Lard is necessary to accurately present the flavors and textures of many ethnic cuisines, as well as for making crisp cookies, flaky pie crusts and light pastries. Foods fried in lard come out crispy and flavorful and do not become soggy as they cool. Foods baked or fried with lard have a desirable "mouth feel" not approachable by vegetable oils, though beef tallow can get fairly close.

Lard use has lately been increasing under the influence of leading chefs and bakers, and has also been resurgent in England for recreating traditional dishes. The resurgence is also due in part to the recent revelation that partially hydrogenated vegetable shortenings are a lot more dangerous than animal fats.

Lard is the traditional cooking fat of Thailand and major parts of China, regions not noted for unhealthy diets. It is the dominant cooking fat for Polish and Hungarian cuisines and is very widely used in Mexico and Central and South America.

Of course if you're a Muslim or an observant Jew lard is out of the question - but the fat rendered from the tails of fat tailed sheep is reputed to be very good. Unfortunately there are no fat tailed sheep in North America, in fact most sheep here have their tails cut off at birth. I have no idea why the Animal Rights people aren't all over that one.

Buying Lard:   Tubs and pails of lard in various sizes can be found in markets serving a Mexican or Central or South American community. I prefer to buy it in small 1 pound tubs, or to render my own from fat trimmed from cuts of pork.

Leaf Lard is the finest variety of lard, rendered from fat from around the kidneys. It has almost no pork flavor and is often used in fine baked goods, producing light pastries and flaky pie crusts. It is difficult to find locally but you can easily order it on the Internet.

The next best is fatback lard from under the skin at the top of the pig. The product "fatback" though is not lard, it's the unrendered fat as it comes off the pig. Commercial lard in tubs is rendered fat from various parts of the pig mixed together.

Storing:   Commercially purchased lard is generally "shelf stable" and can be stored for quite some time at room temperature. It is very pure and generally contains citric acid and/or a preservative to resist rancidity, and part of it is hydrogenated. Lard you render yourself is not as pure, has more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and does not contain preservatives, so it should not be left long at room temperature - refrigerate (3 months) or freeze (1 year).

Hydrogenation:   Lard, like other fats, can be hydrogenated to make it more solid and resistant to rancidity. Some lard is "partially hydrogenated" and contains Trans Fats, but this form is used mainly in the food processing industry. Most "shelf stable" lard in the markets lists "Lard and Hydrogenated Lard". This is "fully hydrogenated lard" which does not contain a significant amount of Trans Fats. Basically, full hydrogenation converts the non-saturated fats to solid, rancidity resistant saturated fats.

It is appropriate to note that "Trans Fat Free" vegetable shortening is done the same way. Vegetable oils are converted to all saturated fat by "full hydrogenation", then mixed with unhydrogenated oils to make the product softer than a hockey puck.

Cooking with Lard   Lard is particularly good for frying things that are a sticking problem. They are less likely to stick when fried in lard than when fried in olive oil. They will also fry up nice and crisp and will not become soggy as they cool as oil fried foods tend to do.

Lard really shines when used in cookies, pastries, pie crusts and other baked goods. Leaf Lard is preferred here because of its purity and almost complete absence of meat flavor.

When frying in lard, keep in mind that it's a low temperature fat. It should not be heated beyond 360°F/185°C. It can be reused (after filtering and if it hasn't been overheated) to a limited extent. It has an oxidation index of 1.7, not quite as good as olive oil's 1.5, while beef tallow goes to 420°F/220°C with an oxidation index of 0.86. 1.7 is still a whole lot better than Canola Oil's 5.5 though. See my page Oils - Smoke Temperature & Composition for a comparative chart.

Rendering Lard:   You can make your own lard very easily. There are two methods, dry rendering and wet rendering.

• Dry Rendering:   The product of this method was traditionally called "drippings", but few Americans are now familiar with that usage. Lard so rendered is a little darker and has more pork flavor than wet rendered lard. This method is quick and produces cracklings as a byproduct - they're tasty (though greasy) and are called for in some antique or ethnic recipes. Cut your pig fat into pieces less than 1 inch on a side. Place in a heavy iron skillet or dutch oven with 1/8 inch water in the bottom. The water is there to wet render a little fat the rest can start to fry in. Fry, stirring very frequently, and keep turning down the flame as the fat renders out. You should end up with a slightly amber liquid and lightly browned craklings.
• Wet Rendering:   This method produces a whiter product with less meat flavor than the dry method and has a slightly higher smoke point, but takes a lot longer. Chop you fat small, then put it in a slow cooker with water to almost cover. Keep it on the "high" setting for 6 to 8 hours. Strain out the solids and skim the fat off the water. You can do a final separation by refrigerating the lard in a bowl. The lard will solidify and can be lifted off the remaining water in the bottom of the bowl.
• Commercial Rendering:   Lard is chopped fine, then wet rendered in a continuous process by steam or in water just below the boiling point, then strained and separated from the water by a two stage centrifuge - not a practical process in most homes.

Always keep in mind, the lard you render at home needs to be refrigerated (3 months) or frozen (1 year) or it will become rancid - and that's not good.