Lard can be treated differently, but in our country, for the majority of the population, this product can rightfully be called national. It can be served equally well on a holiday table, it always looks appropriate at a picnic, and it is often consumed during the lunch break. The versatility of lard can also be seen in the innumerable ways of preparing it, among which smoking will always be at the forefront. And so that this aromatic and tasty product appears in your refrigerator. It is not at all necessary to run to the nearest grocery store - you can easily prepare aromatic smoked lard yourself.
How to choose lard
You can use the old-fashioned method - measure the thickness of the piece you like. Without a ruler or tape measure, the optimal thickness is considered to be three fingers, which is approximately 4 centimeters. The presence of a meat layer is desirable - it diversifies the taste of smoked meat, but many prefer lard in its pristine snow-white form.
Selection of lard for smoking
As for the carcass part, the lard taken from the belly or brisket has the best taste.
Age matters too. Old pork has a thicker and coarser skin, and for a smoked product it must be soft - otherwise the fat will not be salted as well as needed.
The freshness of a product can be determined by its color. Fresh lard is snow-white; the yellower it is, the older it is. A stale product will have a slippery surface, and if you notice white mold, you can safely put such a seller on your blacklist.
Choosing lard for smoking.
The easiest way to choose the thickness of the lard is three fingers, and at least 4 cm. It is best if there is a meat layer in the lard. But everyone has different tastes, so it’s possible without a layer.
We take lard either from the sternum or from the belly. In this case, the pieces should not be large. If the piece is large, it will be a bit dry.
good pieces
Experts recommend paying attention to the skin when selecting a piece for hot or cold smoking. It must be soft so that it is well salted. There should be no dirt or stubble on top.
As for the color, it can be different, it depends on the processing method. The product itself must be extremely fresh. High-quality lard has a snow-white hue. If it is yellowish, it means the pork is old. A slippery surface and white mold indicate that the product is damaged. You should not save money and buy a product of dubious quality.
What is the best way to smoke lard?
Liquid smoke is for the laziest. We will, of course, consider this smoking option, but it is better to use the classic method with a smokehouse, not necessarily a factory-made one.
As for wood chips, the smoke of fruit trees has a pleasant aroma - cherry, plum, pear, apple tree; alder wood chips are also common. Birch is not suitable for smoking - you will get a product with a pronounced tar taste. Moreover, you should not use pine chips - they add bitterness to the smoke.
Wood chips for smoking lard
You can diversify the taste and aroma of smoked lard as follows:
- adding a branch of grapes or juniper to the wood chips, the latter can also be with berries;
- Aromatic herbs such as mint, sage or laurel, added to sawdust in dry form, will also not be superfluous;
- a small amount of birch without bark is used to give the smoked flavor a beautiful shade;
- For the same purpose, oak, beech, and aspen are added to the wood chips.
It is important that the wood chips are not large - they will smolder less evenly and produce less high-quality smoke.
Wood chips of different types and fractions are sold in stores, but it is advisable to use a fresh product, cutting logs into squares no larger than 2x2 cm in size. Fresh wood chips are guaranteed not to be dry, but if you only have the opportunity to use the store-bought version, do not forget to soak it before use. But don’t overdo it - wood that is too wet when smoldering releases a lot of soot, and we don’t need it when smoking.
What color the initially snow-white product will acquire depends on the type of wood chips used. Dark yellow will come from alder and beech chips, light yellow from fruit wood, and a golden hue will come from red wood.
Selection of smoking material.
Still, I don’t recommend using liquid smoke, it’s such a caustic thing that it becomes scary. It is better to use natural products. And we’ll figure out which ones right now.
A recognized classic is sawdust from deciduous trees, namely pear, apple, plum, and cherry. Alder chips are also good for lard. Pine, spruce and birch are not recommended. Conifers will give a bitter taste and an unappetizing appearance, while birch will “reward” with a tarry taste.
Coniferous species were not always treated this way. In Tsarist Russia, it was these sawdusts that were used for smoking, as well as cones. This is how we learned to avoid the disadvantages of pine smoke: food was wrapped in several layers of gauze. In France, smoking with pine sawdust is considered a special delicacy.
Techniques for flavor diversity and piquancy of smoked lard:
- A branch of juniper with berries, branches of grapes - an exquisite aroma for lard.
- Any aromatic herb or dry plant (laurel, nettle, mint, sage leaves) will “color” the lard with its characteristic taste.
- Birch without bark, in small quantities, will give a beautiful color.
- Aspen, beech, and oak do not give off flavors, but they give good color.
Chips for smoking, and this is the form in which wood is used for cooking, must be small, then the smoldering process is better, which means the lard gets the right smoke. Suitable:
- Woodchips. These are small “cubes” of wood. It’s not difficult to make them: chop the log into logs, then chop them into squares measuring 2x2 cm, but no larger.
- Wood shavings and large sawdust. You can use waste from the wood processing industry, but you need to know what kind of wood was cut.
- Small branches of fruit trees. Cut fresh branches from the garden using pruning shears or a handsaw.
Any smoking material is sold in stores, but the lard will be aromatic if you use freshly cut tree branches or pre-prepared logs.
oh and beautiful smoked lard
Recommendations that the material should be well dried are not entirely correct. Dry sawdust will ignite instantly and will not produce smoke at all. This does not depend on the type of wood. You can achieve the required humidity by sprinkling water on the fire as soon as it starts to burn. Small fresh branches or pre-soaked wood chips will help support smoke formation. Very damp, wet material is also bad - it produces a lot of soot, which settles on the walls of the smokehouse and lard.
Advice! The natural color of lard is white, but what it will become after smoking directly depends on the color of the wood. Beech and alder give dark yellow, other deciduous trees give light yellow. The golden color is obtained after treatment with smoke from red wood.
Salting methods
Salting or marinating is a mandatory step in smoking any meat, but lard is prepared in the same way. There are two options for pre-processing the product: dry salting and pickling.
The first method is considered classic, it is simple and does not require the use of a large number of ingredients and operations. Soaking in the marinade will allow the lard to be soaked more efficiently and evenly.
Let's look at the most common recipes for salting lard before smoking.
Dry pickling
No liquid is used here; the lard is rubbed with a mixture of salt and spices. It is better to cut the lard into relatively small pieces, so it will be salted much faster.
Dry salting of lard
The recipe is quite simple: first rub the lard with garlic, and then with salt mixed with your favorite spices, place the product in a high container, apply heavy pressure and send it to the cellar/refrigerator for a couple of days. Excess undissolved salt must be washed off and the product dried with paper towels.
Before salting, it is recommended to soak the lard for several hours. This procedure will allow the product to absorb spices faster and better. After soaking, be sure to dry the pieces.
You can add any spices, but in moderation.
Salting in marinade
The advantages of this method are faster salting of lard. In addition, it will be saturated with spices better and more evenly.
Marinating lard
To prepare the marinade (brine) for smoking lard, we will need the following ingredients (per liter of water):
- 150 g salt, preferably coarse salt;
- 2-3 bay leaves;
- a head of medium-sized garlic;
- a mixture of spices, seasonings and dry herbs to taste.
The process of marinating lard for smoking is simple: fill a pan with the required volume of water (depending on the amount of the original product), boil it, and add the appropriate amount of salt. After complete dissolution, you can add spices with finely chopped garlic. After 5 minutes of cooking, remove the marinade from the heat, cool, pour it over pieces of lard previously pierced with a skewer, press down with pressure and place in a cool place for three days.
Quick salting
You can also prepare lard for smoking using the express method. To do this, you need to dry it and stuff the portioned pieces with garlic. To salt lard, prepare a mixture of coarse salt and ground pepper, apply it liberally to each piece, place a layer of the mixture on the bottom of the container, then place the lard and place in the refrigerator for half a day.
Quick salting of lard
Despite the speed of salting, the finished smoked product will not be inferior in taste to lard pickled in the classic recipe.
Smoking process
Let's not forget - it is hot smoking of lard that is being considered; with the cold method everything is different.
- Sawdust or wood chips are poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. The quantity depends on the volume of the smokehouse: for a small bucket a couple of handfuls are enough, for a barrel you need up to one liter.
- A grease tray is installed above the sawdust. The temperature in the smokehouse will be around 90-100 degrees, and fat will drip from the lard. So that it does not fall on the hot bottom and does not give off burnt aromas, it is collected in such a tray.
- Pre-prepared pieces of lard are placed above the pan. They can be laid out on a grid, or hung inside on hooks. Make sure that there is space between the pieces to allow free circulation of smoke.
- The smokehouse is covered with a lid or a piece of burlap so that the smoke remains inside longer.
- Light a fire under the smokehouse. This can be a simple fire if a makeshift smokehouse is used, or a gas stove (any other heater) if a factory-made device is used.
- Is it necessary to somehow regulate the fire (and therefore the temperature inside the smokehouse) during the smoking process? There is no clear answer. The general recommendation is the same everywhere - the temperature inside should be about 80-90 degrees.
- Smoking lasts anywhere from 40 minutes to one hour, and this usually depends on your specific smoker. You may have to conduct several experiments to find out your personal recipe - which mode produces the best result.
- After the process is completed, recommendations are also different. Someone advises to immediately open the smokehouse and get even hot lard. Some people, on the contrary, prefer to leave it closed for several hours so that it cools down - the smoking process will continue for some time. This is also determined experimentally.
Drying, tying lard
If you used a liquid marinade for salting, the lard must be dried before smoking, otherwise it will have a sour taste. Drying can be done in two ways: by placing the pieces on paper napkins for 1 hour or by hanging them in a well-ventilated area or in the fresh air for about the same time.
Drying lard in a ventilated place
Tying the lard is not necessary, but if you cook large pieces and hang them on hooks, this operation will allow you to place the product more tightly in the smokehouse. However, in stores there are special smoking nets for sale - you stretch them over the lard and there is no hassle with string.
Smokehouse
Hot smoking of lard at home can be done in industrially manufactured smokehouses, or you can build such a device with your own hands.
If you need to quickly smoke just a couple of pieces, then an old bucket, pan or any similar container is perfect. It will require a couple of handfuls of sawdust for smoking and some kind of grate. You can take any suitable size - for example, ready-made from an air fryer, or a piece of construction mesh. You can even just chop branches and insert them into a bucket. Such a homemade smokehouse can be made in literally minutes, but it copes with the task quite well.
If you plan to smoke food regularly, then it is better to make a smokehouse from a barrel, the body of an old washing machine or an iron cabinet. There is a detailed article about this on the site.
Hot smoking of lard
The best results are achieved when using a smokehouse, but you can prepare delicious smoked lard without it, on the stove, in the oven, in a convection oven or in a slow cooker.
Let's look at the most popular methods step by step.
How to smoke lard in a smokehouse
A smokehouse is a special device that has a fuel compartment and a smoking compartment. Cherry or plum chips are used as a smoke generator; an excellent aroma comes from alder chips. All this can be purchased in the store. Before placing in the smokehouse, the wood chips should be sprinkled with water.
Lard in a hot smoked smokehouse
Pickled and dried lard is placed in the smoking compartment (on a grate or hanging on hooks) so that there is a distance of at least a centimeter between the pieces.
Add wood chips and set the smokehouse on fire. When the wood chips begin to smolder and release smoke, turn down the heat so that the temperature inside the smokehouse is kept within 50-65°C.
When smoking meat, it is recommended to use higher temperatures, but this is unacceptable for lard, otherwise it will begin to fry, lose fat and turn out dry and tasteless. In terms of time, hot smoked lard needs to be smoked for 50-60 minutes.
How to smoke lard on the stove
No smokehouse? No problem, don’t rush to run to the store. Now you will learn a recipe for how to smoke lard using the hot method at home on a kitchen stove.
Smoking lard on the stove
To do this, you will need a capacious cauldron, on the bottom of which food foil is placed in several balls, and several handfuls of wood chips are poured on top.
You will also need a grate with such a diameter that it fits in the upper part of the cauldron - it is on this that we place our pickled lard. Hanging it on hooks will not work, since the cauldron must be closed with a lid when smoking.
We put the dishes on a small fire and wait until the wood chips warm up to the smoldering temperature and white smoke does not start coming out of it. From this moment we note the cooking time, which will be 40 minutes when smoking large pieces, and 5-10 minutes less when smoking small pieces.
Smoke lard in the oven
Here is a popular recipe for hot smoking lard in the oven if you don’t have a smokehouse. Here you can accurately set the desired temperature, so that the process will be controlled and of higher quality.
Smoked lard from the oven
Instead of a cauldron for wood chips, we will use a baking sheet, the bottom of which is also covered with foil. Pour in sawdust, distributing it evenly over the entire area, and place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven. Place the lard on a wire rack and place it in the upper part of the oven. The operating temperature is the same, but after half an hour of smoking, 10 minutes before the product is completely ready, we increase the temperature to 100-120°C to get an appetizing golden brown crust.
The only drawback of this method is that the oven will become so smoked that it will be quite difficult to completely remove the specific aroma.
Which lard to choose for smoking
It is best to use a cut-out brisket. A layer of meat will make the appetizer even tastier. The optimal thickness of the piece is from 3 to 5 cm. You should not take it too large, as the lard will turn out to be dry. In order for it to cook evenly, it must be cut into slices 5-7 cm wide. But, before smoking the lard in a hot smokehouse, it must be marinated. This can be done dry or wet.
Dry salting of lard for smoking
The lard must be washed and dried with paper napkins.
Afterwards, cut into square or rectangular pieces of approximately the same size. For every kilogram of fresh product, use 6 tablespoons of salt + 4-5 bay leaves and a couple of heads of garlic. Additionally, you can use a mixture of peppers, paprika or dry coriander. Mix the spices thoroughly and rub each piece with them on different sides. Then transfer the product into a deep saucepan with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for 7-8 days. Afterwards, remove excess salt and spices from the lard, rinse and dry. As a result, smoked lard in a hot smoked smokehouse will be quite dense and moderately spicy.
Pickling
This method will allow the seasonings to be distributed more evenly and soak the lard well. Place the prepared pieces into a container with high sides. At the same time, prepare the brine. Pour just enough water into the pan to completely cover the lard. When the liquid is warm, add salt and stir continuously until the crystals dissolve. The amount of water is individual.
To avoid mistakes with salt, you can do a simple test: immerse a hard-boiled egg in brine. If it floats to the surface, there is enough salt.
To enhance the taste, you can add cloves, allspice, bay leaves, and chopped garlic. Do not over-salt the marinade. In this case, the meat will become tough, and the lard itself will not absorb the wonderful taste and aroma of spices.
You only need to marinate lard in an enamel container under pressure. 5-7 days is enough.
To significantly reduce the salting time, you need to boil the lard in the marinade (about 2.5 hours). The liquid should not boil too much. After this, the pieces need to be cooled and dried.
Smoking lard at home using the cold method
This is a more labor-intensive and time-consuming method of preparing a smoked delicacy, but its taste and aroma will be completely different, more refined.
Cold smoked lard
You can choose any method of marinating, but for smoking in the “correct” way you will need a special smokehouse, which differs from the usual one by the presence of a smoke generator - a separate chamber for fuel, which is connected to the smoking compartment using a hose or pipe.
The operating temperature is quite low - no higher than 40°C. How long to smoke lard using the cold smoking method largely depends on the size of the pieces and the maintained temperature; the minimum period is 8 hours, the optimal period is about a day at a lower temperature.
The finished lard should be hung in the fresh air for ventilation for 20-24 hours, while the amazing aroma will be distributed throughout the thickness of the delicacy more evenly and deeply.
Which wood is best
Before smoking lard in hot smokehouses, you need to take care of the wood chips. Experienced owners advise choosing wood from fruit trees (plum, pear, cherry). An excellent result can be obtained from a mixture of beech and alder.
To prevent smoked meats from becoming bitter, do not use too much wood chips. The optimal option is 200 g.
It is strictly not recommended to use coniferous wood. The only exception is juniper. Its wood and dried berries can be mixed with wood chips from other trees for a richer aroma. The choice of wood depends entirely on the personal preferences of the owners: some people like astringency, while others are not afraid of a slight bitterness.
Boiled smoked lard
Many people prefer this particular smoking option, in which the lard will be softer and more tender - so much so that it can be eaten with the skin on.
For 2 kg. fresh lard will require 650 g of salt, 125 ml. liquid smoke, 1 kg. onions and 2 liters of water.
Cooking smoked lard in onion skins
How to smoke lard correctly using this method:
- We remove the husks from the bulbs - we only need them, put them on the bottom of a large cauldron, after rinsing them with running water. If you have ready-made husks, you can use that too, you will need about three handfuls;
- Place the lard cut into portions on the onion peel;
- sprinkle it with salt, cover the top with the remaining husks, fill it with water, and light a medium-high fire. When the water boils, we carefully begin to stir it clockwise, trying not to get the husks caught with the lard - there we will quickly achieve complete dissolution of the salt. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes. If you want the smoked meat to be softer, increase the cooking time to 10 minutes, but no more;
- turn off the heat, let the lard cool a little, pour liquid smoke into the container, mix thoroughly, transfer the lard skin side up. Cover the dish with a lid and place in a cool place for 10-12 hours. It is best to prepare the delicacy in the evening, then by morning the lard will have time to infuse and get a stunning aroma;
- Place the pieces on a wide dish and let the excess brine drain off.
Home-made boiled-smoked lard can be served as an appetizer and used to make canapés and sandwiches.
Benefit or harm from smoked lard?
Now for many readers there will be a little unpleasant news, not in favor of smoked lard. The fact is that if raw, pickled lard is useful in many respects, then smoked lard is definitely harmful to the body.
The thing is that at temperature many useful substances are lost and harmful ones accumulate. Apart from the pleasant taste, there is nothing useful left. The only exception is cold smoking. And yet, harmful substances still accumulate.
In addition, such a product is difficult for the body to digest. Lard is already hard to digest, and smoked lard is even harder. But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t eat it at all?
Of course not, otherwise we will have to give up smoked sausage, and all types of fried meat products. In any case, if you have a strong stomach and there are no contraindications, then smoked lard can be consumed at home in small quantities.
Again, do not overuse it, and try not to use chemical liquid, the harm will be even greater.
How and for how long to store smoked lard
Despite salting and long-term cooking, smoked lard is a perishable product, so it should only be stored in the refrigerator or cellar. Preferably wrapped in food parchment, film or paper.
Smoked lard in food paper
Without negative consequences, a cold smoked product can be stored for 2-3 weeks; for hot smoked lard, the maximum shelf life is 5-7 days.
Unlike smoked meat, lard can be frozen without any special consequences, increasing the storage time to several months.
Lard smoked in any way has a delicate taste and pleasant aroma; this dish can be a decoration for a festive or everyday table.
Simple salting technology
Preparing lard for hot smoking is not as difficult as it seems. For this purpose, recipes that have already been tested are provided. The main thing that is required of a beginner is to follow the step-by-step algorithm. If everything is done correctly, then a deliciously prepared dish as a result of the activity is guaranteed.
If you become the happy owner of a small piece of bacon, then it is best to send it to the smokehouse. To do this, you do not need to buy special ingredients, since you can marinate lard for hot smoking using affordable means.
- Sprinkle salt in a 1 cm layer on a flat horizontal surface, for example, on a table. If desired, you can add a little black pepper to it.
- Then each piece is dipped in the mixture so that there are no untreated areas left, then placed in some kind of vessel. This method can be used to salt not only lard, but also meat, so the recipe does not depend on the type of bacon.
- To make the salting go relatively quickly, it is recommended to put pressure on top of the pieces. It promotes the intensive release of moisture, which, when mixed with spices, forms a brine.
- If for cold smoking it takes several days to prepare lard by simply salting, then for hot smoking it takes one day.
Even at the preliminary stage, you can see with your own eyes all the delights of the method in question. Before sending the lard to the smokehouse, it is necessary to remove the salt from the surface of the pieces. They should be wiped with napkins or soaked in water. After soaking, the pieces should be ventilated in a draft for 15-20 minutes.
