today is fat rendering day!

[AhBee01]

I cut all the meat and yuckys off the fat and put it in my roaster. I'm doing this in the garage, the smell is not so nice!!!
I hope it is going well, but sure is taking a long time! I guess I was expecting it to melt a little more, well, like lard!!!
Here is a few pics so far.
Next batch I will be sure to cut up into smaller pieces.

Here it is as I placed it in to start.

After an hour and a half!

 

[horsejody]

We have friend that butchers a lot of hogs and he puts the fat in one of the propane turkey cookers. It looks just like crisco when it's done, and it seems pretty easy.

 

[AhBee01]

it's not hard, just thought it would melt faster!
It has been since 1:00PM and it is only half way melted!
Brenda

 

[tackyrama]

Wow! Good for you! It's great to see some one making the most of things and not just throwing it away cuz it's too hard to do. What do you do with the home made lard?

We butchered chickens twice this year. After we were done with the first bunch we noticed they had a LOT of fat. We did a little research and found out rendered chicken fat is called schmaltz and was once used extensively in Europe for preserving meat and for cooking. Jewish people especially used it because it is condidered kosher for them. Well anyway the second batch we cut off a lot of the fat and then rendered it on the stove with onions. It keeps indefinatly and IS great for cooking, baking etc.

We plan on doing this from now on everytime we butcher chickens. From 7 fat chickens we rendered 1 pint of schmaltz. This summer we are going to raise some hogs. I will render lard from them and make home made soap to sell at our local farmers market.

 

[Wifezilla]

What do you do with the home made lard?

Use it for baking, frying, to make suet cakes for your birds....​

 

[AhBee01]

I will try it for baking and frying foods! It is still melting, it does take forever!
I still have to put it in jars, i was waiting for it all to melt, then put it in jars. Doesn't look like any cracklings in there though!

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

when we butchered our hogs we put it into crook pots and put them outside in the toolshed. It took awhile but it worked out fine.

 

[BeccaOH]

I just did some beef fat for suet bird cakes. I didn't realize it wouldn't all melt. DUH I let the oil go a bit long that I think it got a bit scorched. I ended up with some very dark cracklins. I went ahead and made the cakes and still have yet to test them on the birds.

 

[Wifezilla]

Cracklings.....yuuummmmmmmmmmmm

 

[AhBee01]

I think I too thought it would all melt, I left it over night, it was a bit darker, so I guess that it what I will fry things in!
I'm on my second batch and it is going better!
So far I have gotten 6 pints and 2 quarts!