer on there. Craigslist, and your state's facebook farm/garden groups can be good resources too.
It's very cheap to buy - I pay $1/lb here in Maine, though I've seen it as high as $2.50 in more expensive areas. Honestly, I've known farmers to even give it away, since so few people use it. I usually buy at least ten pounds, because hey - if I'm going to render lard, I'm going to render lard!
I like to use a crockpot for the rendering, since the process takes a little while. Aside from being just so easy, it's also the most cost effective way to cook something like this. Chop up that beautiful fat into chunks - the smaller the better, since it will render more quickly. I chop mine into pieces about 1" wide. Fill up your crockpot, and turn it on high.
Then just keep checking in on it every half hour or so. Those pieces of fat will shrink right down and start to turn brown, and eventually they'll be floating in clear, rendered lard. It's normal to see some foaming and bubbling on the top.
When those pieces are pretty well shriveled and brown, you're ready to pour out the lard and let it firm up. Set a colander or large strainer over a big pot or heat-proof bowl - something that will be easy to pour out of again. Line the strainer with cheesecloth.
Pour the contents of the crockpot through the cheesecloth and strainer. You'll be left with lovely clear liquid below, and lots of little brown cracklings in the strainer. Set those cracklings aside. You want them, and we'll deal with those in a minute.
Now pour that clear, liquid lard either into jars (which keep well in the fridge, and are easy to scoop out of), or a mold (I use a bread pan). Molding lard into blocks makes it easy to store lard for longer periods of time in the freezer. Since I render a lot of lard at once, I do both - I pour some into jars for short-term storage in the fridge, and mold the rest into blocks for long term storage in the freezer.
You can put those jars right in the fridge, and they'll firm up quickly into a beautiful milky white - this stuff really looks almost like milk!
For the molds - I go ahead and put the bread pans full of liquid lard in the freezer. An hour later, I take them out and unmold them. Just run a little warm water over the sides and bottom of the bread pan, then plop that loaf of lard out onto a cutting board. I chop each loaf into four pieces, for easier use, then wrap the pieces in parchment paper before putting them into freezer bags. 
I use my food saver to vacuum seal the bags, but if you don't have a vacuum sealer, no stress. A regular old ziploc freezer bag works just fine. I like to weigh each bag and write the weight on the bag...but that's probably just me being a little too type-A. It does make it easy to quickly calculate how many pounds of lard you just rendered up. For my last batch, I started with 12 pounds of beautiful pure fatback, and ended up with just about exactly 10 pounds of rendered lard, plus a good lot of cracklings. Want an even faster way to render perfect lard? Here's how to render it in an Instant Pot.
About those cracklings. While your lard is firming up in the fridge or freezer - spread those little brown bits of goodness out on a cookie sheet and let them cool. I sprinkle just a tiny bit of salt on them, but honestly they're pretty tasty the way they are. I pull out any large, solid-looking ones, because with the long rendering process, some of these get hard enough I'm afraid I'd crack a canine. I save those ones for dog treats, since I figure actual canine canines are probably up to the challenge. The smaller, lighter-colored bits are like rich, crackly, salty popcorn. Enjoy them in moderation, but by all means - don't let them go to waste!
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Anna Chesley
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
Scott says
Been doing lard for some 30 years at 20- 30 gallons at a time. We do 3-4 hogs at once. Your best lard comes from the leaf fat in the abdomen , over the tenderloins. Also makes the best crackling. Enjoy.
Tammy says
When we had our hogs butchered, we asked for the fat so we could render it down for lard. I was so excited to have gotten a case of quart jars filled and put up. The only thing is, the lard did not solidify! What did I do wrong?
Diana says
Have you ever made. Crackles cookies yummy
Anna Chesley says
Those sound amazing! Is there a particular recipe you especially love and recommend? Or do you make a base like chocolate chip cookie dough, and put the crackles in instead?
Kaci says
for the cracklins - add them to cornbread batter and bake. I worked in a grocery store in high school and it had a deli. The ladies who worked the deli would make cracklin cornbread every Friday and it would sell out within 30 minutes of the lunch rush. It was the best stuff.
Anna Chesley says
What a great tip, Kaci! Thank you so much!!
Des says
Interesting article, helpful and insightful.
We rendered lard and it was the best cooking oil we have ever used. We actually put the fat through our meat grinder and as a result had seriously efficient rendering. Though we had only a tiny amount of very fine crackling (was a tasty amendment ontop of eggs 😋)
Scott says
Use butter bowls and store it in the freezer. You can also use glass jars. Put the lard in hot ,up to almost the top. Put a lid and ring on and let it cool. Store in a dark cool place. Will last for years. The crackling are hard because they are being cooked too long. I've been doing it for some 35 years.
Anna says
Great tips Scott, thank you!
Emily says
I didn’t read all of the comments....I am wondering why store bought lard seems to have a long shelf life & can be left out to room temperature? Is there a difference in the process?
Deon Louw says
Oh, forgot to mention: This is the best thing ever but there is one down side. Your dishwasher will not love it as much as you do.
Deon Louw says
Nothing NOTHING wrong with loads of fat in your diet. It is the carbs you have to watch for. This is the best thing for cooking anything. I will eat a spoon full to boost my energy. This is the king of superfoods!
Teresa says
Came across your article....and am in the process of rendering lard, for the first time, because of it!!! I just have one question....how long will it keep in the fridge?
Anna says
Hi Teresa! How wonderful! I hope you enjoy working with it as much as I do. Lard keeps in the fridge for a long, long, long time. I usually use mine pretty quickly, but if kept tightly covered at refrigerator temps, lard can honestly keep for months. Hope this helps!!
Deon Louw says
Hi, I have a pint jar that I keep adding lard to. Every now and then I "pasteurize" it by putting it in the oven after I cooked something. The residual heat melts it all and mix the old with the new. Have not gone off yet. When sealed tight it should last forever once pasteurized with high heat.
Cyn says
I didn't read all of the comments, so I don't know if this has already been said, but wanted to mention this anyway. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can put the lard into a regular ziploc bag and set the bag in a big bowl of water, being careful so that no water gets in, and then close it up with a minimal amount of air left in the bag. It's not perfect, but better than trying to squeeze air out by hand.
Anna says
What a great tip, Cyn!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share, I really appreciate it!!
JeanBailey says
just found this article. I can only find "unprocessed pork belly. will that do? thanks
Edie Vang says
Thank you for setting the record straight about the goodness of lard. Unfortunately too many people still believe process oils like vegetable and corn oil is better for the human body. I just want to share my experience with wild hog lard. My husband is a hunter, that is how we came about rendering wild hog lard. If you ever get a chance you must render some wild hog lard (if you haven’t already). I call it organic meat and lard. This lard doesn’t completely saturate like domestic hogs. The lard is very rich and good.
Anna says
Edie, thank you so much for your sweet comment! Wow, I would love to get my hands on some wild hog one of these days. Where we are in Maine we don't have much in the way of wild hogs, but perhaps one of these days, if I make it down to visit friends in Texas! Thank you so much for sharing your experience - I just LOVE learning new things like this!!
Ruthey says
Thanks for the great article. I am really just getting started on my own homesteading journey at this point. My husband wants to get some pigs and I know that I will want to use every part of it and this article helped me to see how I can appreciate the benefits of both the nutritional content and the process itself. What is the best way to store a large amount over time? Do you know?
Thanks so much.
Robin says
I have a silly question about the quality of the source. I sometime cook up a lot of bacon. It's free of antibiotics but I can't be positive about it being pastured. Sometimes I think about keep all the fat that cooks off and rendering it, etc. but here's my question: in your opinion would you totally render that fat bc less-than-perfectly-sources lard is better than no lard? Or would you have to be super desperate to do that?
Anna says
Robin, I'm embarrassed to just be seeing your comment now - so sorry for the delay! I LOVE cooking with bacon fat, and use it all the time! Bacon fat, lard, pastured butter, and coconut oil are my primary cooking fats. My only concern with bacon fat is that I like to avoid added nitrates, so I only use it if I'm working with nitrate-free bacon. Hope this helps!!
April J Harris says
I have never rendered lard but I know that it is the older fats, the ones our ancestors used, that are the best. And lard absolutely makes the best pastry! Thank you for sharing this excellent post with us at Hearth and Soul.
Anna says
April, I totally agree!! And I'm absolutely with you - these days I would never dream of making pastry with anything else! Thanks for another delightful blog party this week - always a good time! = )
Christine says
Loved this article! Thanks for the good info and easy instructions!
Anna says
Thanks so much for the kind comment! I'm very glad you enjoyed it!! = )
Art says
Nice photos and instructions.
Anna says
Art, thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind feedback! = )
Karen Merhalski says
What a wonderful article! It can be so confusing as to what oils to use these days! I love the coconut and olive oils but they tend to flavor the food or baking that you are using them for. So this is a great alternative way to get a good quality oil/fat and one that is good for you! Plus, I love the fact that you are doing something that our grandparents probably did years ago! We need to bring back the "old ways", they ate so much healthier than we do! AND it is something that is so easy and inexpensive to do! Thank you Anna for this great article and for reminding us that what fat/oils we choose to cook our food in is so very important to our family's health!
Anna says
Karen, thanks so much for the kind comment! I just love learning the science behind some of the benefits of those "old ways" of doing things, don't you? Happy baking!!! = )
Amy-Lyn says
What a wonderful post! I'm so tired of hearing the outdated whining about lard and how bad it is for you! Real lard is wonderful and I've been making it and using it for a long time!
I know this isn't the right way to get proper, rendered lard, but when I make bacon, I strain the fat in the pan through a strainer into a jar and use that for making other delicious things. 🙂
Anna says
Amy, I do exactly the same thing! That wonderful bacon fat is simply too precious to waste!!
Hosting Italia says
Very cool video. You re the adventurous cook to try and render your own lard. I ve actually got some hand-carved huge wooden spoons hanging in my kitchen that were made by my great-grandfather just for rendering lard and mixing up tomatoes for canning. I ll have to give lard a try in my pastry dough.
Christa says
This is so very interesting! I had no idea. I love all the cool things we learn from our fellow bloggers.
Anna says
Thanks, Christa! I had no idea how easy it was either until the first time I was given some fatback, and had to figure out what to do with it! ? I love learning so many fun new things too...I feel like every day, I come across a new skill or project I just can't wait to try!