→ How to render lard on the stovetop?

• Obtain pork fat or leaf lard from butcher
• Clean up any remaining skin and meat
• Cut into small pieces
• Place in a large heavy-bottomed pot on the stove; max 3/4 full
• Add a small amount of water to prevent burning
• Turn stove on low heat
• Stir frequently
• Solids will move from transparent to a browned color (after 4+ hours)
• Carefully pour liquid through a sieve into mason jars so no solids are present
• Let sit on the counter for 12-24 hours to solidify
• Store in fridge for best results, up to 6 months

Read on for more details!

→ If you have an Instant Pot, click here for a quicker method!

Rendering lard at home is an ancestral skill that gives us a chance to get cooking fat from a local source. Homemade lard also lets us utilize a part of the pig that sadly, many people discard.

I’m all for going whole hog! Stove top lard rendering is a simple process. With the rising cost of olive oil (and everything really) these days, making your own cooking oil saves money while also being sustainable.

Below I’ve detailed everything you’ll need to know to produce a great cooking fat source for you and your family. You’ll find a pork lard recipe and other tips for rendering pork fat.

Step-by-Step Guide: Homemade Pork Lard

Things to know before rendering pork fat

Choose the right type of fat

• Pasture-Raised: If you are obtaining pork fat from a butcher, ask for lard from a pig that was pasture-raised. It has high levels of vitamin D and healthy monounsaturated fats.
• If you’re a baker: If you want to bake with it, go with leaf lard. It won’t give your pies a porky taste.

Time commitment and planning

• Start Early: Do this on a day when you can start the process early in the morning and will be home most of the day.
• Monitor the Process for the Full Day: Depending on quantity, the process from start to finish will likely take at least 4 hours, or as much as 8-10 hours.
• As an alternative, look at how I render lard in the Instant Pot for a quicker solution.

Ingredients and equipment needed:

Dedicated meat cutting board (I’ve also used a stainless steel sheet pan)

Sharp knife

Pork fat

Canning jars and lids

Large stock pot

+/- 1/2 cup of water

Fine mesh strainer(s) or cheese cloth

Large bowl

Ladle (helpful but not necessary)

Step-by-step instructions with photos:

Prepare the pork fat

1. Trim and Clean:
   On a washable cutting board, carefully trim off any meat, hair, or skin. I’ve learned from experience that your hands will get slippery during this process, so be careful as you cut. If you have leaf lard from the butcher, this step may not be necessary.
2. Discard Off-cuts:
   Place the offcuts into your stainless steel bowl. I like to freeze these to make dog treats with later.
3. Cut Down:
   Cut the remaining fat into smaller pieces. Try not to have any piece be more than 4 inches in any direction. Place them in your large stock pot as you go.

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Render pork

1. Fill Pot:
   Start rendering when your stock pot is 1/2 to 3/4 full.
2. Add Water:
   Add 1/2 cup of water to the pot. While you want all of the water to evaporate out, you also need some water to help the lard not burn as the rendering process starts up.
3. Heat:
   Turn your burner on medium-low heat.
4. Stir:
   As the it starts to boil, stir occasionally. Watch out for the hot oil, and be careful that it doesn’t splash onto you.
5. Reduce Heat:
   Turn heat down to very low.
6. Monitor:
   You’ll notice that the once creamy pieces of pork fat will turn almost translucent as the liquid is released into the pot.

→ Transformation: As the solids start to go back to a cream color and get crispy, you know your lard is ready to be filtered.

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Filter Liquid from Solids

1. Cool Down:
   Turn the heat off and let the liquid cool for a little bit.
2. Prepare Sieve:
   Set up a fine mesh sieve over a mason jar. Alternatively, you can also do this over a clean stainless steel bowl. For extra filtration, I will eitehr stack two fine mesh sieves over each other, or line one with cheesecloth.
3. Ladle Liquid:
   Carefully ladle the liquid from the stock pot through the sieve.
4. Second Round (optional):
   When all of the liquid is removed from the stock pot, I will turn the heat back on to see if anything can be rendered from the solids. Usually I get another jar from this!
5. Jar Transfer:
   If you were pouring into a large stainless steel bowl, carefully transfer the liquid into fully dry mason jars.

→ Color Change: The liquid will start out yellowish. As it solidifies, it will turn from buttery yellow to creamy white.

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Optional: Make Cracklings

1. Fry Solids:
   Take the solids and pour them into a frying pan or other stove-safe pot to turn them into cracklings.
2. Cool & Store:
   Put the stove on low to medium heat. The solids will turn into delicious cracklings that you can enjoy. Let them cool and store them in ziplock bags in the freezer for a tasty dog treat.

→ More Lard: This process usually gives me more liquid, which I strain out and store in mason jars as well.

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Where do you get raw unrendered pork lard?

I’ve had the pleasure of working with lard after I have purchased pasture-raised pigs from neighbors. I had a butcher come to process the meat.

I’ve found that it’s typical for butchers to ask you what parts of the pig you’d like.

You can request any left over pork fat to be packaged up for you. Organ meat, bones, feet, and ears are also options that I always opt to take home.

For me, I want to honor the pig and use as much of it as I can so that nothing goes to waste.

The bones and feet get made into bone broth, while the organ meats and ears get turned into treats that my dog flips over.

→ Call Your Local Butcher: If you don’t have access to a pig, you can call up your local butcher and ask them if they have pasture-raised pork fat available. It’s often an inexpensive product to purchase.

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Common Mistakes People Make While Rendering Pork Lard

Liquid in jars

• Once the lard has solidified in the glass jars, check the bottom for any water or liquid.
• I store these jars in the refrigerator and use them first.
• If you can, try to use less water in the rendering process, or let it render for longer. I’ve found it’s a fine line.

Lard is yellow instead of creamy white

• If your end product has a slight yellow tint to it, you might need to be more cautious about how you are trimming up your pork fat.
• You may have also cooked it for too long on the stovetop.
• Lard from a second or third rendering will sometimes be a creamy yellow color.
• I try to use these jars first as well, and for cooking meals instead of baking, as they’ll have a more porky flavor.

Lard burns or sticks to the bottom of the pot

• Make sure your heat is on medium-low to start with and then turn it down to the lowest setting as the liquid starts to boil.
• Stir your lard more frequently.
• Add a small amount of extra water to the stock pot.

Lard won’t solidify

• If you’re doing this on a hot day, it might not fully solidify.
• Place jars of lard in the refrigerator overnight to see if that helps.
• If it’s too watery, it also won’t solidify. Store it in the refrigerator and use within 1 week.

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Benefits of Rendering Pork Lard at Home

Health benefits of homemade lard

Of course, lard should be used in moderation, like any other fat source.

• Non-hydrogenated:
  When you render your own lard, it is not hydrogenated. Hydrogenated oils are known to increase your “bad” LDL cholesterol.
• Vitamin D:
  Lard from pastured pigs also is a fantastic source of vitamin D. While vitamin D levels will vary from pig to pig, it’s estimated that lard contains between 500 - 1000 IUs of vitamin D.

Cost-effectiveness

• Rendering your own lard is a budget-friendly alternative to buying cooking oils.
• If you are purchasing a pig from a farmer to be butchered, usually the lard is given to you at no extra cost.

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Tips for Beginners:

Cutting and preparing pork fat

• Use a sharp knife.
• Take your time and work carefully. It will be slippery!
• If you have food-grade cut-resistant gloves, use them.

Managing heat and preventing burns

• Keep the heat at low as possible during the whole process.
• Stir frequently.

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How to Store Lard

Shelf-Stability

Properly rendered lard should be shelf stable for around 5 months at room temperature.

The end product should be creamy white and with water on the bottom of the jar. If it’s not rendered properly, store in the fridge.

Longer-term Storage

If you want to store the fat for longer, or if it has water in the bottom, keep it in the refrigerator.

Lard will last for 12 months in the refrigerator.

You can also store it in the freezer if you have freezer safe containers. Be sure to pour the liquid below the fill line.

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How to Cook with Lard

Smoke Point

Homemade lard has a smoke point of 370 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Serious Eats. There’s often a misconception that lard has a very high smoke point, but it’s actually on the lower end of the spectrum.

For reference, olive oil’s smoke point is 325, and butter’s smoke point is 350.

I always cook with lard on low to medium-low heat. For baking, I use it in recipes where the oven is set to 350 degrees F or below.

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Is Rendering Pork Lard on the Stove Still Worth It?

It’s true that the whole process is a time commitment - it usually takes a full day of tending.

While time is valuable, and there is some electricity usage in the process, the end result is a low cost product.

If you’re already buying a pig from a local farmer, chances are the butcher will give you the fat at no extra cost.

Additionally, I love that it’s a local product. Chances are, your materials are from a 100 mile radius of you. The carbon footprint is quite low, and it helps us to make the most of all that the pig has to offer.

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