More from the Morton Salt Book
(Page 3 of 13)
January/February 1973
By the Mother Earth News editors
BOX CURE WITH TENDER-QUICK Follow the same general directions as above using about 3 to 3 1/2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per 100 lbs. of bellies. This will make an extra mild cure and give the bacon a new delicious and tempting flavor.
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BOX FOR CURING The box should be strongly made and should be water tight. Hard wood, such as oak or maple, is the best material to use. The size should be approximately the length and width of the bacon bellies about 10" wide and 20" long. The height can be determined by the number of bellies to be cured at one time. A box about 24" high will hold the bellies from five or six hogs.
The top can be made in order to fit just inside of the box to be held down by a weight or hinged onto the box, and when hinged an extra slat tray should be made to place on top of the meat in order that the box top will press the tray against the meat and hold it under pressure while curing. The pressure should be firm but not heavy.
» rendering lard «
For white, creamy lard of high quality the lard stock should be trimmed and rendered as soon as possible after the carcass is cooled out.
Breaking down processes in fat start very quickly, which lowers the cooking and keeping qualities of the lard if rendering is delayed too long. If the hogs were well scalded and scraped, the skin may be left on the lard stock. The leaf fat makes the finest lard, but ordinarily the leaf fat, back fat, and fat trimmings are rendered together.
The caul and ruffle fats from the offal yield a darker product than the other fats and should be rendered separately, if they are to be used for lard. If the offal fat has been removed carefully, washed and chilled promptly, it should have an acceptable odor and flavor, but ordinarily it is better to use the caul and ruffle fats in soap making rather than in lard.
CUT FAT IN SMALL PIECES Lard will render more rapidly sand completely if it is cut into small pieces. Cut the lard in thin strips or run it through a meat chopper using a two or three blade knife and plate with holes 3/4" or larger.
A little water should be in the rendering kettle when the fat is clumped in. The kettle should not be too full or it will boil over. A pinch of baking soda added to the fat when rendering is begun will darken the cracklings but whiten the lard.
DO NOT SCORCH Render over a rnedium fire to prevent sticking and scorching. The far should be stirred frequently and the fire watched during the entire rendering process. Cooking should be very slow until the fat has begun to melt and the mass can be stirred freely in the kettle. At the beginning of the process, the temperature of rendering lard will be about 212°F. As the water contained in the fat tissues evaporates. the temperature will rise slowly until it reaches 245 to 255°, which is as high as it should be allowed to go. As rendering proceeds, the cracklings will brown and float. When they arc more completely rendered, they will gradually sink to the bottom. Care should be taken at this point to prevent small particles of dried out cracklings from scorching, on the bottom of the kettle. The rendering may be stopped when the cracklings are still floating. The more complete rendering, however, removes a greater proportion of the moisture, thus producing lard that will keep better.
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