Good lard is where you find it.

06/23/09

Good lard is where you find it.

Filed under: Blog— by joe @ 07:11:38 am Permalink

There's a lot of good lard on a pig, though admittedly not nearly as much as there used to be. Demand for leaner and leaner pork over the years has yielded pigs with less fat on them than your typical Parisian runway model. But more on that later. Though fat can be found all over a pig, the main deposits are on the back, between the flesh and the skin (high-grade hard fat used for "fat back" and salt pork), amid the organs (low-grade soft fat historically used for cooking) and in the so-called flare region, the area around the loin near the kidneys. This is where leaf lard comes from, and for bakers, it's where the money is.

Leaf lard is the highest grade fat that can be found on the animal. It is desirable for several reasons. First, its consistency, which is neither too hard nor too soft and quite butter-like. Next, it's the mildest tasting lard on the pig, practically neutral in flavor. Lastly, it's quite pure even in its raw form, which makes it easier to render. Some people, in fact, just use it as-is. I recommend against that for reasons which will be obvious later in the week.

I'll admit, leaf lard can be a little hard to find, though it's becoming more common now that animal fats are hip again. The pork purveyors at the farmers' markets here in Louisville usually have it, or at least allow customers to order it ahead of time. Some butcher shops have it, or can order it. If all that fails, it can be had over the internet, though at considerable expense. In fact, between ordering leaf lard off the internet and buying back lard from the local butcher, I'll take the butcher every time. The lard will be a little "porkier", but still fine for rendering and decent for baking.

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