Rendering Lard

We picked up our hogs from Country Quality Meats today. I got Ingrid and Nestor (the owners) to grind the fat and set it aside for me so I could try rendering my own lard.

Kevin Kossowan (blog link right -->) has a couple of posts on his adventures of rendering lard, and it looked beautiful!

I have 5 bags, some bigger than others, and did one of the larger ones tonight. I melted it down on the stovetop and then poured it through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.

I let it settle then poured it into a 9x13 pan, being careful not to pour the dark bits at the bottom into the pan.

It's currently cooling, hopefully it will be nice and white, though there is the chance I over heated it and it may be a bit brown... time will tell.

I am taking pictures along the way, though I am terrible at getting them posted.

(i still have chicken butchering pics to post as well as pics of all the preserves I made with my mom a couple wknds ago)