# Canning Lard??



## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

A friend was asking me about canning lard.

I got to be all big and stuff and tell her about the Leaf Lard that I learned about ---wahooo!

but I don't know about canning it.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Not recommended. Put it in quart jars and store the jars in the freezer.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We can it all the time. It works great. No need to waste freezer space.

We render it first, strain it into quart mason jars, hot seal can and let set. The gelatin settles to the bottom and the lard rises to the top. The gelatin is useful for thickening stews.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

thanks


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

canned lard has a decent shelf life in the pantry, I would heat seal it, not sure if I would pressure can it, depending on how hot the liquid rendered lard is at the time of canning, no need to freeze


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

To expound a bit, there are three factors that can make a substance unsafe for home canning. They are: 

1) Low Acid
2) High Density 
3) High Fat 

The reason for these three is that they all work in different ways to protect and harbor the bacteria that produce botulism. 

Most low acid foods can either be combined with high acid foods and/or pressure canned to make them safe for at home canning, but because of the limitations of home canning equipment -- the temperatures to which jars can be heated, etc. The other two have no work arounds. When a substance is very, very dense the heat from the pressure has a hard time reaching the center, and in the case of high fat foods the fat actually works to protect the bacteria during the canning process even further than low acid or food density would on its own. 

Now, I have various home crafted recipes that are not entirely recommended in my own pantry now -- a delicious fig and caramelized onion chutney, for instance. And I wholly believe everyone should make their own decisions as to what they are and are not comfortable canning at home. That said, I also think if you're going to be making decisions to forgo canning safety recommendations it needs to be from a place of empowered education. Not because someone you've never met told you over an internet chat board that they do it all the time. 

So, make your decision, but keep in mind lard is a triple whammy. It is low acid, dense, and (obviously!) high fat. So you're not breaking just one rule of botulism prevention, but all three. If you're okay with that, so be it. But if you're going to pass along your method for doing so, the responsible thing is to make sure you understand enough to be able to explain the risks to your friend and allow her to make her own informed decision, too.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Just like butter which is shelf stable without even having to can it. 

We can lard and keep it in the pantry and have never had a problem nor do I expect to. The USDA lists "Canned bacon" which is essentially lard as good for "2 to 5 years in pantry". 

There are a lot of things that fit your 1,2,3 criteria which are canned just fine. The purpose of canning is to preserve things without the need to freeze them which requires an ongoing source and cost of electric. In some places electricity might be dependable but out in rural areas we learn to not rely on it because it does go out, sometimes for extended periods.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

I would imagine with the amount of pigs that you have (Highlands) that it is necessary to have shelf stable product as who could contain all that lard never mind anything else.

I have 4 boars going to the butcher at the end of the month--will have to give it a try as I already have all my freezers full. Problem is all my shelves are full too.

I know you buy lard on the shelf and it isn't even vacuum sealed. I am for keeping what I can out of the freezer.

Thanks all.

I understand the concern, but with all canned goods you run a risk and just have to be careful.


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## PackerBacker (Jul 17, 2013)

olivehill said:


> The reason for these three is that they all work in different ways to protect and harbor the bacteria that produce botulism.


You're forgetting the main ingredient needed for botulism. H2O.


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## FarmerStina (Nov 18, 2011)

Karen in Alabam said:


> I know you buy lard on the shelf and it isn't even vacuum sealed. I am for keeping what I can out of the freezer.


Just so you know, lard on the shelf has been processed to be shelf stable. It isn't the same product as home-rendered lard! From Wikipedia:

"Industrially-produced lard, including much of the lard sold in supermarkets, is rendered from a mixture of high and low quality fat sources from throughout the pig.[9] To improve stability at room temperature, lard is often hydrogenated. Hydrogenated lard sold to consumers typically contains fewer than 0.5g of transfats per 13g serving.[10] Lard is also often treated with bleaching and deodorizing agents, emulsifiers, and antioxidants, such as BHT.[4][11] These treatments make lard more consistent and prevent spoilage. (Untreated lard must be refrigerated or frozen to prevent rancidity.)[12][13]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lard


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Karen in Alabam said:


> I would imagine with the amount of pigs that you have (Highlands) that it is necessary to have shelf stable product as who could contain all that lard never mind anything else.


We don't sell lard. It is something we plan to do in the future once we have our commercial kitchen setup. Currently we just make lard for our own family use. There actually isn't a lot of fat on our pigs since they are pastured and the pasture makes up most of their diet. Back fat is only around 0.75 inches typically. Sometimes an inch. Gilts have more back fat than boars.


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## Karen in Alabam (Jul 21, 2010)

Thanks FarmerStina on the info on the Non-Lard in the store---yuck

Thanks Highlands for the info. Interesting in Gilts--we are still pretty new to pigs and have only slaughtered the one barrow so far. He was over an year old and pretty big. He was in the pasture, but was also fed regularly.


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## karenp (Jun 7, 2013)

When you say heat seal, exactly what do you mean? Just thinking out loud, but wouldn't the lard be liquid at the time of canning making it less dense?


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Karen in Alabam said:


> A friend was asking me about canning lard.
> 
> I got to be all big and stuff and tell her about the Leaf Lard that I learned about ---wahooo!
> 
> but I don't know about canning it.


http://www.howtobaker.com/techniques/insane-foodie-projects/how-to-render-and-can-your-own-lard/

Not hard to do and will last for years. Better tasting and health wise better than store lard.

Best,
Gerold.


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## karenp (Jun 7, 2013)

Excellent thread, thanks for the question and all the answers. I am so excited to be getting pigs next spring.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

We do exactly the same as Highlands. I have had one jar of lard fail. That particular jar seemed to have water in it. I store my jars with the rings off so that if i have a problem the seal will break. Like I said only 1 failure, but I think the key is taking time to render the lard very well and strain it very well. Blessings, Kat


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Whisperwindkat said:


> We do exactly the same as Highlands. I have had one jar of lard fail. That particular jar seemed to have water in it. I store my jars with the rings off so that if i have a problem the seal will break. Like I said only 1 failure, but I think the key is taking time to render the lard very well and strain it very well. Blessings, Kat


If the seal breaks the lid will pop up in the middle. We always used rings. Easier to store and handle with the rings on. Maybe one out of 100 would break seal.


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