Lard from Laura Smith

Appetizers | Russian cuisine

⏳ Time

2 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

This recipe was provided to us by Laura Smith, the chef of the restaurant "The Classic Diner."

Ingredients

Lard - 2 lbs
Salt - to taste
Ground Black Pepper - to taste
Bay leaf - to taste
Garlic - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Rinse the lard under cold water, then make sure to dry it thoroughly.

Step 2

Make cuts in the fat every 5–6 centimeters to allow it to cure better and for the spices we will add to penetrate inside.

Step 3

Chop the garlic into pieces, then crush it in a mortar along with black pepper. Rub this garlic-pepper mixture, together with coarse salt, onto the pork fat. Optionally, top it with bay leaves. Don't be stingy with the salt; the pork fat will absorb just the right amount of salt, pepper, and garlic without excess.

Step 4

Leave the lard covered in a coat of salt, pepper, and garlic at room temperature for three to four hours, so that all these flavors can blend and penetrate.

Step 5

Wrap the bacon in a sheet of wax paper, then in foil, and place it in the freezer. After one and a half days, you can cut off a piece of the coating and taste the bacon - if the amount of salt is to your liking, the bacon is ready to eat. Then, you need to remove the coating; the bacon will remain clean but infused with flavor.