(MY HUMBLE KITCHEN) Diana Bauman — Rendering and using lard has gone by the way side as our fat obsessed culture has taken reluctance to using it in fear of high cholesterol and blocked arteries.  Deemed the “un-healthy” fat, we have turned to vegetable oil which we now know has caused us more harm than good.

One of the outcomes of the campaign against animal fats was the producers response of breeding leaner animals.  Heritage breed animals known for their flavor and juiciness which yielded about 33 pounds of fat was sacrificed for leaner animals slaughtered at younger ages with a mere 10 lbs of fat.  Instead of rosy pink flesh marbled with fat we now have “the other white meat” void of taste and flavor.

It’s a shame as fat from a pastured animal is a mixture of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids.  Most of the fat is made up of monounsaturated in the form of oleic fatty acid.  The same fatty acid in olive oil praised for it’s health benefits to lower your risk of heart disease.

Remember that our bodies need saturated fats. We need it to absorb calcium, nutrients and vitamins including d, e and a. For example, if you’re drinking non-fat milk with vitamin D added by man, your body will have a difficult time absorbing both the vitamin and the calcium since it lacks saturated fat.

One of the many benefits of purchasing pastured pork from a local family farmer is that the meat from that animal will also be rich in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin d, e and a.  Not only will its fat allow us to absorb those important nutrients and vitamins, but it’s flavor will be unlike any “white meat” you have ever had.

Pork fat’s low level of polyunsaturated fatty acid means that it doesn’t turn rancid easily and is very heat stable making it great for frying.

Where can I buy pork lard or pork fat?
Pork lard that you find at the grocery store is hydrogenated and filled with preservatives and chemicals so it becomes very important to find pork fat from a family farmer, http://www.localharvest.org, and render it yourself. The process itself is easy and has been done traditionally for centuries. However, it’s important to learn about the different types of fat from the hog in order to render each appropriately.

– See more at: http://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2011/02/how-render-lard-the-right-way-snow-white/#sthash.lTBzCvME.dpufSource: How to Render Lard the Right Way (Snow White, Odorless) – My Humble Kitchen