Help with lard making???
No doubt you’ve been flooded with advice, but I might just as well have a go. Your request has brought back many pleasant memories. Rendering lard was the first cooking operation I can remember doing as a child. Watching the lard on the fuel stove, the bubble off of the water, and the rise of the cracklings. The best lard is made from the leaf and kidney fat which is stripped from inside the carcass. Trimmings left from cutting are also suitable. You won’t get a huge amount from baconers. In large, older pigs, backfatters, you can also use the excessive fat on the back. The fat from the mesentery or caul (round the stomach), and the fat round the gut (ruffle fat) should be kept separate. The lard rendered from this is darker in colour than other lard and can often have an unpleasant odour. Makes good soap. In any case, do not render the caul. Use pieces of caul to wrap up sausage meat and suchlike for slow frying or baking–an experience in itself, and rare these days. In preparing the
