Once you have a jar of home rendered lard in the fridge, the question stops being what to make with it and becomes what not to. Here is where it earns its place.
High heat searing
Lard has a high smoke point and does not turn bitter the way many seed oils do when pushed. For a hard sear on a pork chop or a steak, it beats butter, which burns, and olive oil, which does not like the heat.
Roasted potatoes
This is the one that converts people. Parboil potatoes, rough them up in the colander, toss in melted lard with salt, and roast hot. The exterior goes glassy and crisp in a way oil cannot match.
Eggs
A spoonful of lard in a cast iron pan, eggs cracked in, edges gone lacy and crisp. Farm eggs and farm lard in the same pan is the whole point of buying from a farm.
Biscuits and pie crust
Leaf lard makes a flakier crust than butter because of how the fat crystals behave in dough. A common approach is half butter for flavor and half lard for structure. If you have only ever used shortening, the difference is dramatic.
Beans and greens
A spoon of lard in a pot of pinto beans, or greens started in rendered fat with onion, is traditional in this part of the country for a reason. It carries flavor that water cannot.
Tortillas
Flour tortillas made with lard are soft, pliable, and completely different from the shelf stable kind.
Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, carrots, and cabbage roasted in lard caramelize deeply. The fat coats better than oil and browns more evenly.
Seasoning cast iron
Lard is an excellent seasoning fat. Thin coat, hot oven, repeat.
Storage and handling
Keep rendered lard in glass in the refrigerator for months, or the freezer for a year. Scoop with a clean spoon. If it ever smells sharp or crayon like, it has gone rancid, so start over.
Where to get it
Fat for rendering comes with our pork shares, and you can request leaf lard specifically before your hog goes to processing. Details are on the pork page.
