Cut the pork fat into small cubes and add to a pot for stove cooking or a slow cooker.
Heat the fat over low heat, stirring occasionally. After a little while, you will start to see a transparent, slightly yellowish liquid forming.
Continue to simmer the fat until most of it has melted and the remaining pieces are crispy.
Strain the liquid lard into a glass storage container (or a silicone loaf pan if making blocks of lard).
As the liquid starts to cool, it will solidify and turn opaque and white.
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Notes
This recipe yields around 1 quart/ literNutritional information is based on obtaining 1 quart of lard from 1 kg of pork fat. This is all dependent upon the type of fat used. It also includes eating a proportional amount of cracklings and not just the lard itself.
Tips
If you are having a hard time cutting the pork fat and skin, you can try placing it in the freezer for a little while to help stabilize it and make it easier to cut. (Don't freeze for too long, though, or it will get too hard to cut.)The leftover solid bits, the cracklings, can be baked in the oven. If the skin is too hard to comfortably eat, refry the hard skin in lard until it puffs up. Strain and season with salt. The cracklings can be eaten alone as a snack or sprinkled on other foods to add flavor.
Storage
Once rendered, lard should be strained and stored in an air-tight container. It's best stored in a cool, dry location. At room temperature, it should keep for up to a month. If kept in the fridge, it will last up to 6 months. If frozen, it can last up to a year.For long-term storage, consider making blocks of lard by straining the liquid lard into loaf molds. Freeze the lard for easier unmoulding, and then vacuum seal the block of lard before returning it to the freezer. Vacuum-sealed lard will last up to 2 years in the freezer.