Lard is subcutaneous fat, most often pork, because these animals have a thick fat layer. It contains essential fatty acids, united under one name - vitamin F. The same components can be found in plant foods. But arachidonic acid is found only in fat. It plays an important role in the functioning of the hormonal system and the maintenance of immunity. This is especially important in countries with cold climates. Indeed, in short winter days there is not enough sun, vitamin D ceases to be produced - also responsible for immunity. In addition, colds threaten colds. Therefore, animal fats, in particular lard, are often included in mid-latitude cuisine.
Homeland Sala
But here is his native land, surprisingly, Italy. There they began to use the product as food for the poor. Meat was delivered to wealthier citizens, and lard was considered a waste and was given to masons. Hard physical labor just required high-calorie food.
To store longer, they began to grease or smoke it, as well as apply a variety of seasonings for salting fat. As it often happens, the taste of the dish was appreciated by more affluent citizens, and it began to be appreciated in all walks of life and sold not at all cheaply. But in many other European countries, since Christianity, unlike Islam, allows you to eat pork for food, fat is considered to be a primordially national product. This is not only Ukraine and Russia, but also Belarus, Germany, Poland.
Fat selection
The easiest way is to buy ready-made lard with seasonings, but many demanding housewives are unhappy with its taste. And to try to cook it yourself is much more interesting. In addition, the price of salted fat is much higher than fresh. And this difference is significantly higher than the price of salt. So self-salting fat is a great savings.
For starters, it’s important to choose the right product. It is advisable to buy it from a trusted manufacturer or in the market. It should be white with a slightly pinkish tint. Is it worth taking fat with streaks of meat - it's a matter of taste. The gray shade of the product indicates that it is stale. Thin skin is a good sign. And the thick one says that the animal was poorly fed. The fat checked by the sanitary services should have a mark of quality and safety.
Salting sala
There are several methods for salting salted: dry, wet (in brine), hot and express method. Let us dwell on each in more detail. The dry method is fast enough and convenient. The fat is rubbed with salt, seasonings and garlic, and then wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 2 days. We will stop on it. It is with the dry method that seasonings for bacon are used.
Ingredients
What will be required for cooking? Ingredients:
- 2 kg of fat;
- 2 cups of salt;
- Bag of spices;
- 10 g of black pepper;
- 10 g of sugar;
- Head of garlic.
Recipe
Finely chop the garlic, mix it with salt, spices, pepper and sugar. Coat pieces of prepared fat with the resulting mixture. Cover the bottom of the can with a layer of salt. You need to put lard on it and close the lid. The capacity should be left for three days in the refrigerator. Thus, it is not at all difficult to salt the lard. Seasonings can be applied variously, we will dwell on this later.
How to smoke
With this cooking method, spices are also used. To soak up lard, you need the following ingredients:
- 2 kg of fat.
- A glass of salt.
- A bag of spices.
- Head of garlic.
Smoked recipe
Cut the lard into pieces. Make cuts on the surface, put garlic and seasonings in them. Pieces, grated with a mixture of salt and spices, put in a pan. Its bottom should be covered with foil or parchment. The product is salted for 2 days. After that, you can smoke lard.
There are 2 ways to smoke fat: hot and cold. Each has its pros and cons. Hot smoking lasts no more than 2 hours, but the product is stored after it no more than a month. Cold smoking is long, but after it the lard preserves all the nutrients and is stored for up to six months.
Smoking fat
Prepare the sawdust. It is better to use raw fruit trees. Smoked alder is also popular. It gives fragrant smoke. For smoking you will need a smokehouse. With the hot method, the temperature reaches 50 ˚C, and the process lasts 2 hours; with the cold method, only 15 ˚C is enough, but at least 2 days are required.
But if there is no smokehouse, it is possible to carry out the plan on the stove or in the oven. In this case, it is better to cut the fat into small pieces about 4 cm wide. The bottom of the pan is lined with foil, onto which moist sawdust is poured. A grill with fat is placed on top, the lid closes. To make it fit tightly, you can spread the joints with butter. The process takes place on medium heat for a little over half an hour.
What spices to use?
There are many proven options. You can use the seasoning "Kukharek" for various dishes. Fat with seasoning “Kukharik” turns out to be extraordinary in taste. Why? Kukharek seasoning includes spices and dried vegetables: onions, leeks, carrots, parsley, garlic and bell peppers. It is ideal for soups, as well as for meat, and fish dishes, and salads. For bacon, seasoning can also be used. You can supplement it with fresh garlic. There is also a seasoning for salting “7 dishes” fat from the “Magic Tree”, which is highly appreciated by customers, as well as seasoning for salting fat from Pikanto.
We make seasoning ourselves
You can not only independently pick seasoning for bacon, but also cook it, grinding and mixing all the ingredients. There are classic recipes, and spices also come in. For example, ground black pepper, bay leaf and caraway seeds. You can diversify the set of seasonings for bacon, adding marjoram, parsley to it.
As soon as the housewives experiment. For example, there is a recipe for salting lard with vanilla sugar. It includes red sweet paprika, black pepper, dried dill, oregano, vanilla sugar. According to eyewitnesses, it turns out delicious. And vanilla, which is usually used only for baking and sweets, gives a unique flavor. So the choice of seasonings for bacon is very wide, and this is a matter of taste.