You can, of course, buy salted lard in a store or market. But where is the guarantee that this product will be fresh and its taste will meet your gastronomic preferences? Here in Ukraine on the market you can try lard from different producers and make a good choice. They will also share with you recipes for homemade preparation of this product. Let us immediately bring you up to date: in Ukraine there is lard and veneer. The first is a solid piece of pork fat. It is used to melt cracklings or cut thinly into rye bread, and also to make vivantsy, a meat dish. Sponder can be described as follows: puff lard. This is when fat is interspersed with layers of meat. It is also called bacon, brisket, or pork chops. Sponder is also salted and smoked. But this is an independent snack. Bacon is good with both scrambled eggs and bigos. You can salt lard using a hot method at home. And many housewives cook it themselves. How? Read about this in our article.
Benefit
Compared to meat, lard is a more budget-friendly product. And no less useful. Lard (if consumed in moderation) does not contribute to the development of fat deposits and excess weight gain. But the benefits from it are undoubted. It contains arachidonic acid, which maintains the lipid balance of the skin, nourishes it, regulates hormonal tone and stimulates metabolism in the body. Contrary to popular belief about cholesterol, lard cleanses blood vessels. This is a unique product. Salting lard using a hot method makes it possible to obtain an ingredient that will add juiciness to meat dishes, in the form of cracklings it will make dumplings filling, and with vegetables the dish will be very tender. But many people love this product just like that. Using a sharp knife, cut off a thin, translucent slice of lard and place it on Borodino bread. Green onions and a shot of vodka... What else do you need for an intimate meal?
Methods for salting lard. A few secrets
To prepare a treat, you must first select a raw product. Young and good lard should be snow-white, with a pink tint. The knife goes into it easily, like into butter. The lard should be quite elastic - when pressed, the mark remains for some time. Housewives check the quality of the product by smell. Good lard has a pleasant, slightly sweet aroma. High-quality sponder is determined by the layers of meat. There should be no traces of stubble left on the skin. There are three main ways to salt lard. The first one is dry. A piece of lard is simply covered with salt and spices and left under pressure. The second method is wet, without heat treatment. Salting lard in brine at home is a long and labor-intensive process. In addition, neither the first nor the second methods are suitable for veneer. It becomes very hard. And finally, the third method is hot. It will be discussed below.
How to deliciously pickle lard at home using a hot method
With this salting, the lard turns out to be very soft and simply melts in your mouth. And in order to make it incredibly tasty, it is recommended to add not only salt, but also some spices, as well as dried herbs.
To salt lard at home, it is recommended to use bay leaves, as well as garlic and peppercorns.
You will need:
- 1 kg. – fresh lard with a layer
- Ground allspice - to taste
- 2 pcs. – large garlic heads
- 15 gr. – dried herbs
- 3-4 pcs. – bay leaves and dry cloves
- 200 gr. – coarse rock salt
- 1 liter – drinking water
For rubbing:
- 2 teaspoons each - a mixture of ground peppers and red paprika
- 4 tbsp. spoons - coarse salt
- 7-9 pcs. – finely chopped garlic cloves
How to cook:
1. Cut fresh lard into large cubes or strips and place it on a plate.
2. Prepare the marinade. To do this, place a saucepan with water on medium heat, add coarsely ground salt, bay leaf, pepper, cloves, mix everything thoroughly, cook for 2-3 minutes after boiling.
3. Place pieces of bacon into the freshly prepared brine, add peeled whole garlic cloves, then add dried chopped herbs.
4. You need to press down the pieces of brisket with a plate, place a weight, then close the saucepan with another lid and send it to some cool place for three to four hours.
5. When everything has cooled to room temperature, place the pan with all its contents in the refrigerator or cellar for 3-4 days.
6. After the above time has passed, remove the pieces of bacon from the brine, dry them completely, rub them on all sides with a mixture of spices, salt and garlic, wrap each piece in cling film or paper, and put them in the refrigerator for another day.
7. Now you can taste and treat everyone. Very tasty with black rye bread and fresh cucumber!
Bon appetit!
How to pickle in brine
Sponder in onion peel
Cut approximately a kilogram of bacon (bacon) into four equal parts, along with the skin. Boil a liter of water in a wide saucepan. Add a glass of salt and stir until the crystals are completely dissolved. We will need peels from five kilograms of onions. Put half of it in a saucepan. Place four pieces of lard on top. We will also layer husks between them. Onion clothing should be on top. Let's add a little salt to the water. Let's take the top husk. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. After removing the pan from the heat, wrap it in a blanket and leave it at room temperature for twelve hours. Let's clean the veneer from the husk. Peel the head of garlic. Cut the cloves coarsely. Stuff the pieces of sponder with garlic and rub with ground black pepper. In principle, hot salting of lard in onion skins is complete. All that's left is to do the final touch. Let's unfold the cling film. With each piece of sponder, put a bay leaf and two cloves with allspice peas next to it. Wrap it up and leave it in the refrigerator for a day.
Flavored lard
Salt prolongs the food shelf life of the product. But its gastronomic qualities largely depend on spices. You can salt lard using a hot method without seasoning. But then it is used exclusively for cracklings. And if we want to get tasty and aromatic lard, we will prepare a mixture of spices. It should include ground red pepper (hot and coarsely ground), turmeric, dried dill, three or four cloves, bay leaf (rubbed in the palms as finely as possible), cinnamon and nutmeg. All seasonings can be added by eye, a pinch at a time. Optionally add other favorite spices - suneli hops, coriander, white pepper. Cut a kilogram of lard into large pieces. Place them in a saucepan and fill with water. After boiling, boil for three minutes and add four and a half tablespoons of salt. Let's leave it like this for half a day. Wipe the pieces with a towel and rub them with garlic. Wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for a day.
↑ Salted lard in hot brine with garlic
You will definitely add this kind of lard, cooked in brine in a hot way, to your culinary collection, because it turns out to be amazing. There is no other word to describe it, since the thinly sliced bacon flies off the table in an instant. We offer preparation in two stages - the salting itself and rolling in spices. If you don’t like too many flavors, you can stop at the first stage, just salt the lard and eat.
Ingredients
- fresh lard with meat layer – 1 kg;
- garlic cloves – 3-4 pcs.
For the brine:
- water – 1 l;
- coarse table salt (not “Extra”) – 5 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf – 5 pcs.;
- garlic cloves – 4-5 pcs.;
- dried dill – 1 tsp;
- ground allspice – 0.5 tsp.
For deboning:
ground coriander, suneli hops, allspice, dried dill, rosemary, ground nutmeg, sweet paprika and table salt - 1 tsp each.
Preparation time – 2 days.
Preparation
- Rinse the lard thoroughly, if necessary, scrape the skin with a sharp knife and dry with paper towels.
- Cut into 6-8 pieces so that it is salted better and more evenly.
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut into thin slices. Use several chopped cloves to evenly stuff pieces of lard, making cuts in it. The rest of the garlic will be used for brine.
- Prepare the brine. Pour water into a saucepan, add salt, garlic and all the spices (instead of ground, you can use peas of both allspice and regular black pepper). Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the salt grains. Let the brine boil for 3-4 minutes.
- Place pieces of lard into a bowl or saucepan and pour boiling brine over them. Leave the lid off and let cool to room temperature. Now close the container with lard and send it to a cool place for 1.5-2 days to salt out. To ensure that the pieces are salted evenly, turn them over periodically.
- After the specified time has passed, remove the lard from the brine, rinse thoroughly and dry with paper towels. It is already ready for use, you can eat it, but if you have the strength to be patient, then make this product even tastier and more aromatic.
- Pour all the ingredients listed for the lard into a bowl and mix until smooth. Roll each piece of lard in the resulting mixture on all sides. Wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for a day.
- Incomparable soft lard is ready. Place the pieces you won't use right away in the freezer, where they can be stored for 3 to 6 months. Simply in the refrigerator in a plastic container, such lard can be stored for up to 2 months.
The fastest way to salt lard using the hot method
Sometimes you can't wait to try a product! Or friends came to visit. And what could be better with vodka than a thin, slightly pink slice of lard placed on the edge of rye bread. And if there is a piece of fresh pork fat lying around in the refrigerator, then within half an hour you can start the feast. Let's prepare a clean jar with a lid and put the kettle on the fire. While the water is boiling, cut two hundred grams of lard into thin slices. In a separate bowl, mix three large spoons of salt, one teaspoon of peppercorns, four finely chopped cloves of garlic, two broken bay leaves. You can add more spices to taste - paprika or chili, coriander or turmeric. Place the lard in a jar, interspersing it with a mixture of salt and spices. And pour boiling water over everything. The water level should be one centimeter above the lard. Seal the jar with a plastic lid. When the liquid has cooled, salting lard in brine at home is completed. But the product will be more tasty if you keep it in the freezer for at least ten more minutes.
Quick salting of lard in a jar
If you have unexpected guests, then this is not a reason to worry! There are many dishes and snacks that can be prepared in the shortest possible time. And we want to tell you in detail about hot salting of lard in a jar.
Ingredients:
- lard – 200 grams;
- salt - three tablespoons;
- black peppercorns - one teaspoon;
- garlic - four cloves;
- bay leaf - two pieces;
- spices (turmeric, chili, coriander, paprika) - to taste.
So, if you have a piece of pork fat with layers of meat in your refrigerator, then you can always quickly organize a delicious snack for strong drinks and a filling for sandwiches. Therefore, take lard and cut it into thin slices. At the same time, put the kettle on the fire and wash the glass jar inside and out.
In a separate bowl, combine crushed black pepper, chopped garlic, salt, spices and broken bay leaf. Place some of the prepared slices on the bottom of the jar and cover them with the spicy mixture. Alternate ingredients until you run out. Pour boiling water into the jar so that the water level is about one centimeter above the lard.
Cover the dish with a clean plastic lid and go about your business. When the brine has cooled, remove the lard and dry it on paper towels. The appetizer can be served immediately, but it is better to place it in the freezer for at least half an hour.
In a slow cooker
You can also salt lard using a hot method using kitchen devices. For example, the above method with onion peels is also suitable for cooking in a slow cooker. Cut a kilogram of brisket so that the lard fits into the bowl. We wash two handfuls of onion peels. Place half of it on the bottom of the multicooker. Place pieces of lard and five bay leaves, crushed in the palms of your hands, onto the onion skin. Sprinkle the remaining husk on top. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan. Dissolve two hundred grams of salt and two tablespoons of sugar in it. Pour boiling water over lard with onion skins. Cover with a lid and set the “Extinguishing” mode for one hour. After the end of the program, let the lard marinate in brine overnight. After this, we take out pieces of sponder, rub it with garlic and spices passed through a press. Wrap in cling film and put in the refrigerator.
How to salt lard using a slow cooker
Surprisingly, modern kitchen appliances can help housewives even in this matter. We will tell you how to prepare hot salted lard in onion skins in a slow cooker.
Ingredients:
- one kilogram of lard with meat (brisket);
- 200 grams of salt;
- four or five bay leaves;
- two handfuls of husks;
- one liter of water;
- two tablespoons of sugar;
- ground black pepper;
- garlic to taste.
Hot salting of lard using a multicooker is easy and will not cause you any difficulties.
First, soak the husks in water for a few minutes, and then rinse them under running water. Scrape off the lard thoroughly and wash well. Don't forget to cut it into suitable size pieces.
Place part of the husk on the bottom of the bowl, place lard and bay leaf on it. Place the remaining husks on top of the food. Separately, boil one liter of water, and then dissolve salt and sugar in it. Pour brine over the lard and turn on the “Stew” mode for one hour.
Leave the cooled lard in the marinade overnight or eight hours. After this, the pieces need to be dried and rubbed with ground pepper mixed with chopped garlic. Wrap the snack in cling film and place it in the freezer for several hours. When the product has completely hardened, cut thin transparent slices and serve.
With mustard and onion skins
First we make the spice mixture. It consists of salt (5 tablespoons), Dijon grain mustard and ground black pepper (two tablespoons each), four cloves of garlic pressed through a press, and three cloves. Boil two liters of water. Pour the spice mixture into it, leaving a certain amount for rubbing later. Wash a kilogram of lard and cut it into bars. Add two hundred grams of onion peels and seven bay leaves to boiling water. We add lard. Cook it over low heat for two hours. Salting lard using a hot method is also beneficial because its shelf life increases, because all microbes die from such a long heat treatment. Then we take the bars out of the brine, dry them and rub them with the remaining spices. We pack each piece in foil or cling film. Place in the freezer for a day.
Hot salting of lard in adjika
The skin of five kilograms of product must first be cut off. Dip the lard into boiling water and boil for about fifteen minutes until foam appears. In a bowl, prepare a mixture of 500 g. coarse sea salt and 50 gr. ground black pepper. Cut the lard into large pieces. Rub them generously with spices. Don't be afraid to over-salt or make the dish too spicy. The lard absorbs as much salt and pepper as needed. Coarsely chop four to five cloves of garlic. Let's stuff them with lard bars. In a bowl, mix four tablespoons of mustard with grains and two of adjika. Coat the pieces of lard with this mixture. Place the bars in containers very tightly. Between them you can add lingonberries or cranberries. Pack securely with lids and refrigerate for five days. This hot-cured lard recipe is not suitable for bacon.
Dry method of making lard at home with garlic in a bag
You will need:
- 1 kg. – fresh lard
- 1 PC. – a large head of garlic
- 5-6 pcs. – bay leaves
- 2 tbsp. spoons – ground black pepper
- 2.5 tbsp. spoons – table salt
How to cook:
1. Wash the bacon, dry it, cut it into squares (preferably the same size), but cut only to the skin.
2. Grind the garlic through a press or garlic press, add salt, pepper, finely break the bay leaves, mix everything.
3. Coat each piece of lard well with the resulting garlic mass, wrap it in cling film or put it in a bag (just screw it very tightly), put it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours. That's all! Try it for your health!
Calorie content per 100 g. – about 797 kcal
Bon appetit!
Flavorful appetizer with garlic
This recipe suggests cutting the product into small pieces. Place them in a saucepan and fill them with filtered water at room temperature. The liquid should cover the lard by two centimeters. Bring the water in a saucepan to a boil, then cook over low heat for about five minutes. Remove the vessel from the stove. Add five heaped tablespoons of salt. Stir well until completely dissolved. Leave it like this for twelve hours. Thus, boiled lard in brine (hot) will make it soft and suitable for any teeth. After half a day, we take out the pieces and dry them with kitchen napkins. Chop five cloves of garlic and grind with a mixture of spices. You can use a ready-made composition of seasonings “For salting lard,” but nothing prevents us from preparing it ourselves. The main thing is that the mixture contains coriander, bay leaf, black and red pepper. The seasonings will become a little moist from rubbing with the garlic. You need to coat each piece with this mixture. After this, we put the lard in a tightly closed container or wrap it in foil or cling film. After three hours in the refrigerator, the snack is ready.
How to salt lard in a jar for the winter
Some housewives prefer to prepare all kinds of sweet preparations for the winter, for example, jams, compotes, and confitures. Some people prefer to prepare pickles and salads for the winter.
But all practical and thrifty housewives, without exception, like such homemade preparations as bacon in a jar. And this is not surprising, because homemade lard prepared in a jar can be used as a holiday or everyday snack.
In addition, from tender homemade bacon, cut into thin slices, as well as pieces of black bread, you can make amazing sandwiches that will instantly melt in your mouth.
To prepare such a homemade preparation, you need to use only the freshest lard of a delicate pink hue, and its skin must be thin.
At the same time, it is necessary to completely abandon old, stale, rather hard and stringy lard, which has a yellowish or gray tint.
To prepare homemade bacon in a jar, it is recommended to use the dry salting method, as it is considered the simplest.
You will need:
- Any spices for pickling - to taste
- 3-4 pcs. – bay leaves
- 2-3 pcs. – chopped garlic cloves
- 50 gr. – coarse salt
- 0.5 kg. – fresh lard with meat streaks
- 5-7 pcs. – black peppercorns
How to cook:
1. Cut fresh lard into large pieces, then rinse it thoroughly in clean cool water, dry completely, then prepare a bowl and pour coarse salt into it.
2. Roll several pieces of lard in salt on all sides, then transfer them to a jar of the required volume, evenly distribute some of the chopped garlic.
3. Add a few black peppercorns and one bay leaf, add seasoning for pickling lard.
4. Roll a few more pieces of bacon in salt, put them in a jar, add chopped garlic and one bay leaf, sprinkle with peppercorns.
5. Create layers in this way until all the components are gone, and there should still be a third of free space left in the jar.
6. Next, roll up a jar of lard and send it to a cellar or some other dark and fairly cold place.
Bon appetit!
Sponder in the oven
So far we have looked at how to make lard in brine using the hot method. But the culinary fantasy of the people does not end there. Bacon, that is, lard in which there is a layer of meat, will be very tasty if you bake it a little. To do this, cut a kilogram block into slices 1-2 centimeters thick, but not completely, but only to the skin. We ended up with something like a book with pages. Peel and finely chop four cloves of garlic. Combine one hundred grams of salt with your favorite spices. Generously rub the “pages” with this mixture. Wrap the bar in foil - tightly so that the fat does not leak out. Place the aluminum envelope on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. We bake the sponder for a quarter of an hour at 170-180 degrees. Then we cut the foil, unfold the edges and let it brown for about another five to ten minutes.
Another express method
Salting lard in a bag using a hot method allows you to get a tasty snack just a day after cooking. To do this, we need a dense, airtight polyethylene bag. Cut the lard into small cubes. Rub each with spices (ground black pepper and chopped bay leaf are a must). Boil a liter of water. Dissolve a glass of salt in it. Stir until completely dissolved. You can add a little cloves. Pour the hot, but not boiling, brine into the bag. Tie with a rubber band and leave to cool. When the liquid reaches room temperature, put the bag in the refrigerator.
Express method for salting lard
You can prepare a treat for the holiday table in another original way. This time we will use a regular plastic bag and a set of spices.
Cut a piece of lard into cubes, and then rub each with ground black pepper and chopped bay leaf. Dissolve a glass of coarse salt in a liter of boiling water. Place the lard in a tight bag and fill it with hot brine. Secure the package with a rubber band. When the liquid has cooled, place the lard in the refrigerator.
The next day you can try tender, aromatic pieces that will literally melt in your mouth. Be sure to serve them with hot borscht, bread, garlic and ground pepper.
