How to salt the lard? Many people ask this question, because this product is not only tasty, but also incredibly healthy and nutritious. Want to make sure of this? Here are some interesting facts about fat.
Interesting about fat
This product, contrary to popular belief, is not a traditional Ukrainian dish. Italy is considered to be the birthplace of fat, since it was there that they began to use it as inexpensive and high-calorie food for ordinary people who worked in quarries.
Pork fat is considered an anti-cancer product - it effectively cleanses blood vessels and removes toxins from the body. Lard in combination with garlic is especially useful. In principle, the composition of the product is very interesting - it allows you to maintain the vitality of the body in the cold season. Fat is useful as a snack, it is easily digested and much more useful than even the most natural sausage.
If the fat is thinner than 4 cm, then the pig was young. Do not buy a product thicker than 5 cm.
The quality of the product directly depends on what the animal was fed. Currently, pigs are fed with active additives, which can not but affect the quality of fat. The best food is potatoes, fodder and sugar beets, as well as a variety of cereals with the addition of milk.
The most delicious fat can be obtained from the female. When slaughtering an animal, it is important to ensure that the sebaceous part is not damaged - in this case, the lard will acquire a pink hue and a specific taste.
And now you can talk about how to properly salt the lard.
How to choose fat?
Going to the market or to the grocery store, you should know how to make the right choice. As already mentioned, it is not worth buying fat that is more than 5 cm thick - this suggests that the animal was already "aged." The presence of a yellow tint is another sign of an old product. The best option if its thickness is less than 4 cm.
You should not choose fat from the dorsal part - it is best to buy pieces from the ribs (from the bottom of the brisket). Fat should be dense, not loose, without lumps.
It is worth paying attention to the skin - it should be clean, carefully scraped out, without fibers and bristles. Pork skin should not be yellow - brown is allowed (this indicates that the pig was ground with straw).
It is not so important to know how to properly salted fat, how to be sure of the quality of the selected product. Going to the market, it is worth taking a lighter with you. When choosing this or that piece, you can burn its edge - the pungent smell of ammonia indicates that the buyer has lard in his hands (it is not suitable for salting).
Salo is selected - proceed to its salting
The process looks like this:
- First of all, a large piece should be cut into several parts that fit freely in a regular plastic bag.
- After that, on each piece it is necessary to make a small longitudinal section from the side opposite to the skin.
- Peel the garlic. Cut each clove into 2-4 parts and put into these incisions, after sprinkling with salt on all sides.
- Now you need to put each piece of fat in a plastic bag and sprinkle with plenty of salt. Do not use iodized - such a salt will corrode the product.
- Put a few more cloves of garlic on top, close the bag tightly and leave at room temperature.
- After 3 days, the lard should release the juice - now you can turn it over so that all of it is in the liquid.
- Put it in the refrigerator, after which the product can be tasted.
This is the easiest recipe to help solve the problem of how to properly salt the lard.
Homemade lard with garlic
There are many jokes about fat. But who would have thought that with its help you can lose weight? And if there is a triumph with a hangover syndrome, then you can’t do without an appetizing shmatka. The following recipe on how to properly salt homemade lard will help you get a great snack. The product is prepared within 7 days. You will need the following ingredients:
- Pork fat on the skin (in one solid piece) - 1 kg.
- 10 cloves of garlic.
- Black pepper (peas) - 3 teaspoons.
- Bay leaf.
- A teaspoon of caraway seeds.
- Rock salt (approximately 4 tablespoons).
- Suneli hops and red ground pepper.
And now more about how to properly salt the fat at home.
Step by step recipe
- First of all, it is necessary to make incisions along the entire surface of the fat with a depth of at least 3 mm using a sharp knife.
- Cut a few cloves of garlic into thin slices and immerse it in these notches.
- The remaining garlic, along with bay leaf, is dented into the surface of the bacon.
- In a mortar, crush 3-4 bay leaves with peas of black pepper, add caraway seeds and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mash everything well and add red pepper and sunnel hops.
- Mix everything thoroughly and sprinkle lard with this mixture. Add the remaining salt and rub it.
- Wrap the whole piece tightly in parchment paper or foil, leave for a day at room temperature, after which the lard can be removed in the refrigerator for a week.
Bacon in brine
This recipe will tell you how to properly salt lard in brine. Tuzluk is a fairly concentrated saline solution, which is prepared as follows:
- Salt is added to boiled and chilled water (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water).
- All mix thoroughly until the salt ceases to dissolve.
Cut a piece of fat into small pieces, which can easily be stacked in a jar. At the same time, they should be shifted with bay leaf, garlic and peppercorns.
After this, the lard is poured with brine so that it covers the product by about 1-2 cm. The cans with it can be stored at room temperature for a whole week, after which they should be removed in a cold place.
How to salt salted garlic?
Very often salsa is associated with Ukraine, however, in other countries this product is very popular. How pleasant it is to bring shatoka fat, garlic or fresh onions, and a loaf of bread to the forest! Therefore, many housewives practice salting at home. The classic recipe with garlic is especially popular. He needs the following ingredients:
- The lard itself is 1 kg whole piece.
- Coarse salt (not iodized!) - about 6 tablespoons.
- 1 head of garlic.
- 6 bay leaves.
- A few peas of black pepper.
- A tablespoon of caraway seeds.
And now it’s worth talking about how to properly and tasty pickle lard.
The traditional way of salting
The process is simple:
- Black pepper peas, caraway seeds and bay leaves must be ground in a coffee grinder (this can be done in a mortar). An arbitrary spice ratio is allowed. If you don’t have a coffee grinder and mortar on hand, you can use the traditional “grandfather” method: wrap the spices in a clean cloth and grind them with a glass bottle. Add salt there.
- Grate each piece of bacon with the resulting mixture. You should not be afraid that there will be too much of it. Salo will absorb as much salt as it sees fit. In this form, the product must be left for a day.
- Now it's time for garlic. All the cloves should be crushed using a special press and carefully rub each piece with them, after which the lard should be folded into the dishes and sent to the refrigerator or cellar for several days.
Now it is completely ready for use!
Salo is a versatile product that is a welcome treat for any feast. even the most delicious and natural meat is not a substitute for homemade bacon cooked in the traditional way.