Home-smoked lard has long been rooted as a family tradition. This is not just an appetizer, but a dish that brings everyone together at one table and makes each feast unique. Many people carry their recipes for pickling lard through generations and bequeath their secrets to their children and grandchildren. However, these grandmotherly wisdom can be diluted with fresh ideas that have matured in other heads and have been tested in many kitchens. Variety on the table is the key to interest in the feast and close communication with close people. Therefore, join us and complement the selection with your own recipes for marinades for smoking lard!
Ukrainian
Ukraine is considered the historical birthplace of lard. Many travelers associate the country with this dish. And for good reason! There you can get a lot of ideas for preparing delicious smoked meats. The composition of the brine for hot smoking includes (per 1 liter of water):
- Bay leaf - 3 pieces;
- Onions - 0.5 bulbs;
- Garlic - 5 cloves;
- Peppercorns - 10 g;
- Salt - 2 tablespoons;
- Black pepper, red pepper - 10 g each;
- Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon.
Spices need to be crushed and poured into boiling water, add flattened garlic, chopped onion (in half rings), a spoonful of tomato paste and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Cool to room temperature. The lard should spend 15 hours in it in a cold place. After this, put the pan on the fire and cook the contents for 20-25 minutes. Dry the resulting lard and send it to be hot smoked. Here is a description of the process with photos.
Recipe No. 1 Marinade for smoking lard
This, one might say, is one of the classic marinade recipes for smoking lard. For preparation you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 liters of water;
- 200 gr. coarse salt;
- a few hot peppercorns;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 2 cloves;
- cumin - to taste, but better with a pinch of knife.
First you need to prepare a brine solution, which should be very saturated. Boil 2 liters of water on the stove and mix with salt. The saturation of the solution can be checked as follows: immerse a small chicken egg in the saline solution. If the egg floats to the surface, then there is enough salt.
So, put the brine solution on the fire, bring it to a boil and add all the previously prepared spices to it. Make sure that the solution continues to boil all this time, leave it on the stove for 8-10 minutes, and then remove from the heat. While the brine is cooling, prepare the lard. Rinse a piece of lard under cold water, and when the brine has cooled, put the lard in it. The saucepan with the marinade does not need to be put in the refrigerator; It will be enough to leave the lard in a draft or simply in a well-ventilated place, for example, on a balcony or veranda.
You need to marinate the lard for smoking in the marinade for a day. After a day, remove the lard from the marinade, dry it thoroughly and you can send it to smoke. Bon appetit!
Classical
There is a fail-safe combination of spices that your household and guests will enjoy in any case. This is a traditional brine for smoking lard without exotic ingredients or expensive additives. Everything is strictly within the framework of ancient traditions. So, for 1 liter of water we need...
- 100 grams of coarse salt;
- 7 black peppercorns;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 2 pieces of allspice;
- 2 teaspoons sugar;
- 3 cloves of garlic.
Throw all ingredients into boiling water. Cut the garlic into small pieces and add to the mixture. If desired, you can stuff it with lard. Boil the brine for 5 minutes, cool, put lard in it, place pressure on top and store in a cold place for 5 days. This method is good for cold smoking, in which the lard will be stored much longer. This is the essence of the method.
By the way, experts recommend dry salting lard, which is described in detail here.
Recipe No. 3 Marinade for smoked lard with onion skins
Onion peels, together with the main ingredients for preparing the marinade, will ultimately give the finished dish a delicate, golden-brown hue, and also flavor it with a slightly noticeable smell.
To prepare the marinade according to this recipe, you will need the following components:
- lard (can be with or without meat) – 2 kg;
- 1.5 liters of water;
- 3 handfuls of onion peels;
- 120 gr. coarse salt;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
- 6 small cloves of garlic;
- black peppercorns - to taste.
Cooking method:
Lightly freeze the lard, then rinse it well under cold water and cut into large pieces.
Pour 1.5 liters of water into a separate saucepan, then put on low heat and wait until the water boils. Immediately after boiling, reduce the heat (but so that the brine continues to boil), add spices, simmer for 10 minutes, and then add onion peels.
You need to cook the marinade for another 5 minutes, then add the prepared pieces of lard and cook for another 10 minutes over low heat. After 10 minutes, remove the marinade from the heat and leave to cool (do not remove the lard). Immediately after the marinade temperature reaches room temperature, cover the saucepan with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day. After a day, remove the lard from the refrigerator and you can start smoking. You should immediately clarify: this marinade recipe is more suitable for cold smoked lard.
Lard smoked after soaking in such a marinade will turn out tender, dense (but not hard) and very tasty. Bon appetit!
Brine
A distinctive feature of this brine is the traditional method of determining the proportions of salt: you need to throw an egg into a pan with warm water and add salt (stirring) until the egg floats from the bottom. Don't be afraid to overdo it: lard picks up just the right amount of salt; it can't be oversalted. Why can't a single measure of salt be established for this marinade? Because it comes in different quality. The same amount in practice gives different results.
To this salted water add 10 black peppercorns, 4 allspice peas, 3 bay leaves. You can also add a mixture of red and pink peppers (30 grams) and 0.5 heads of garlic (it must be crushed in a garlic press). All this for 1 liter of water. To make the marinade seep out better, make cuts in the pieces of lard.
By the way, 10 more recipes for hot smoked brines can be found in this collection.
Useful tips for salting
Experienced chefs believe that salting lard is the most important process that affects the further taste of the resulting dish. But there are some features in obtaining the desired result, and they lie in balanced spices and the required amount of salt.
You shouldn’t skimp on salt, but you also shouldn’t over-salt the product. The only exception is the recipe with soy sauce, in which the salt consumption will be minimal.
And no matter what pickling method or recipe you prefer, don’t forget to add a few grinds of black pepper. Its spicy aroma will never spoil the taste, and you will know all the secrets of how to prepare and serve this popular dish in an original way.
All other seasonings and spices are best used in crushed form. And by following all the simple rules, the cook and his guests are guaranteed to enjoy the rich taste.
Mixed Ambassador
Brine for salting lard before smoking can replace mixed salting. This is an effective technique that uses different approaches to marinating bacon. For 2.5 kg of lard we will need:
- 2 teaspoons black pepper;
- 2 teaspoons mustard;
- 0.5 heads of garlic;
- 4 bay leaves.
The garlic needs to be ground to a porridge state. Grind mustard, bay leaf and pepper into powder. All this needs to be thoroughly grated with lard and left in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Then you need to boil water and dissolve salt in it (80 g per 1 liter of water). Immerse the bacon in the cooled brine for 5 days.
How to prepare lard for smoking is described in detail in the brief instructions.
How to store lard correctly
There are two ways to prepare smoked bacon: cold and hot. Cold smoke processes the product at home for at least 5 days. The cooking time for hot smoking is much shorter.
Hot smoking is the processing of a product with hot smoke, which takes little time. For these purposes, use a special smokehouse or a homemade one.
Whatever the smokehouse, smoked bacon will be very tasty. As soon as the semi-finished product has been pickled or salted, we proceed to hot smoking:
- We wash the pickled raw materials and use paper towels to dry them completely.
- Distribute the wood chips on the bottom of the smokehouse in an even layer.
- It is very important to install a drip tray for draining grease. Otherwise, the taste of the smoked product will be spoiled by bitter smoke.
- Place the pieces of lard on the grill, keeping a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other so that the smoke smokes each of their sides equally.
- During the heat treatment, keep the temperature in the device at 50-60 degrees. These are the most favorable conditions. High temperature will cause the smoked meat to fry, all the juice will leak out, resulting in a tough dish.
- Hot smoking lard at home does not take much time.
Upon completion of hot smoke processing, the smoked meats are not removed until the device has completely cooled. Then the finished smoked lard is hung out in the fresh air for several hours to get rid of the pungent odor.
Choosing wood chips
To create smoked lard with your own hands, you need wood chips from an alder or fruit tree.
You will certainly feel the incredible fruity aroma of the smoke. Coniferous and birch wood will not work in our case. They contain a high resin content, which is why smoked products will be tasteless and smell unpleasant.
To add piquancy and a special taste to a home-made smoked dish, add a few juniper branches to the wood.
Make your choice in favor of small chips. This way the smoldering will take place efficiently, which will have a positive effect on the smoke.
To ensure there is enough smoke, before starting smoking, the sawdust is sprayed with a little water. Since dry wood chips will immediately burst into flames without producing smoke. It is important not to overdo it or make the sawdust too wet. Soot may form, which will settle both on the walls of the smokehouse and on the lard.
Smoking time
Hot smoked lard does not take long to prepare at home. You can enjoy lard in 40-120 minutes. It is impossible to determine the exact time; the determining factor is the size of the raw material.
It is important to monitor the temperature during the cooking process. It should not be extremely high or low. Otherwise, there will be no desired result.
The degree of readiness can be determined by its appearance: if a golden-brown crust appears, the product is ready to eat.
Spicy
Many people love spicy and fragrant lard - one that will definitely not be forgotten among other meals. It makes an excellent snack. To prepare it, you need a rich brine for smoking lard with spices. For 1 liter of water you will need:
- Sea salt - 80 grams;
- Black pepper - 20 grams;
- Crushed garlic - 100 grams;
- Bay leaf - 5 pieces;
- Cumin - 10 grams;
- Cardamom and marjoram - 15 grams each.
This smoking brine recipe can be used in two variations. The first involves mixed salting: we rub the bacon with a mixture of spices, keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours, and then prepare the brine and immerse it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The second method is no less interesting: mix all the seasonings in boiling water, cool and drown the lard in it. He will have to simmer for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. More information about smoking lard is written in the brief instructions.
Selection rules
The first step is to choose the right product to smoke. The following will help you determine quality lard:
- its color;
- smell;
- skin
The quality indicator is the snow-white shade of the raw material. A slight pinkish tint is acceptable. Grayish color and yellowness are a sign that this is an old product.
Another point is the skin. The base for cold smoking or hot smoking is soft. This indicator determines the duration of salting in time and the saturation of the prepared brine. It is recommended to avoid choosing raw materials with skins covered with a lot of dirt or bristles.
You should not buy a workpiece with a slippery surface. This is a spoiled version, as with a whitish film or mold.
A product with a neutral odor, without foreign impurities, is suitable for cooking bacon in a smokehouse. Experienced smokers prefer raw materials that do not have any distinct odors at all.
The part that is located in the pig's chest and abdomen is good for smoking lard at home. Here the pieces are tender, soft, juicy. They have thin layers. Meat is also important, since many eaters prefer to cook brisket for themselves. To make it tasty, the thickness of the piece should vary between 4-6 cm. But too bulky preparations are not needed. They won't smoke well.
Note! It is suggested to determine the freshness and softness of raw materials using a match. If, after lightly pressing the lard for hot smoking in a smokehouse or using cold technology, it easily leaves a puncture, you can take it!
Soy
Recently, soy sauce has gained popularity among smoked meat lovers. You can add it to the brine, and the result will not disappoint you. For 1 liter of water we will need:
- 100 ml soy sauce;
- 4 cloves of minced garlic;
- Cumin - 15 grams;
- Black pepper - 20 grams;
- Salt - 50 grams.
All this (except salt) needs to be crushed. You need to grate the bacon with the finished mixture. Then you need to boil water with salt and cool it. A piece rubbed with spices and kept for 3 hours should be immersed in a jar, filled with marinade and refrigerated for 3 days.
By the way, if you have problems with your smokehouse, no problem! Here are three ways to make smoked bacon without a smoker.
Layered cake
Lard can be salted in layers in a very original way and filled with brine. This option is especially convenient if you plan to salt a lot of bacon at once. For 2 kg of lard we will need the following list:
- Coarse salt - 100 grams;
- Black peppercorns - 20 grams;
- Allspice peas - 10 grams;
- Khmeli-suneli - 20 grams;
- Paprika (for color) - 30 grams;
- Bay leaf - 6 sheets.
The brine recipe for smoking lard is simple. Mix the spices. We fill one container with 1 layer. Then spread a layer of lard. We actively sprinkle it with the mixture. We stick to this order until the very end. All this needs to be filled with brine at room temperature: 80 grams of coarse salt per 1 liter of water. We remove the lard for 3 days in a cold place.
How long to smoke lard in a hot smoked smokehouse
The smoking time of lard in a hot smoked smokehouse is affected by
- sizes of pieces;
- salting duration.
The larger the piece, the longer it will take to cook! A sign of readiness is a golden brown crust and a dry surface of the product.
Boiled bacon is cooked for 30 minutes at a temperature of 50-60ºС (over coals or medium heat).
Hot smoking salted lard in a smokehouse will require more time. The temperature should initially be above 80ºC. After 15-20 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and leave the product for at least another 30 minutes, and if the pieces are large, then for 1 hour.
Helpful advice! Watch the color of the smoke.
While the food is being smoked, you should not open the smokehouse. To make sure the process is proceeding correctly, keep an eye on the smoke. It should be thick at first as the moisture evaporates. Then, when the food dries, the smoke will turn white. This is the "correct" color.
Yellow or brown smoke is a sign that food is burning. You need to reduce the heat. If the wood chips catch fire, fill the fireplace with new sawdust. The wood chips should only smolder.
When the fat actively melts and gets on the wood chips, the smokehouse begins to smoke. To prevent this from happening, do not heat the lard for too long or too much. And don't forget to use a grease tray!
