Pork Cracklings and Lard
Appetizers Christmas Recipes Pork Budget Recipes Romanian
On Saturday my grandmother slaughtered the pig. I received some belly fat, just enough to make a few cracklings, simply for the pleasure of it. A small bowl of cracklings and 0.5 liters of lard I obtained, to satisfy our cravings for a whole year. They are delicious with onion, but you can also make crackling spread or these delicious crackling biscuits from them.
Ingredients
1 kg pork belly fat (with a little meat through it; with or without skin)
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion
1 sprig dried thyme
salt
How to prepare pork cracklings and lard
- Cut the belly fat into cubes of about 3 cm.
- Place a cast iron pot on the small burner of the stove. Add the water to the pot along with the fat cubes, onion, and thyme.
- Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to medium heat. Cover the pot and let it cook. Remember to stir the pot every 10 minutes.
- After a while (in my case 1 hour), you will see the cubes start to become slightly transparent. After 1.5 hours the fat was already translucent and had released quite a lot of grease, almost enough to cover it. At that point remove the lid and continue frying the fat. Now you can stir less frequently. After 2 hours the fat starts to brown slightly and is covered with lard. After 2.5 hours the cracklings were golden and I turned off the heat.
- Place a strainer over a pot. Pour the contents of the cast iron pot through the strainer. The lard drains into the pot, the cracklings remain in the strainer. Press the cracklings well with the back of a ladle so as much fat as possible drains from them.
- Place the cracklings on a platter with paper towels underneath. Sprinkle salt over them. Let them cool completely. Store in a container with a lid.
- Pour the lard from the pot into a jar (preferably through cheesecloth). Let it cool and refrigerate or store in a cool pantry.
Fresh pork fat
Pork fat cut into cubes
Pork fat with water and seasonings in the cauldron
Pork fat after 1 hour of cooking
Pork fat after 1.5 hours (lid removed now)
Pork fat after 2 hours
Pork fat after almost 2.5 hours
Cracklings and lard
