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MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
Today and yesterday was time to experiment!! I had gotten what I THOUGHT
was a large bag of rabbit meat out of the freezer. After letting it thaw, I realized it was actually a huge bag of fat from the pigs that I had slaughtered a while back. So, I decided to try my hand at making lard>>>>or at least an attempt to make it!
Using only common sense and some inherent knowledge, I placed about 4 and one half gallons of fat strips into the very large electric cooker I have and cooked it overnight on about 350 degrees. I then discovered that it was too high of a heat to make good pie crust type lard, but that it could be used for my animals (dogs, cats, & chickens) as well as used in stews and other cooking wonders!
I took out the cooked chunks fat, placed them on a large cookie sheet, and squeezed out all of the fat with a fork by mashing the chunks flat. I ended up with a large amount of liquid fat, both still in the cooker and that I squeezed out on the cookie sheet. I then decanted this into quart jars and sealed them with lids, placing them into the freezer for use later. I was going to strain it, however after figuring that it could only be used for frying and cooking, but not pastries or pie crust, I did not go through this step.
In addition, I made two large feeding blocks for my chickens. I made one in a 29 ounce can that had fruit in it>>>Until I ate it that is! And one in a 39 ounce coffee can. I put into the chicken blocks, raisins, corn and some tomatoes I had in the refrigerator and stirred it all up before placing a straw in the partially congealed fat to make a hole all the way through the block. This is so it could be tied on a string for the chickens to peck at. I will freeze these also, until winter and then give them to the chickens for added energy and nutrients when they need it most.
No, I didn't get to make the high quality lard that makes such wonderful pie crusts and pastries, but I did get food that will sustain my animals when winter makes even the chubbiest of us feel cold to the bone!
was a large bag of rabbit meat out of the freezer. After letting it thaw, I realized it was actually a huge bag of fat from the pigs that I had slaughtered a while back. So, I decided to try my hand at making lard>>>>or at least an attempt to make it!
Using only common sense and some inherent knowledge, I placed about 4 and one half gallons of fat strips into the very large electric cooker I have and cooked it overnight on about 350 degrees. I then discovered that it was too high of a heat to make good pie crust type lard, but that it could be used for my animals (dogs, cats, & chickens) as well as used in stews and other cooking wonders!
I took out the cooked chunks fat, placed them on a large cookie sheet, and squeezed out all of the fat with a fork by mashing the chunks flat. I ended up with a large amount of liquid fat, both still in the cooker and that I squeezed out on the cookie sheet. I then decanted this into quart jars and sealed them with lids, placing them into the freezer for use later. I was going to strain it, however after figuring that it could only be used for frying and cooking, but not pastries or pie crust, I did not go through this step.
In addition, I made two large feeding blocks for my chickens. I made one in a 29 ounce can that had fruit in it>>>Until I ate it that is! And one in a 39 ounce coffee can. I put into the chicken blocks, raisins, corn and some tomatoes I had in the refrigerator and stirred it all up before placing a straw in the partially congealed fat to make a hole all the way through the block. This is so it could be tied on a string for the chickens to peck at. I will freeze these also, until winter and then give them to the chickens for added energy and nutrients when they need it most.
No, I didn't get to make the high quality lard that makes such wonderful pie crusts and pastries, but I did get food that will sustain my animals when winter makes even the chubbiest of us feel cold to the bone!
). Or as an alternative, I place it in a fridge until it's solidified. Once solidified, I pry off the lard layer from the bottom saltwater layer and discard the saltwater layer. If the lard is not clean enough, I repeat the process (with salt and water again --- The salt and water help remove unwanted proteins, I believe, and removes a lot of the undesirable smells that lard can have).
