So how much is it? Can you get it in bulk? Can the guy assure you that it is natural (trans free)?


Our self rendered lard costs us less than $4 a litre I think? We do about 7kg of fat in one day for maybe 5 litres of lard. It is a bit of a pain to do, but we think it is worth it for good quality lard, as we use it to cook most things (great on the BBQ).

Maybe we should get a few of us together and have a good ol' fashioned lard rendering party

I'd stick to rendering my own for that price. I can’t remember how much he charges as I haven’t bought any for a while but it’s sold in little plastic tubs – not bulk. I don’t doubt that it’s natural - he sells some of it with the bits of crackle left in! His products are first rate and I’m particularly partial to his ‘gourmet’ ham and chilli cheese kranskies. I think all, or at least some, of his products are gluten free as well. Remember to take cash if you decide to go – he doesn’t take credit.

The lard is working out great for cooking. I like using it better than oil because I can control the amount better, I sometimes over-pour when I use oil. Since the lard is hard you can cut off the amount you need easily.

It is VERY tasteless though. Not yummy at all like my goose and duck fat.

sausage drippings though!

wish i could slather some of that on a piece of rye bread, someone stop me!

Does anyone use lamb tallow? I've got a big slab of it sitting on top of the juices from a lamb roast I cooked yesterday. I've always just thrown it away thinking that the taste would be too overpowering.

Lamb tallow should be fine to use. Mutton tallow would not be, unless you were raised on it.

If you to the Carniceria , or Mexican meat market, ask them if they make their own chicharron, which means fried pork rinds. It's a Mexican specialty. They make them in a large copper kettle to sell fresh. This process will render manteca , or lard. They will sell the manteca fresh until it runs out. It's tasty and you might find a few bits of crispy fried pork skin in it. Not to mention that it's cheap!

If you have the Mexican meat market in your town, just go in and ask the butcher. A pound will cost me under 3 dollars and no need to worry about processing or hydrogenation. .. Buy some chicharron while you're at it! You'll never have pork rinds that tasty.

4 lbs boston butt pork roast
2 lbs lard
1 small orange (sliced, unpeeled)

Melt lard in large deep pot. Cut roast into 3-inch cubes and submerge in melted lard. Lard should cover meat; if it doesn't, add more lard. Add sliced, unpeeled orange. Bring lard to gentle boil (takes about 20-30 minutes). Keep boiling for another 2 hours. If pork is not browned, remove orange and continue boiling for another 20 minutes or so until browned. Remove and drain the pork and serve with whatever sounds good. I used guacamole, salsa, cheese, cabbage, etc.

Very easy, but allow about 3 hours cooking time minimum.

Does the orange make the lard bad for recycling?

No idea, actually. This was the first time I had ever cooked with lard, and it never occurred to me to reuse or recyle it. Apparently people do. I'll have to educate myself.

According the site where I found this recipe, the orange keeps the lard at the proper temperature. That is why you are supposed to remove the orange in order to finish browning--the lard heats up noticeably when the orange slices are removed.

At about what temp. should I fry it at nelson? 2 1/2 hours seems like a long time.

Hope you didn't dump it down the drain!

Thanks for that info, I'll have to try it sometime. I usually make tallow though, should be good!

What is the general consensus on reusing lard and tallow? Is it considered safe?

Again, no idea. I have a gas stove and I didn't use a thermometer. I just kept the boil low.

I didn't dump the oil down the drain. I transferred it to a can that I use for other drippings. When the can is full we'll decide what to do with it. What do you suggest?

I bought a gallon of unhydrogenated organic palm shortening at tropicaltraditions.com some time ago and I just finished using it. I really liked it. It has a 'warmth' but no particular taste to it, it's reuseable. Aside from any potential aminos (??) that animal lard would have over palm shortening, or cost if you already have it, is there any other reason for using animal instead of palm?