We Russian people really love fat. And we especially love it as a snack when guests come to us or just when we go on a picnic. No matter where, with whom and how we will eat it, the main thing is that it is properly salted, because its delicate taste depends on it. But how to salt the lard correctly?
First, when purchasing raw lard for homemade salting, carefully consider it - it should be fresh, soft and snow-white, without streaks. You cannot determine the freshness simply by looking at it, so you need to press it with your finger - if a dent remains, it means it is fresh. Take this without hesitation. Its top layer should not be like cellulite - it chews very badly and will not taste very well either. The fat should be quite thick and without streaks of meat, because a layer less than 3 cm thick is cut from the pig’s belly, and there it is the most rigid and tasteless. A light thin skin will also tell you that the fat is good! Do not be shy and ask the seller a question about who exactly this piece was cut from - from a boar or a pig. The fact is that boar fat is not very tasty and fragrant (with a smell).
So, you have already managed to buy this product and now are thinking how to salt lard? There is actually nothing complicated about this, but there are several ways: in brine, dry (or traditional) ambassador, boiled, in a bottle. Now you will learn how to salt lard in the listed ways.
Dry ambassador
Cut the fat into pieces no more than five square centimeters. Pour coarse salt into an enameled pan, put the lard with the skin down and cover it well with salt. Store it at room temperature, in a couple of days, lard will give juice. As soon as the juice appears, put the pan in the refrigerator for about ten days. If you have a lot of fat, it is better to wash off the salt and put it in the freezer, wrapping it in paper, and on top - a bag or packing polyethylene. So it will retain its taste.
How to salt lard in brine
Lard, salty in this way, turns out to be the most tender and delicious, and you can store it much longer - six months safely! Pour cold water into the container, pour salt (for 1 kg of fat - 5 cups of water and 1 cup of salt). Put the lard in a container and store for 3 days in the refrigerator. Three days later you can taste the delicious salsa!
Do you know how to salt smoked bacon? If not yet, we will tell you: prepare a pickle, as described above, only in addition to everything, add husk from five onions to it. Cook lard in such a brine over low heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from heat and let stand at room temperature for eight hours. Then drain the brine, dry the lard and wrap in parchment.
It is better to store such a salt in the freezer, sprinkling it well with salt.
Boiled fat
Lard salted in the following way is also stored for a long time (up to six months), and it is also safe, since all parasites that could be present in it are killed during cooking. It is necessary to cook the fat for about four hours, then grate it with various seasonings and stuff with garlic. You need to store it in the freezer, preferably in a canvas bag.
Salo in the bottle
Cut the salsa into small pieces, grate it with chopped garlic mixed with boiled water and spices. Next, roll each bar in grated garlic, and then in coarse salt. Put in the bottle as tightly as possible to each other and put in the refrigerator for a week. After a week, you can enjoy its excellent taste.
With any method of salting, the following spices and seasonings are useful to you: cumin, garlic, bay leaf, pepper (red and black) and everything else that you want to add.
Now you know how to salt lard. So start experimenting and enjoy its incomparable, delicate taste! Good luck and bon appetit!