Recipes for smoking lard in a home smokehouse. Home recipes: smoking lard. Recipe for smoked lard in onion skins

Universal products can easily replace both a main dish and a snack. These include lard, which becomes especially tasty when smoked. Although the food is high in calories, it is worthy of any table. If you do not have enough experience in preparing such a dish yourself, then use the recipes and recommendations below.

How to smoke lard correctly

In small quantities, this product even brings benefits. The main thing is to choose the right raw materials. Pieces with small layers of meat and thicker layers of fat are suitable for smoking at home. Parts from the belly area of ​​the piglet have these characteristics. After choosing a raw material, it needs to be properly salted. You can do this in 2 ways:

  • with marinade;
  • without water - using the dry method.

The latter method is used less often, because it takes a lot of time, almost 2 weeks. To salt 1.5 kg of lard using any method, you need to do the following:

  1. Rinse the product and cut into strips.
  2. Rub the pieces with crushed garlic, sprinkle with pepper and bay leaves.
  3. Place the raw materials in a container and soak hot water With salt.
  4. After stirring, marinate the salted product on the refrigerator shelf for 3-4 days.

Before smoking lard, you need to choose between the cold and hot methods. The first one is long lasting. With it, smoking lasts several days at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. The hearth should be formed so that there is no noticeable fire, and the firewood is used only for smoke. Wood sawdust is suitable for this. The second method is faster; smoking here lasts no more than 50 minutes immediately after the wood is burned on the remaining coals. In addition to 2 methods, there is one more. This is an imitation of smoking, where you can cook lard not in a smokehouse, but in brine with onion skins.

How long to cold smoke lard

This method is slow, because with it smoking occurs within 2-5 days. The installation is specially prepared. Wood is placed in the smokehouse and lit. When the fuel burns out, pieces of meat are placed on the grill. Smoking should occur at temperatures below 30 degrees. You can put out a small fire at night, and re-ignite it in the morning and continue cooking.

A variation of this method is often the method using liquid smoke. It is a special smoking liquid. Instead of 4-5 days, she is able to smoke lard in just 5 minutes. The disadvantage of this method is that it is harmful to the human digestive system, so it is better to give preference to the classic cold method.

How long to smoke hot smoked lard

If you are in doubt about how long to smoke hot smoked lard, remember the rules:

  1. With this method, meat is cooked much faster. Smoking time should be less than 50 minutes.
  2. The required temperature for this is 50-60 degrees. It is necessary for the product to smoke well.
  3. If the temperature is higher, this will cause the product to start frying, making it tasteless and tough.

Hot smoked lard without a smokehouse

For this recipe, the product does not need to be smoked. It is simply boiled with onion skins. The taste and shade are very similar to smoked. For greater color payoff, it is better to use an old onion. You need a larger saucepan so that you don’t have to periodically turn the pieces. It only takes 3 hours to prepare. The dish is perfect even for a holiday. The ingredients needed here are:

  • garlic – 4 cloves;
  • lard – 0.7 kg;
  • salt – 50 g;
  • water – 1 l;
  • allspice – 4 peas;
  • onion – 4 pcs.;
  • pepper.

Instructions on how to smoke lard according to this recipe include the following steps:

  1. Separate the peel from the onion and wash it thoroughly.
  2. Take a pan, add water and salt. Next, place the husk there and cook for 10 minutes.
  3. After this time, place the whole piece of brisket into the pan and cook for another 3 quarters of an hour.
  4. Turn off the gas and leave the dish to stand for 10 minutes without removing the lid.
  5. Combine all the spices, cut the garlic cloves in half.
  6. Take the prepared salsa onto a plate, sprinkle it with spices, and spread the garlic evenly over it.
  7. Place the lard in the freezer for 2 hours, wrapping it in foil first.

How to smoke lard in a hot smoker

For those who have a smokehouse for work at home, you will need the following recipe. Ingredients:

  • lard – 4 kg;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • ground black pepper – 2 tbsp;
  • black peppercorns – 5 packs;
  • bay leaves – 1 package;
  • dill – 1 bunch;
  • table salt – 0.5 kg.

Here are instructions on how to prepare smoked lard in a hot smoked smokehouse:

  1. Grind the bay leaf and peppercorns until smooth. Then add salt, dill and crushed garlic to them.
  2. For preparation, cut the lard into strips of the same width, rub each with a mixture of seasonings.
  3. Pour a layer of salt and pepper into a cardboard box, then spread the lard on them in layers, sprinkling each with salt. Place a lid and heavy pressure on top. Send the box to a cooler place for 3 days.
  4. After the expiration date, hang the pieces in a well-ventilated place for easy drying.
  5. Pour small sawdust into the smokehouse, place a tray under water and other substances, and light the fire.
  6. Next, distribute the pieces of lard over the grill with small intervals, when smoke is released, reduce the level to medium and close the lid on top.
  7. After 20 minutes, move the finished product to an open place and leave for a day. Remember how long to smoke lard in a hot smoker: in general, this time should not exceed 50 minutes.

How to cold smoke lard correctly

This recipe presents a universal method of cold smoking. First you need to prepare the ingredients from the following list:

  • salt – 0.5 kg;
  • bay leaf;
  • ground black pepper;
  • garlic – 4 cloves;
  • lard – 1.5 kg;
  • water – 5 l.

The entire cooking process includes the following steps:

  1. Rub the chopped pieces of the main product with spices, salt and chopped bay leaf. Place on the refrigerator shelf for 3-5 days.
  2. Light up the smokehouse. Maintaining a temperature of 20-30 degrees, smoke meat in it for 2 to 3 days.
  3. After the smoking period has expired, check readiness - the color should turn brown.

Smoking lard in a smokehouse with liquid smoke

The last method of home smoking is not the most useful, but is still used. The products needed here are:

  • lard – 3 kg;
  • salt – 0.1 kg;
  • onion peel – 0.1 kg;
  • garlic – 1 clove;
  • water – 1.5 l;
  • coarsely ground black pepper – 15-20 peas;
  • spicy adjika – 1 tsp;
  • bay leaves – 5 pcs.;
  • liquid smoke – 6-10 ml.

Cooking at home goes like this:

  1. Scrape the salt until white with a knife and cut into portions.
  2. Boil water, add pepper, peels, bay leaves, crushed garlic and salt into it.
  3. Boil the brine again, then pour in liquid smoke and add the meat itself.
  4. When the broth boils again, cook for another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and cool for half a day.

Video: how to smoke hot smoked lard correctly

Every person understands that lard is a fatty product, frequent consumption of which can lead to excess weight. However, it has not only harm, but also benefit. First of all, pork fat provides the body with the required vitamins and elements. He contains fatty acid, which strengthen the immune system and prevent the formation of inflammatory processes.

Boiled smoked lard is used in medicinal purposes, as it strengthens the cardiovascular system. Perfectly prevents colds, pneumonia, and bronchial problems. Removes toxins and waste from the body that accumulate due to poor nutrition and pollution. environment. The composition of the product is impressive: it includes potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, selenium and various vitamins.

There was little, there was fat

People leading an active lifestyle will benefit from this delicacy. It is even recommended to pregnant women, so they can safely take note of the smoking recipe. Salo maintains vitality and provides energy for the day. It is used in folk medicine for the treatment of toothache, problematic joints, eczema. True, in this case it is used not in smoked form, but crushed, as an ointment.

Although the benefits are great, there are also harms. The boiled-smoked product contains cholesterol, which, when entering the body in large quantities, can provoke the development of cardiovascular diseases, as well as problems with the gastrointestinal tract. People with kidney problems should use this lard with caution.

As for calories, 100 g of hot smoked lard contains 775 kcal. Such a figure may frighten those who watch their figure. It is worth taking into account that the benefits of this product will only be if you eat no more than 50-80 g per day. Increasing portions can be harmful to the body.

Hot smoking of lard

Hot smoked lard is prepared either in the oven or in a smokehouse. The second option is much better, since the product turns out to be really tasty, aromatic and of high quality. The recipe is suitable for those who have their own dacha or a plot near the house. You just need to get a smokehouse or use a metal bucket instead. Then it will be possible to smoke the bacon at any time. fresh air.

Preparing lard for smoking is necessary to ensure that the product turns out really good. Preparing for smoking will not take much time. It needs to be washed and cut into oblong pieces. Rub with salt on all sides; you can add spices if desired. In this form, you should let it stand for at least 2-3 hours, and better than a day. How much to keep, everyone decides for themselves.

Lard can be hung in the smokehouse on hooks

Now an equally important part is preparing the smokehouse for use. It must be installed correctly over the fire. To do this, you need bricks that are laid around the fire. The smokehouse is placed on them so that it is directly above the flame. Chips of fruit wood are poured inside, a grate is placed on top of them, and pieces of lard are placed on it.

On at this stage All that remains is to light the fire and cover the lid. It is important to monitor not the temperature, but the fire. The flame should be medium to cook everything properly.

The pieces lie in the smokehouse for 30 minutes to an hour - the time is approximately the same as when cooking in the oven. You can take them out when they are covered with an appetizing brown crust.

It is advisable to let the product cool, you can even put it in the refrigerator for a day until it hardens. Now hot smoked lard can be served. It will be no worse than cooked cold, but will significantly surpass in taste what was cooked in the oven.

Cold smoking of lard

Smoking lard is possible in different ways - both hot and cold. In these two cases, the temperature differs, as does the process time. The recipe is easy to remember and implement. The only thing is, if you want to get the finished product as quickly as possible, it is better to smoke it in the oven.

The readiness of lard is determined by its appetizing brownish color.

Cold smoked lard turns out to be less fatty, acquires a brown color and a unique aroma. Harm is only possible through overeating; it is better to avoid this.

Ingredients:

  • lard - 2 kg;
  • water - 5 l;
  • spices;
  • salt - 500 g.

Using the cold method, lard can be pre-boiled in salted water with spices. Then it will become more tender. The boiled-smoked version may turn out to be even more interesting than the standard one. Lard, meat with a layer of fat will need to be placed on the grill in the smokehouse. The temperature should not exceed 20°C. How long does it take to cook it like this? The recipe requires 2-3 days. In the oven it can be made in less than an hour. It is noteworthy that boiled-smoked lard, prepared in a cold way, practically does not harm the body.

Video of preparing hot smoked lard in a smokehouse:

Alexey Mitrokhin

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IN Lately There is a lot of debate about the benefits and harms of smoked lard. We offer information about the advantages and disadvantages of this product, as well as how to smoke lard correctly and profitably.

Knowing the recipes for smoked lard at home, you can prepare amazing smoked products without any problems.

Raw lard contains 82-83% pure fat. The calorie or energy value of this product is 797 kcal per 100 g. Fat-soluble vitamins A, E, K are present in lard.

Fat cholesterol in small quantities forms vitamin D when exposed to the sun.

Eating fat in the form of smoked lard, prepared at home, promotes rapid saturation, and the feeling of fullness remains for a long time. Fat provides energy. But if this energy is not spent, then it can be stored “in reserve” in the form of excess fat folds.

An insufficient amount of fat in food can lead to weakened immunity (the body’s ability to resist diseases), disruptions in the functioning of the central nervous system, and weakened vision.

Many families like to prepare smoked lard at home. But don't get too carried away. Excessive consumption of fatty foods can have undesirable effects on the body and its health - weight increases, cholesterol levels in the blood rise, which leads to serious disruptions in the functioning of the blood vessels of the heart and brain.

When smoking salted lard at home, smoke carcinogens are deposited on it. To reduce their presence in the finished product, aqua filters are used in the latest generation smokehouses. And the food can be wrapped in a wrapper for baking.

Having assessed all the pros and cons, there is no need to give up tasty and aromatic smoked lard. You just need to know when to stop everything. And also eat lard correctly - with plenty of fresh vegetables and greenery.

That is, we must try to use the consumption of lard to our advantage and limit the harm from it as much as possible.

Selection of lard for smoking

When choosing lard, you should decide for what purpose you are buying it. For hot and cold smoking, pieces of lard in pure form or with layers of meat are suitable.

Pay attention to quality. The color of fresh lard is milky white or slightly pinkish. The smell is characteristic of raw meat, without the smell of rot, mustiness, mold.

Important! To make high-quality and tasty smoked lard at home, make sure you buy a fresh product. If the cut product is sticky, dark or yellow in color, with a putrid odor, it means that it has already begun to deteriorate and is unsuitable for consumption. Do not buy lard from boars, as it has an unpleasant odor that cannot be removed. Check how the skin is separated from the fat - in boars it is very tightly connected to the fat.

Selection of wood materials for smoking

At home, to smoke lard in a smokehouse, classic materials are used - wood chips, sawdust, branches of fruit trees. Experts say that the finer the materials for smoking, the better the quality of the smoking medium (smoke).

Important! To properly smoke lard at home, the shavings and sawdust should not be dry. They are additionally moistened with water, otherwise they may ignite during the smoking process. In addition, wet sawdust produces more smoke. But you shouldn’t over-water them either. Otherwise, the smokehouse will be too humid, and this will reduce the quality of the products.

The industry produces a large number of smokehouses of different designs and performance. Often home craftsmen make homemade smokehouses from barrels of used refrigerators, washing machines, buckets for smoking lard at home.

Smokehouses for hot smoking

They consist of a processing chamber and a heating device (electrical or gas stove, gas burner, fire). An ordinary saucepan can serve as a processing chamber. Lard smoked in a pan is no different in quality from smoked in a smokehouse.

Wood chips or sawdust or branches are placed at the bottom of the container, and a tray is placed on them for the fat draining from the food. A grate or rods are placed in the upper part to place food.

Semi-finished products are laid out on a wire rack or hung by hooks. This entire structure is closed tightly with a lid. To seal the lid (for smoking in an apartment), use a special groove into which you can pour water in a circle and the smoke will not escape outside.

To smoke lard in an apartment, a chimney pipe is installed in the lid, taken to the ventilation or lowered into a container of water. The smokehouse is installed on a heating source.

Cold smoked smokehouses

This option allows you to get high-quality smoked lard at home according to any cold smoked recipe.

The technology of their use is aimed at reducing the temperature of smoke processing of products. This is achieved by placing the heating source at a distance of 4-8 m from the smoking chamber, connecting them with a pipe. You can make such a smokehouse for cold smoking with your own hands.

Passing through the pipe, the smoke is cooled to the desired temperature and enters the lower part of the chamber.

Cold smoking can be carried out in smokehouses using a smoke generator. Products are placed in the chamber on grates or hooks and covered with a lid. Wood shavings or sawdust are poured into the apparatus and set on fire. The compressor forces smoke into the processing chamber through a chimney tube. The result is a delicious raw smoked lard made at home.

Product preparation

Preparing lard for smoking at home involves several operations.

If lard with skin is used, and there are purple stamps on it, then they must be cut off.

Using a sharp knife, cut large pieces into individual oblong pieces of the required size. The most suitable one is 5-7 cm wide, from 4 cm thick.

Wash the product under running water and dry.

Salting methods

Dry salting

This is the easiest way to prepare salted lard at home before smoking. The semi-finished product is rubbed with a curing mixture. Excess salt will not harm the lard; it will absorb as much as necessary. But a deficiency can cause damage to the product. On average, 100-130 g of medium-ground salt is used per 1 kg of product.

You can also add ground black pepper.

Salting procedure:

Semi-finished products for smoking lard are rubbed with salt or a mixture of pepper and spices. Place a layer of salting mixture in the pan, lightly tamping it down, place the grated semi-finished products, sprinkling them with salt. Sprinkle the surface on top and place pressure (a plate, a glass jar with water, a washed stone).

Leave for salting in the refrigerator for a period of 2-3 days to 10-14 days.

The greenish tint that appears on the cut of the bacon during salting indicates that the salting temperature was too high, which is why the process of spoilage began in it.

It is allowed to use dry salting mixture. For it, combine salt, chopped bay leaf, coriander, chopped garlic, and paprika.

Wet Ambassador

When salting, you need to soak the lard in brine or marinade. Sometimes, for further smoking at home, injecting with brine is used.

The marinade for making lard can be prepared according to the following recipe:

  • raw lard – 1 kg;
  • water – 1-1.5 l;
  • table salt – 50-70 g;
  • bay leaf – 3 pcs.;
  • black peppercorns – 8 pcs.;
  • allspice peas – 2-3 pcs.;
  • oregano (oregano), coriander, other spices at your discretion - to taste;
  • sugar – 20 g.

Prepare the marinade: pour water into a saucepan, boil, add salt, sugar and the entire set of spices according to the recipe. Heat to boiling and cool. Strain into a marinating container. Place semi-finished lard products in the marinade so that the brine covers them by 3-4 cm.

A wooden circle or ceramic plate is placed on the food and pressed down with a weight.

Place in a cold place and marinate for 2 weeks at a temperature of 2-4 ° C (in the refrigerator).

The finished product with this salting will be more juicy.

Combined Ambassador

Involves rubbing with a curing mixture, aging and immersion in brine or marinade.

Preparing for smoking

More often than other options, raw smoked lard is made at home.

Salted semi-finished products are washed with water. If you want to get a lightly salted product, then leave it in water to soak for 2-5 hours.

The pieces are blotted with a napkin and tied with hemp rope or twine.

Important! To prepare smoked lard at home, do not use paper twine, fabric braid, or threads to avoid smoldering and burning. Do not use wire as it will damage the product layers.

You can make a puncture in the bacon and hang it on hooks without tying it up.

Leave the pork to air for 10-12 hours. If the surface of the semi-finished products is wet, the smoked products will acquire a bitter, tarry taste and will be poorly colored.

At home, hot and cold methods of smoking lard are used.

Cold smoking

Semi-finished products for smoke treatment are suspended in the smokehouse chamber.

Or they are placed on a grate and it, along with lard, is placed in a chamber. Close the lid tightly, direct smoke into the chamber, having previously adjusted its temperature. Smoke treatment is recommended to be carried out for 10-12 hours at 18-25 °C.

Important! When smoking lard at home, open the chamber less often, as the temperature
decreases and increases the time required for smoking.

To carry out quick cold smoking of lard at home, the smoke temperature is increased to 40°C. Time is reduced to 8 hours.

Smoked products are left for 12-24 hours so that the smoke substances are evenly distributed inside the product. Choose a place for this with good ventilation, without direct sunlight.

Cold smoked lard has a denser consistency than hot smoked lard.

Hot smoking

Pieces of pork are placed in the smokehouse chamber on hooks. Close with a lid.

If smoked lard is made in an apartment, then water is carefully poured into the gutter located around the lid, and the smoke exhaust pipe is directed into the ventilation or container with water.

Place the camera on the heating source. Leave the products to smoke for a period of 40 minutes to several hours. The duration depends on the size of the pieces. Maintain the temperature of the smoking environment within 110-120 °C. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop water on the lid. If the water evaporates calmly, the temperature is normal, and if it boils, it is above normal.

After the lard has been smoked, it is left hanging for several hours in the air to improve its taste.

Making smoked lard yourself is not at all difficult. However, you need to know all the intricacies of the process. How to smoke lard at home to make it tasty? What smoking methods are there? This is what this article will discuss.

Composition and calorie content of smoked lard

Lard is a high-calorie product, the composition of which is rich in nutrients. It is easily digestible, and almost everyone can eat it. However, the product is useful only when consumed in small quantities. You can eat no more than 60 g of treats per day.

  • Essential vitamins: C, A, E, PP, D and group B.
  • Arachidonic acid.
  • Useful minerals: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, selenium, zinc.
  • Amino acids: glycine, lysine, histidine, arginine and others.

Including lard in the diet increases immunity and brain activity, improves liver function, and normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

100 g of smoked product contains:

  • Protein – 1.51 g.
  • Fat – 50.77 g.
  • Carbohydrates – 1.56 g.
  • Calorie content is 767 kcal.

Recipes for marinating lard

There are many recipes for marinating lard for smoking. To get a delicious product, you don’t have to use a lot of spices and ingredients. The smell of smoke will give the dish a spicy aroma and taste. Therefore, if you are smoking lard for the first time, try the simplest recipes.

Dry spice marinade

Mix the following spices: 100 g salt, 1 tsp. mixture of peppers. Rub the washed, dried lard with the mixture on all sides and place in a cool place for 1 day. Afterwards, take it out, clean it of excess spices, let it stand in a draft for 2-3 hours, and start smoking.

Marinating in brine

Add 100 g of salt, 1 tbsp to 1 liter of water. l. seasonings for lard, 1 bay leaf. Boil everything, cool, pour in the prepared and chopped pieces of bacon. The brine should cover the product completely. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Remove the lard from the marinade and hang to air for 12 hours. You can start smoking.

These recipes are suitable for any type of smoking.

Marinade with boiling

This recipe is perfect for quick cooking. Add 100 g of salt to 1 liter of water. The brine should completely cover the lard, then boil it for 7-10 minutes. Add spices to taste (bay leaf, allspice or nutmeg). Then into a cold smokehouse for 12-15 hours.

How to smoke lard in a hot smoker

To start the smoking process you need to prepare a smokehouse. If you do not have a special home mini smokehouse, you can make it yourself from a large iron bucket or barrel. For this you will need:

  • Two round grates on which food will be smoked. You can use an old dumpling maker or a stand for hot dishes. Install the first grid 20 cm above the bottom. The top grid is 10-15 cm below the top of the bucket.
  • Tight lid. If you don’t have one, you can cut it out of stainless steel or tin. The main thing is that the lid closes tightly.
  • Smokehouse stand. It can be built from metal or use ordinary bricks.

The simple smokehouse is ready and you can start smoking:

  • Place a good handful of wood chips (cherry, apple, alder) on the bottom of the smokehouse.
  • Place pieces of lard on the grill (not tightly). It can also be hung by attaching it to the top grill with twine.
  • Light a fire under the smokehouse. The heat should be high at first, but after 20 minutes it should be reduced slightly. The temperature of the smokehouse should be on average 90⁰C.
  • In this way, smoke the product for 60 minutes. Once finished, allow the smoker to cool completely. Then take out the finished dish and ventilate it for an hour. Now you can safely try.

Below is a video recipe for cooking lard using a hot method in a smokehouse with a water seal.

Cold smoking is different from the hot process. Lard is smoked using chilled smoke, the temperature of which should not exceed 30⁰C.

Also, the smokehouse itself differs in its design. It consists of a firebox and the smokehouse itself, between which a chimney is laid. To make it yourself, you will need:

  • Iron barrel, volume 200 liters
  • Metal mesh
  • Metal sheet
  • Iron grate
  • A piece of burlap
  • Shovel

Making a smokehouse:

  • Dig a hole for the firebox and lay a metal sheet on the bottom.
  • Lay a trench for the chimney, 25 cm wide and deep. The length of the chimney is from 2 to 5 m.
  • Cover the top of the chimney with fireproof material or a sheet of iron
  • Separate the bottom from the barrel and attach a mesh instead. Place burlap on the mesh. This will serve as a filter against soot. Place the barrel at the end of the trench.
  • At the top of the barrel, attach a grate on which you will smoke the food, about 25 cm below the top. Instead of a grate, you can install thick metal rods with hooks and hang food on them.

A simple design for cold smoking is ready, you can begin the process. To do this, you need to place the lard in the smokehouse and light a fire in the firebox. The fire must be maintained continuously throughout the entire process.

Do not use coniferous wood. It is best to take fruit ones: cherries, grapes, pears, apple trees, cherries.

The product should be smoked at a temperature of 20-30⁰C for 12-24 hours. After the process is completed, the lard must be hung in the air and ventilated for 12 hours. The dish is ready, bon appetit!

Smoked meats are considered a favorite dish of many people, because they are not only very aromatic and can create a certain festive atmosphere, but also incredibly tasty. You can easily prepare it at home. Today there are many different recipes for every taste, so you should choose the one you like best, purchase high-quality raw materials and you can begin the process of preparing and further smoking the product.

Which lard to choose

You need to choose fresh lard.

Of course, you must choose fresh lard. First of all, you should pay attention to appearance semi-finished products. The lard should be white or slightly pink color. Its skin should be soft enough and not contain any remaining bristles. If the skin is thick and bristles are visible in it, then this is most likely boar fat, which, when cooked, will have a specific taste and a not very pleasant smell.

In addition, there should be no plaque on the surface of the lard. The smell should be the same as that typical of greasy products. If you doubt that the raw materials offered to you are fresh, then it is better to refuse them.

Preference should be given to lard that is more than 3 centimeters thick and contains layers of meat. If there are no layers of meat, then the finished smoked meats will be too fatty and not so tasty.

Salting methods

There are a few different ways pickling, each of which has its own advantages.

It’s worth choosing the option that will be most convenient, taking into account how much free time you have to prepare the product for the smoking process. Simple ones contain minimum set ingredients. Of course, you can find more complex recipes to prepare hot smoked lard with an original taste.

The purchased lard must be cut into portions, which will be smoked later. A special pickling mixture is prepared in a separate container, which consists of salt and a small amount of ground black pepper. If desired, you can add your favorite spices or herbs to taste, as well as garlic, which will make the taste of the finished delicacy more piquant.

The resulting mixture must be thoroughly rubbed onto each piece of lard on all sides. Particular attention is paid to the skin, because it is much more difficult for it to be saturated with enough salt. Then a small layer of salt is poured into a container that will not oxidize and lard is laid out. Additionally, each layer must be sprinkled with coarse salt. Then the lard is covered with foil or cling film on top and sent to the refrigerator to marinate. it takes from three days to a week, depending on the size of the pieces of raw material.

After the lard has been pickled, it must be thoroughly washed, the surface cleaned of any remaining salt and dried. Then you can proceed directly to the smoking process using hot smoke.

This option of salting is considered faster, because the salt and liquid penetrate deep into the lard fibers much faster. In order to prepare the raw materials in this way, you must first make a marinade. To do this, water is brought to a boil, mixed with bay leaves, ground black pepper and garlic. Optionally, add herbs, spices or herbs that you like best. The marinade should be boiled for ten minutes over low heat and left to cool.

Then the lard is cut into portions and poured with marinade so that it completely covers the semi-finished products. must be kept in a cool place for three to five days. Then you need to rinse it a little to remove excess salt and dry it for a couple of hours, preferably in the fresh air. Only after this can you start preparing a delicious homemade delicacy.

Fast

This option is suitable for those who want to enjoy hot smoked lard prepared at home as quickly as possible. To do this, prepare a marinade from water, salt, ground black pepper, spices and herbs, and garlic. After the marinade has been boiled over low heat for 5-10 minutes, lard cut into portions is dropped into it. The container is closed tightly with a lid. Semi-finished products should be cooked in the resulting marinade for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the pieces.

After this time, you should not immediately take out the lard. It should cool down along with the marinade. Then the prepared raw materials are dried and rubbed with chopped garlic. The semi-finished products will be completely ready for further processing with hot smoke.

How to smoke lard correctly

You can use both and . Regardless of this, the finished delicacy will turn out incredibly tasty and aromatic.

After the semi-finished products are fully prepared, they need to be placed on the smokehouse grate or hung with hooks. First, a layer of slightly damp sawdust is poured into the smokehouse, and a bowl is installed to collect fat. The smokehouse is closed as tightly as possible and installed on a small heat source. Then you just need to make sure that the fire does not go out and that a sufficient amount of smoke is released. It is worth noting that hot smoking of lard occurs at temperatures from 70 to 100 degrees. Smoked meats cook quite quickly. When they are completely ready, you should wait until the smokehouse has completely cooled down and then hang the delicacy in the fresh air for several hours.

What is the best wood to use?

As a rule, it is customary to use lard for smoking at home. They allow smoked meats to be more aromatic and tasty. You should not use coniferous tree or birch wood chips along with bark for smoking. These types of wood contain a lot of resin, which will not only spoil the appearance of the finished delicacy, but will also negatively affect its taste.

In order for the finished smoked meats to be more aromatic and have a very original taste, you can add a small amount of juniper branches or grapes along with berries to the selected sawdust. Such smoke will be more aromatic and can improve the taste characteristics of the delicacy.

How long to smoke lard

Prepares quite quickly. You want the delicacy to be ready to eat. Depending on the size of the pieces of semi-finished products, it takes from half an hour to two hours to smoke lard using hot smoke. In this case, it is necessary to carefully monitor the temperature so that it is not too low or high. Otherwise, the food will be spoiled and you will not be able to get the delicious smoked meats you were hoping for.

Cooking smoked meats is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

Enough to follow simple recipes and listen to some advice given by experts.

  • For smoking, it is best to choose lard that has a sufficient number of veins of meat. Otherwise, the resulting smoked meats will be too fatty, which will negatively affect the health of those who consume them.
  • After smoke begins to appear in the smokehouse as a result of smoldering wood chips, literally 10-15 minutes after the start of smoking, you should open the lid a little and release excess smoke. If this is not done, the finished products may have a slightly bitter taste and a not very pleasant aroma.
  • After the smoking is finished, you should not immediately take out the delicacies. While the smokehouse cools down, they will have time to absorb a little more smoke. Then they must be ventilated so that the too strong smell disappears.
  • When preparing lard, it is worth using a sufficient amount of salt. You should not be afraid that the smoked meats will turn out to be too salty, because immediately before smoking the semi-finished product can be tasted and, if necessary, soaked a little in cold water.
  • You should not use hot smoked lard too often and in large quantities, because this will cause quite a lot of harm. The product should not be eaten at all if there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract or any other contraindications.

How to store homemade hot smoked lard

Homemade hot smoked lard is stored exclusively in the refrigerator. In this case, it is advisable to wrap it in cling film or at least in newspaper so that the smell does not permeate all other products. You can store hot smoked lard for a maximum of a week. If you want to increase the shelf life of the prepared delicacy, then you should freeze it. In this case, the product will be suitable for use even after several months. The only condition is that you can defrost only the amount of delicacy that will be consumed at a time. Otherwise, the product will spoil very quickly and may cause food poisoning.

Preparing hot smoked lard at home does not take much time. It is enough just to purchase fresh and high-quality raw materials and properly prepare them for further processing with smoke. If everything is done correctly, the delicacy will turn out incredibly tasty and aromatic.