How to deliciously pickle lard at home

Well, what Russian feast can do without a thin piece of fragrant and juicy bacon? And also for boiled potatoes with butter, a green onion, pickles, pink salmon and a little glass of white ... Until you begin to intensify salivation, let's talk about lard.

Salo is a unique product that contains a huge amount of fatty acids, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. Salo is a healthy and tasty snack, without which in many Slavic houses not a single holiday is complete. In ancient times, fat was considered the food of poor people. Well-off people could afford to buy expensive pork meat, and all the fat went to those who were not so rich. Over time, the poor began to notice - the eaten fat gave a lot of energy. Even a small piece of this product provided a person with endurance and long-term performance.

Today, fat is taken on long hikes; athletes, tourists and astronauts eat it. Salted lard can be stored without a refrigerator and not deteriorate, a small amount of this product can feed a large number of people. And most importantly, fat gives energy for more than 4 hours. Having eaten a bacon sandwich, you will not remember about food until the next meal.

Today, the range of fat in the markets and in stores is very wide. You can buy salted, smoked, fried, stewed and boiled lard. However, the most delicious, valuable and nutritious product is the one that you cook with your own hands. So, before salt, you need to buy it.

How to choose salting for salting

Go to the market or supermarket to choose the most delicious and freshest piece of lard, following our tips.

1. Fat from one pig can be different in density. For example, lard from the neck and head has the hardest structure, it is most suitable for baking. Hams, on the contrary, have a very soft and porous fat, which is best used for minced meat. But the loin and the peritoneum - this is exactly the fat that we need. It has a delicate taste and a suitable density for salting.
2. It is better to buy lard with skin, that is, unpeeled. Scientists have proved that the most useful slices of fat are a layer under the skin about three centimeters thick.
3. A piece of fat should be homogeneous, sufficiently elastic, without a pungent odor.
4. The most delicious fat from females, not from males.
5. The lard should be whitish or pinkish in color, without yellow shades and interspersed. If the fat is yellow, it means that it is old. By the way, it is old pieces of fat that are salted and sprinkled with plenty of spices. When preparing a delicacy yourself, you yourself control which fat is used for salting.
6. To choose a good fat, ask the seller to pierce it with a knife. High-quality fat will pierce immediately, it is elastic, the cut will be clear and even. The old fat will crumple, it will not be pierced immediately, after compression it will return to its shape for a long time.
7. Quite often, lard smells of urea, and this smell is quite persistent. Sometimes it is not noticeable when buying, but is felt only after making bacon. To pre-check the fat for smell, you need to cut off a piece of fat and heat it on a burning match or lighter. Lard with a smell immediately manifests itself when melted.
8. A bit about streaks of meat in fat. If the pig was fed in a natural way, without growth hormones and extraneous additives, there will be no streaks in fat.In addition, microorganisms and bacteria can multiply in raw meat, while they are practically absent in fat. To avoid food poisoning and choose a healthier product, you need to buy pure lard, without meat layers. Or with a minimum of them. If you prefer lard with pieces of meat, you will need to heat it.
9. Check lard for streaks and particulate matter. On the reverse side, stick a match in the bacon. If the lard is tender and soft, the match will come in with ease. If it is solid, tough and streaked, the match will enter the fat in fits and starts.
10. And be sure to check for the stigma on the skin of the pig. Only this seal will tell you that the carcass has passed laboratory tests and is safe to eat.

Classic Salted Salad Recipe

So, consider the simplest and most common recipe for salting.

1. If you bought a large piece of fat, you need to cut it with medium cubes 5-6 cm wide.
2. After that, on each bar it is necessary to make transverse cuts so as not to cut the fat completely. This is done so that the delicacy is completely salted.
3. Roll each piece of bacon with plenty of salt. Do not shake off salt, fat will take in as much as you need.
4. Mix in a bowl 2 parts black ground pepper and one part red hot pepper. After the lard has been rolled in salt, dip it in the cooked pepper mixture.
5. Place garlic cloves cut into plates between the incisions.
6. After that, wrap the lard with cling film and place in the refrigerator. After 4-5 days, it is ready for use.
7. When the lard is salted, for long-term storage it needs to be cleaned of salt and pepper and wrapped in a clean cloth. After that, put the tissue bag in the bag and in the refrigerator. Thus, lard can be stored for a long time - up to two months. If salt for future use in large quantities, you need to store it in the freezer. Prolonged freezing will help maintain fat for more than a year.

This is the easiest and most famous way of salting. Here are some more interesting recipes that will help you prepare delicious spicy lard without much effort.

Salting salted on brine

This recipe will allow you to salt the fat in 6-8 hours. If in the morning you learned that guests will come to you in the evening, you can have time to salt the lard yourself.

To prepare the brine, you need to dissolve a glass of salt in a liter of water. Add 15-20 sheets of bay leaf to the container and bring the water to a boil.

While the brine cools, the lard needs to be cut into pieces (two kilograms of lard will be needed for the indicated proportions of salt and water) and rub it with black pepper and garlic. Put the lard in the cooled brine and throw in the leftover garlic. Cover the lard with a plate and oppression so that it is better salted and does not float.

After 6-8 hours, the fat will be ready. It will need to be removed from the brine. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Salting salted in Ukrainian

We prepare the lard, as in the first recipe. That is, a kilogram of fat should be cut into strips 3-4 cm wide. Then transverse cuts are made into which bay leaves and thinly sliced ​​cloves of garlic are placed. After this, you need to mix 4 tablespoons of salt, a teaspoon of hot pepper, the same amount of caraway seeds, two teaspoons of paprika and a tablespoon of ground black pepper. Roll the lard in the prepared seasoning mixture and wrap the pieces in foil. Leave in the fridge for two weeks. During this time, lard absorbs all the taste and aroma of spices. After this, the lard can be expanded and cut into thin slices. Once you unfold the foil, you will smell the crazy smell of salty bacon. And the taste will delight you even more!

Salting salted with onion peel in a slow cooker

In the bowl of the multicooker you need to put a layer of onion peel (half of the total mass). The husk is pre-washed. Lard and bay leaves are laid on it. Closes all the remains of onion peels. In hot water you need to dissolve two tablespoons of sugar and salt. Pour the cooked brine with lard. Stew fat in a slow cooker for about an hour. After that, leave the lard in the cooked marinade overnight. In the morning, the fat should be removed from the brine, grated with chopped garlic and pepper, put in the freezer. After a day, lard can be eaten.

Salo is a favorite product of many nations. Most Slavs cannot imagine their life without a daily layer of salty bacon. Our recipes will help you make a natural and healthy product with your own hands.

Video: how to salt salmon or bacon tasty