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Hog's Lard, to Make
Strip the skin from the leaf, or inner fat of the hog, cut it into small pieces, put it into an earthen jar, which must be covered and placed in a saucepan of boiling water, and let it remain until melted. Pour it off, and keep it either in small jars, closely covered, or small bladders--the smaller the better, unless it is intended to use the lard quickly. After it is exposed to the air it is liable to spoil. Probable cost, 8d. to 10d. per pound.
Rendering leaf lard is still worth doing, and this water-bath method is the gentlest one there is. A few of the instructions need translating.
- Leaf fat, and why it mattersThe "leaf" is the hard, crumbly fat sheet around the pig's kidneys, sold as leaf lard or leaf fat by butchers who break down whole pigs. It renders paler and far less porky than back fat or caul, which is why it was the fat of choice for pastry and frying.
- The jar in the saucepan is a double boilerThe point of setting an earthen jar in boiling water is that the fat never exceeds 100C, so it cannot scorch or brown. A heatproof bowl over simmering water, or a heavy pot on the lowest possible heat, does the same job. Browned lard tastes of pork and is no good for sweet pastry.
- Cut small, or better, grindSmall dice render faster; passing the fat through the coarse plate of a grinder, or pulsing it cold in a food processor, will shorten the time. Expect several hours by this method for a few pounds.
- Strain and pressThe recipe says only "pour it off." Strain through muslin while hot, and press the remaining solids to recover the last of the fat. The crisp scraps left behind are cracklings and are perfectly good salted.
- BladdersPigs' bladders were the period's answer to airtight packaging. Wide-mouth canning jars or small tubs do the job now.
- Storage, the real caveatThe warning that lard "is liable to spoil" after exposure to air is about oxidative rancidity, not spoilage by bacteria. Pure rendered lard keeps several months refrigerated and a year or more frozen; at room temperature in a warm kitchen it will go stale-tasting within weeks. Small containers are still the right instinct, so the bulk stays sealed.
- YieldLeaf fat gives roughly 3/4 of its weight in lard, so 4 lb of trimmed fat yields about 3 lb, or a little over 6 cups.
Before shortening was industrialised, a household that bought part or all of a pig faced the question of what to do with its fat, and the answer was a winter's supply of cooking medium. Lard was raw material: it fried, it shortened pastry, it sealed potted meats under a poured cap, and it greased tins. The distinction the entry draws between leaf fat and the rest is the one that still governs the market -- leaf lard remains the grade sought by pie bakers for its neutral flavour and fine crystal structure. The price note, 8d. to 10d. a pound, puts it well below butter in the late-Victorian larder, which is much of the reason it was used so freely.</p>