New adventure

[PAMom]

I read often, but don't post much. Had to share this, however.

As part of my long term strategy and quest for further independence, I recently purchased a hog to butcher. I grew up on a dairy farm and have cared for lots of beef, but no experience with pigs.

Tonight, I am rendering lard to can. This will help to fill the bill for long term fat stores.

The real excitement for me though is I have started my first dry cured bacon. My family produces ~1,000 gal. maple syrup each year and so my cure is maple sugar based. Here is my first attempt; salt, maple sugar, garlic, bay leaves, nutmeg, instacure (pink salt), fresh ground pepper, and smoke powder. Want to try uncured bacon at some point but, this is my maiden voyage.

Really looking forward to sampling the results.

Anyone else tried this? Any advice?

 

[Iroquois]

Worked in a edible oils and fats plant for years. Quite a process, bleaching ,deodorizing,
hardening. Packing with nitrogen and BHA/BHT.....how do you keep the lard from getting
rancid?

 

[stationhollow]

back in the day you got your lard back from the butcher in a 5 gal bucket. dont know about canning it.

 

[zclevenger]

Sounds like a good project keep us posted on how it goes

 

[churchmouse]

BACON

 

[Cheapdiesel]

Lard should not go rancid if you made it right it's purely saturated fat and does not go rancid. If you don't get all the meat off it can give it a bad flavor. My wife makes it whenever we have the fat. It's the so called "vegetable oils" that go rancid

 

[PAMom]

Worked in a edible oils and fats plant for years. Quite a process, bleaching ,deodorizing,
hardening. Packing with nitrogen and BHA/BHT.....how do you keep the lard from getting
rancid?

This is why I am doing my own. I try to avoid bleached, hydrogenated, and chemically preserved food as much as I can.

Purchased the hog from my family. They have a dairy and also raise sheep and hogs. I know what it ate. Then, I rendered the lard - trim any meat, blood etc., ground the lard, heated in roaster oven, filtered with coffee filters, canned in pressure canner. Brown and salt cracklings for good eating, garnishing etc.

 

[PAMom]

Lard should not go rancid if you made it right it's purely saturated fat and does not go rancid. If you don't get all the meat off it can give it a bad flavor. My wife makes it whenever we have the fat. It's the so called "vegetable oils" that go rancid

I want to do some further research, but from what I understand, lard is actually less saturated than butter.

My experience thus far; my lard is not particularly hard and just a wonderful creamy white. This would seem to point to the fact that it is quite high in unsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Stats: 100g lard - saturated fat 39g, monounsaturated fat 45g, and polyunsaturated fat 11g.

 

[PAMom]

At this point, I am just checking and turning the belly each day. Meanwhile, trying to determine what I will use for the next piece.

I have not decided whether to smoke the bacon or just dry it in the oven. I don't want to ruin it, but don't have too much experience with my smoker yet. I did add hickory smoke powder to my cure.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Mmmm..... Homemade bacon.

 

[PAMom]

Here it is!

Here is my finished bacon - round one. Very happy with results. Maybe a little too salty; will wash longer next time. Delicious though!

I am going to try a brine for the next round.

 

[LEaSH]

It's.... beautiful