Rendering Lard

Lard is delicious. It adds a meaty richness to any dish, especially if the dish doesn't have as many other meat components. It can be used as a replacement or supplement to any neutral oil when stir frying. And it's surprisingly easy to make if you've got some leftover fat.

You could just buy lard, or buy huge chunks of fat to render, but often when buying meat from the grocery store, there's enough fat trimmings that could be made into some lard for the next stir fry, for example the fat off of pork belly, pork shoulder, or fatty pieces of beef can all be trimmed and used to render lard. When trimming fat from pieces of meat, try to make sure the fat isn't too bloody, so that the blood doesn't cloud the lard when rendering.

Cut the fat pieces into small chunks, toss it in a wok, and add some water. Let the water boil, and skim off any scum. There should be less scum compared to boiling chunks of meat, but there's probably still a little. The fat pieces should be cooked, and slowly releasing the lard. Let the water completely boil off, and turn the heat to low or medium-low. As the lard continues to render, the fat pieces will slowly fry in its own fat, becoming crispy and savory. Keep going until all the water is gone, and the fat pieces are sufficiently crispy.

Use a little lard for the next veggie stir fry, and it's pretty amazing how much extra flavor it imparts. And the crispy fat pieces can be used as an addition to the stir fry too!