# Rendered Leaf Lard



## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I rendered my first batch of leaf lard today. I know it is good for soap,pastries and frying, but what else can it be used for?

I melted it down in my crockpot, I have gotten 2 pints so far and there is more in there to melt. This is from the pasture raised pig we bought last year. I was doing some reading and , as usual, there is conflicting info on how healthy it is. I would tend to think it has to be better than man made stuff :shrug:

What are your thoughts?


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I have never heard of leaf lard. I have heard of lard. Is it from a certain part of the pig or something that makes it "leaf"?


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Yes, as far as I know it is the most desired lard...it is from around the kidneys.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

I learn so much stuff here, you guys are geniuses!


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

:think: interesting,... very interesting


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

It is cooling in the jars right now and I will store mine in the freezer. It is good for a year that way....hoping it will be a butter replacement for cooking some things so I can buy less butter.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

lard cooks things crispy and tasty and makes good biscuits. I can't speak to the healthy ness of it. I think as long as it is in moderation like anything it should be fine.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

That's what I thought too....in moderation. But I was reading it was the amounts of different fats in it that work together with your body, making it not so bad as has been claimed. I read that it started getting a bad name about the time that commercial pigs were really picking up...you know, more meat less fat....so hey! Let's tell everyone how bad fat is for you, so we can make more money!


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Fat actually isn't as bad for you as sugar is. I have to be really careful with sugar/starches.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I actually asked for the fat from 3 hogs my mom's friend had raised and butchered... now that is ALOT of lard 

I also found that the fat from the shoulder/neck area as well as the belly fat makes a very white lard, the leaf lard, or that from around the innards makes a lard with a yellowish color and smells most like pork 

I've not only been using what I've rendered.... in my oven at 325* in a roaster after I chopped it small...... in my bread making but also to add flavor when frying eggs. Lard is also what is traditionally used when making flour tortillas. I plan to use this in soaps too. I've also rendered beef suet for tallow, much different process to do that


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

liz said:


> I've also rendered beef suet for tallow, much different process to do that


Explain please??

I read that pig lard is usually combined with 1/3 pig and 2/3 beef lard for soaps?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Lard can be used by itself with just water and lye to make a "old fashioned" soap... it doesn't have fluffy bubbles but a smooth creamy lather  This one is best for laundry though as even though it's good and moisturizing to skin, it doesn't cost as much to make due to not having the extra beneficial oils used to make a bath bar.

When rendering beef suet, which is the fat from around the kidneys... you chop it or grind it, add it to a kettle and about a 1/4 cup of plain salt for 10lbs suet, add in water to cover the suet and bring it to a slow simmer for at minimum 2 hours, the fat will clump and turn a gray color, strain this in a fine colander over a large cake pan and allow to cool. I leave mine set on the counter overnight... once cool the fat rises to the top and leaves the remaining water and any particles on the bottom of the pan, it is very solid and can be lifted from the pan, cut into squares and the backside scraped of any "floaties". I freeze mine in quart size bags for soap, it mimics palm oil in how it makes a very hard, long lasting bar of soap... it has a low creamy lather and is very moisturizing 

Lard doesn't harden like Tallow does .... lard is more like a coconut oil and will almost liquify when left at room temp or higher, tallow won't do this


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I just used plain old pig lard for my soap

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

That sounds great Liz  Maybe I'll try to buy some beef lard.
I have almost 3 pints of pig lard, the last is just about melted to nothing...I also have another whole package in the fridge I will be doing as well.
I plan on using oils for my soaps, but may eventually try adding lard. How is your soap working out Carmen?


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

It can be used to preserve cooked Sausage patties for about 3 months. Cook patties a bit smaller than a wide mouth canning jar. Place in a stack in the middle of the jar leaving room on all sides and about an inch and 1/2 at the top. Pour in hot melted lard to cover patties and leave about an 1/2 inch of head room. Screw on lid and leave to cool and seal it's self.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

NyGoatMom said:


> That sounds great Liz  Maybe I'll try to buy some beef lard.
> I have almost 3 pints of pig lard, the last is just about melted to nothing...I also have another whole package in the fridge I will be doing as well.
> I plan on using oils for my soaps, but may eventually try adding lard. How is your soap working out Carmen?


I'll let you know in 2 weeks

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Cool, can't wait to find out....I may try making lotion for the first time tomorrow 
I got 3 pints of lard from my batch today...


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

I got about 3 pints of lard from the goat I rendered last fall - using pretty much all the fat I could trim, not just the inner stuff. All of it came out pretty clean except for the last cup or so when I was really milking the solids for every bit of fat - that definitely has a "piggy" smell (for lack of a better term.) But I've just been using it for frying so it doesn't matter much. I may try baking with the cleaner stuff, then decide if it's worth separating the fats this year. But you can't beat it for frying!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I use lard all the time.. It makes the best bread and rolls!!! I fry with it and use it in mashed potatoes..it is supposed to be a healthful fat alternative.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

oohhh....lard for soap! how wonderful!!! it's super creamy and conditioning to the skin. people steer away from it b/c of the stigma that it's pig fat, but hey......ppl clamour over bacon and bacon grease, which is pretty much flavoured lard.

sounds like someone's gearing up to make some soap!


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

I use tallow on hand planes and hand saws, it is great for reducing the friction and rust. Very traditional. Use very little to avoid a mess! Tallow will not effect the finish or glue-ups.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

nchen7 said:


> oohhh....lard for soap! how wonderful!!! it's super creamy and conditioning to the skin. people steer away from it b/c of the stigma that it's pig fat, but hey......ppl clamour over bacon and bacon grease, which is pretty much flavoured lard.
> 
> sounds like someone's gearing up to make some soap!


You got that right  
I was going to get all my oils and the lye...but my dryer died...so there went that cash!


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

I grew up using lard from our family hog ranch. We always had a bucket in the fridge. A few years ago, I tho't it would be great to make a pie crust from lard so bought some from the store. I threw it away. It stunk like a pig pen with a terrible taste. Yeck.. that isnt like the lard I remember using as a kid. I am sure it must be way better to render your own lard.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Well mine is the leaf lard...but I melted it on low in the crock for hours until I got as much as I could. It is now a beautiful white color, which I heard is sometimes not the case if heated too hot, but it is suggested to let it sit in the crock on low.
I didn't fry the cracklings because it was so late already I had to go to bed, but next batch I will.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Well a lot of people say that pig lard and cow butter and even eggs that contain high amounts of cholesterol is terribly bad for us .. it maybe bad for some people with a hereditary condition but I am starting to wonder more about this. I have ate large amounts of lard, milk butter, lots of eggs in my life and after I ended up with a heart condition where I ended up with all the tests- the one thing that I do not have is high cholesterol and my arteries do no have plaque build up at all! I have clean strong arteries all through out. So I believe that sugar and high processed foods are the main issue to cause serious health problems and if we combine it with lard and other waxy fats, I believe it will then really cause more issues than just eating those types of fats.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I think you're right.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

i agree with you whole heartedly packhillboers. people have been eating natural fats throughout history. all those processed things have been around in recent history, and seems like since the makings of processed goods (and...people working in offices instead of doing physical work outside) have made humans prone to many different illnesses.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

The lard and pork that is commonly available to most people has been grown in pens in less than ideal conditions...not like it is on family farms. I think that makes a lot of difference in how it affects our bodies...arteries, etc.
The meat and lard are also processed quite a lot too ie: bleached.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

This is lard from a pasture raised local pig  but I agree with you...I hate how they are raised commercially on so many levels...


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Good for you!!! I have and use the lard from our own pastures pig!!! Great stuff!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Its not the lard and fat that killing us today..its the process that's bad for us and causing us to be sick...mass marketed lards and oils are hydrogenated...giving us that wonderful Trans fatty acids! 
but even with home rendered, moderation is the key however since it still is high in saturated fat!


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