Regime Type:
Without Eggs, Strict PKD (No Allowances)
Lard and Pork Crackling - Air Fryer
Introduction & Inspiration
Lard is a natural fat that you can make in your own kitchen without any special equipment. It has several advantages over other oils/fats, not least that it has one of the highest smoke points, so it is less prone to oxidative degradation. This makes it an excellent fat to use for frying and deep-frying.
The process for making lard couldn’t be simpler and is very similar in fact to how I make tallow and beef crackling. The pork crackling is such a delicious gift from rendering down the pork fat! The fat renders lovely in the air fryer without the need to use any water, so the lard is less likely to spoil down the road. The result is a smooth and creamy lard which has a very mild flavour and no aftertaste. It's ideal for all types of cooking.
I hope you give making lard at home a try and let me know how you get on.
X Nic
Recipe Overview
Preparation Time
Less than 30 minutes
Cooking Time
Less than one hour
Serving Size
1170ml Lard
457g Pork Crackling
Main Ingredients:
1900g Pork Back Fat
Salt to Taste (Optional for seasoning the Pork Crackling)
Recipe Instructions
Pre Heat the air fryer to 180c.
Chop the lard on a wooden chopping board into 2 cm cubes approx.
Place the cubes in the basket of an air fryer.
Air fryer the cubes, stirring periodically until the cubes reduce in size and most of the fat is rendered.
Below are some rough guidelines on settings to use to melt/render your lard (these are what I use for my Op500EU Ninja Tendercrisp machine).
Temperature Setting 180c - cook for 10 minutes
Stir
Temperature Setting 180c - cook for 10 minutes
Stir
Temperature Setting 180c - cook for 10 minutes
Stir
Temperature Setting 185c - cook for 8 minutes
Stir
Temperature Setting 185c - cook for 3 minutes
Carefully remove the pork crackling with some kitchen tongs, and place them into an airtight glass container. If you like these with a touch of salt (depending on what recipes you will be using them in), now is the perfect time to add some seasoning while they're warm. Once the Pork Crackling has cooled down, it can be stored in the fridge with a lid on for several days (although I have found that it doesn't last that long!).
The rendered liquid, lard, in the air fryer container can be poured through a sieve (ideally containing a cheesecloth bag, to remove any finer bits still present in the lard) into an airtight glass container (that can be sterilised with boiling water).
Allow the liquid lard to cool, before placing the lid on the container and storing it in the fridge.
Tips
Ideally, purchase your fat from pasture raised animals that are Nitrate, Nitrite & Additive Free and use white sea salt or rock salt that contains no anticaking agents or other additives.
Use the Recipe Search functionality on the website to discover how to incorporate lard and pork crackling into various dishes.
If you do not have an air fryer, don't despair. You can simply melt the pork fat in a large pot on the stove. It will take a little longer, but the results are well worth the effort!
While it can be tempting to add salt to the pork while it is cooking, I tend to only salt my pork crackling once I have removed it from the air fryer, since I want the lard I am making to be as pure as possible and without any added salt.
Pork Crackling can be used as your fat accompaniment for many recipes, as a change from other animal fats. Simply weigh everything during the cooking process, so that you can determine how much fat the pork crackling actually represents.
Lard made from ''free-range'' pasture-raised pigs is a good source of fat soluble vitamins D and K2.