How to Render Lard at Home: From Pastured Pig to Pantry Staple

A Return to Traditional Fats

There’s something deeply satisfying about putting every bit of an animal to good use. When we bring a hog from pasture to pantry, rendering lard is one of those old-fashioned skills that feels both practical and a little sacred.

For a long time, lard got a bad rap, and we lost touch with its goodness. But on a homestead, we know better than to waste good food—or good fat. Rendering lard at home might sound intimidating, but I promise it’s simpler than you think. Whether you raise your own pigs or pick up pork fat from a local farmer or butcher, this guide will walk you through the whole process—from choosing the right fat to storing that golden goodness in your pantry.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and turn that pastured pork fat into something truly nourishing.

What Is Lard and Why Use It?

Lard, at its most basic, is fat from a pig that has been rendered down.  Don’t let the grocery store fool you, the blue box in the baking aisle is not real lard.  I’m not exactly sure what it is, which is more than enough of a reason for me not have it in my kitchen.  

Lard from pasture-raised pigs offers a healthier fat profile than lard from pigs raised in the conventional hog barns. It contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. It is a source vitamin D due to the pigs sun exposure and the ability to forage. It can have a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, and it’s a stable cooking fat, free from trans fats, making it a nutritious, minimally processed option for high-heat cooking and baking. 

If you are raising your own pigs, lard is a sustainable and frugal choice of cooking fat.  It will ensure that all the hard work you put into raising that animal does not go to waste.

Sourcing Pork Fat: What to Ask Your Butcher (or Know If You Raise Your Own Pigs)

Pigs, like most animals, have two different kinds of fat.  Actually, they only have one kind of fat, but depending on where it is found on the animal, it can have a different name.

Leaf lard is the fat from around the kidneys. It is prized for its mild flavour.  When rendered correctly, it has a neutral flavour that is perfect for pastry and biscuits.

All the rest of the fat on the pig is called fatback.  This is the fat that is typically added to sausages.  It can also be rendered down and used for everyday cooking.  The fatback does tend to have a mild porky flavour.  It is perfect for everyday cooking or roasting.  

The flavour of the fat, from anywhere on the pig, will be influenced by how the animal was raised and what it was fed.  If you are purchasing fat from a farmer or butcher, make sure to ask about this.  Let them know what you are planning on using the fat for.  Hopefully, this will help you end up with the best end product possible

Prepping the Fat: Cleaning and Cutting

If you are purchasing your fat from a farmer or butcher, check to see if it has been trimmed of skin and meat.  Most of the bulk fat will come in larger pieces packed into a bag.  Trimming the fat of extra skin is piddly work, so it is worth taking the time to ask.

If you have raised your own pig, be sure to tell your butcher on the cut sheet that you would like them to save all the fat.  Make a note to keep the leaf lard and fatback separate and labelled.  If your butcher does not charge extra for grinding (some do), have them grind the fat for you.  It will save you work on the back end.

The best way to render lard is from ground fat.  The smaller the pieces, the more of the fat can melt out while it is rendering.  If you are planning on processing your own lard regularly, I would strongly recommend a meat grinder.  If you don’t have one, ask a friend if you can borrow one.  If you know someone who hunts wild game, I would be happy to bet that they might have a meat grinder.

If you cannot get your hands on a grinder, don’t despair.  Just sharpen your knife and get cutting.  You want to cut the fat into very small pieces.  The smaller the better; your patience will be rewarded in the end.

Methods for Rendering Lard

There are a few different ways that you can render lard, but they all use the same principle—low heat and time.  The slower your fat heats up, the less likely it is to cook the scrap bits left inside the fat.  If you can keep the heat low and slow, you will be rewarded with beautiful lard with a pale colour and a mild flavour.

Stovetop method:

Place a clean heavy-bottom pan on the stove.  This is the time to use your cast-iron pan if you have one. Add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and add some of your pork fat.  Turn the heat to the lowest setting.  As the fat starts to melt, add more fat pieces.  Repeat until all the fat has been added to the pan.  Leave the pan on the lowest setting possible for a couple of hours.

Oven method:

For this, you are going to get a heavy, high-sided roaster pan.  It must have high sides to contain the melting fat.  Add your fat to the pan.  Place the pan in the oven and turn the oven on to the lowest setting.  You will need to keep an eye on the pan and stir it occasionally to make sure the fat melts evenly.  Once all the fat has melted down, leave it in the oven for a couple of hours to make sure you have fully rendered the fat.  

Make sure you look in the oven occasionally.  You do not want your fat to get too hot.  Signs it is getting too hot are if there is fat popping and spitting from the pan. 

Slow cooker method:

This one is my favourite way to render most fats.  You simply fill your slow cooker with your ground fat and turn it on to low.  As the fat melts down, you can add more until the fat is almost at the top.  Then you just leave it for a couple of hours for the fat to fully render out.  

I don’t leave the lid on the slow cooker because I don’t want to trap any additional moisture in with the rendered fat.  I want it to all cook off.  But if you are worried about something falling into the slow cooker, just put the lid on sideways.  That way, the lard is protected, and the moisture can still escape.

Filtering and Storing Your Lard

Once your lard is fully rendered, you are going to turn off the heat source and leave it to cool.  You can leave it for quite a while; you don’t need to worry about it turning solid quickly.  

We need to leave it to cool to a safe temperature for handling.  We don’t want to end up with hot, melted fat on us while we are trying to strain it.

You will notice some solid bits in your pot with the rendered lard.  Those are the cracklins.  They are just what is left over from the fat.  But you do want to remove them before storing your lard. 

To remove the cracklins, you can use cheesecloth or a fine sieve.  Place the sieve over whatever contain your are going to use to pour your lard from.

I like to strain my lard into my largest blender container and then pour it into the storage containers.  Yes, it is more dishes and an extra step, but I find that I end up spilling less lard on the counters this way.

There are 2 ways I like to store my lard.  I either use wide-mouth glass mason jars for lard that is going to be used right away.  Or I like to pour it into bread pans, then vacuum seal the lard blocks for long-term storage in the freezer.  

I store all my lard in the fridge or freezer.   I work too hard to raise these pigs to have it go rancid on my pantry shelf.  That being said, there are lots of tutorials out there about how to make shelf-stable lard, if that is your thing.  If you find a good one, send it my way.

You lard, once rendered, should have a pale, almost white colour and have little to no smell.  It should have a clean, slightly porky flavour. 

Troubleshooting Common Problems

• Why lard might smell “piggy” and how to avoid it.

The most common reason your lard might smell ‘piggy’ is probably from rendering it at too high a heat, or for too long.  If the heat is too high, it will cook the meat bits left in the fat, which will give the lard a strong flavour.  The best way to avoid this is to make sure your heat is very, very low.

• What to do if it scorches or turns brown?

If your lard starts to scorch while rendering, the best course of action is to immediately remove it from the heat, strain out the solids (cracklings), and consider re-rendering the fat to remove the burnt odour and flavour. Scorched lard often turns brown, but it can usually be saved, especially if it is only slightly overcooked.

A Pantry Staple Worth the Effort

Rendering lard is one of those skills that looks old-fashioned on the surface but fits beautifully into a modern homestead. It’s slow, a little messy, and deeply rewarding. Taking something that might otherwise be discarded and turning it into a clean, useful pantry staple feels like a small act of stewardship.

Whether you’re rendering lard from a pig you raised yourself or from fat sourced locally, the process is the same: low and slow, with patience and care. A few jars of homemade lard on the shelf mean better cooking, less waste, and one more step toward a more self-sufficient kitchen.

If this is your first time rendering lard, start small and don’t overthink it. Like so many traditional skills, it gets easier—and more intuitive—each time you do it. And before long, reaching for a jar of homemade lard will feel just as natural as grabbing butter from the fridge.

From pig to pantry, every step matters—and this one is well worth the effort.