How to render pork fat or beef/bison tallow

Get some Mangalitsa leaf fat!

Get some Mangalitsa fat back!

Get some bison fat!

This is not my video, but she does such a great job explaining the process!

Mangalitsa lard is divine! Rendered lard can replace highly processed seed oils and be used for anything from frying to pastry making. Leaf fat renders to be extra-white and odorless and is the best for pastries. Other fat can be rendered and used for pastry making following the steps below. 

You can also render beef and/or bison fat using the exact same process.

Rendering time: 8+ hours

Yield: 3lbs fat = ~1 quart of rendered lard

Materials needed:

1. Animal fat
2. Crock pot
3. Cheesecloth 
4. Containers for rendered lard
5. Optional: funnel

Rendering lard is actually really simple, especially if you have a crock pot. 

So, lets dive in! Here are the steps to render your own.

• Remove packaged fat from the freezer. 
  1. If you're rendering Mangalitsa fat, let thaw for 1 hour on the countertop. 
  2. If you're rendering beef or bison fat, let thaw for 2+hours. 

The goal is to have partially thawed fat that you can cut, but not completely thawed. Once it's completely thawed the fat will become difficult to handle. 

• Cut fat into small cubes. Honestly, the smaller the better. I usually cut into 1/2" cubes. Aim for uniformity as it will help the fat render evenly. 
• Add 1/4 cup of water to the crock pot. 
• Place chopped fat into crock pot. 
• Turn crockpot on high for 1/2 hour ONLY. This will jump start the rendering process. You want to be very careful you don't overcook the fat during rendering. Overcooking will result in a porky (or beefy, or bisony) smell and flavor. 
• Stir every 10 minutes for the first 1/2 hour while crock pot is on high. 
• Turn crockpot to the lowest setting. 
• Stir fat every 1-1.5 hours. 

To get the "purest" rendered lard, remove liquid lard from the crock pot in 3 stages. 

• After the first 3-4 hours in the crock pot, you should be able to see liquid lard about the level of your chopped fat pieces. Take a piece of cheese cloth and place over a jar, funnel, or bowl. Ladle liquid lard out of crock pot into your container through cheese cloth (I use 1 quart mason jars). This will be your cleanest lard. Use for pastries or any other cooking where you want no animal scent or flavor.  
• Continue to cook remaining chopped fat in crock pot on low. Check back every 1-1.5 hours until the fat renders enough for the liquid lard to reach the level of the chopped fat again. Ladle liquid lard out of crock pot through cheesecloth into a new container. This lard will be great for tortillas or crackers where a hint of pork/bison/beef flavor is desirable. 
• Once liquid lard is removed, allow remaining chopped fat to cook in the crockpot on low for 3-4 more hours or until chopped fat is entirely "cooked". Strain liquid lard through cheesecloth into yet another container. This lard will be great for savory applications such as frying or sauteing. 
• If you like cracklings, remove remains of chopped fat from the crock pot and fry on the stovetop for a delicious snack! 

Get some Mangalitsa leaf fat!

Get some Mangalitsa fat back!

Get some bison fat!

Why would you want to learn to render your own lard or tallow?

The answer falls in line with a pattern I've personally noticed in the past few years. Anything highly processed ultimately ends up being found to negatively affect your health. 

Guess what is highly processed!! Most store-bought cooking oils!

A relevant example:

Artificial Trans Fat, also known as partially hydrogenated oil (margarine, shortening, frying oils)

"Partially hydrogenated oils were long believed to be safe, and indeed were assumed to be healthier than the animal fats they sometimes replaced.

While preliminary human and animal studies in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that trans fat promoted heart disease, 1976 and 1985 reviews commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration concluded that the overall evidence indicated that partially hydrogenated oils and trans fat were not harmful.

By the early 1990s, however, clinical and epidemiology studies established clear-cut evidence that industrially produced trans fat caused heart disease."
(“Artificial Trans Fat: A Timeline.” Center for Science in the Public Interest, 3 Feb. 2022, www.cspinet.org/resource/artif... Trans Fat was eliminated from the U.S. food supply by the F.D.A. in 2018.

Isn't it worth noting that even though preliminary studies showed the potential for unhealthy side effects, the FDA still allowed this product to be used until there was irrefutable evidence. Once the relationship to heart disease was established, it still took YEARS to be taken out of circulation. 

Other highly processed and refined cooking oils are not widely known to be unhealthy, yet.

Some examples of highly processed cooking oils are: 

• Canola oil (aka rapeseed oil).
• Corn oil.
• Cottonseed.
• Grapeseed oil.
• Soybean oil.
• Sunflower oil.
• Safflower oil.
• Rice bran oil
• Peanut oil.
• Refined olive oil. (extra virgin olive oil is the good stuff!)

If you fall somewhere in between believing these cooking oils are good or bad, at the bare minimum the refining process removes most of the positive nutritional value.

Get some Mangalitsa leaf fat!

Get some Mangalitsa fat back!

Get some bison fat!