Mmmmmm....Lard!

So I wanted to make a blueberry pie and I really wanted to use lard in my crust.
I really needed to see how difficult it was to render lard.
I do, after all, have 35 pounds of pork fat in the freezer.

I decided that my trusty ol' crock pot was the way to go. 6 pounds of chopped up fat thawed and placed in the crock pot with just a small amount of water on bottom to keep the fat from scorching.

I placed the knob on low heat and went to bed.

By morning (about 6 hours later) I had a beautiful yellowish-clear liquid and fat cracklings.

Oh, and it did smell interesting. Pork fat has a way of smelling less than yummy.

Next is to strain the liquid lard. I think the easiest way is to secure cheesecloth under a band onto a jar like above. Ladle the liquid and allow it to cool. I ended up with 2 quarts of lard. I placed one in the freezer and one in the fridge. It turns a beautiful white once it is cooled.
I made a wonderfully delicious  pie the next day.

Now, those cracklings can be cooked further until they are crispy and then you can eat them plain or on a salad, etc. After cooking them for a few more hours I was becoming very tired of the pig fat smell. I took the crockpot outside and poured all its contents into dog dishes. My doggies loved it!!!

Let's mark that one off the list of things I must learn to make. Mmmmmm....lard!

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What new things are you wanting to learn to make??