So I had this great idea.

My friend gave me this totally excellent, new dutch oven for my birthday! I was, (and still am), quite excited! It is HUGE and I have never had one before!
They also gave me a bag of pig fat from their last hog.

WELL.
I thought to myself, "Self, how about rendering the lard in our fabulous new DUTCH OVEN?! It would be cool, make a great Steemit post, and start working on the seasoning on that new pan!"
Well, 'Self' agreed, and we embarked on our path of folly...

Now, I HAVE rendered lard before, quite successfully. I always use a large crockpot, and it works out great every time.

Well, after researching a little. I began.

Mmmm, pig fat... ;P

First, you must cut up the fat into smallish chunks.

You also need to cut out any chunks of meat left in there, or your lard with taste quite porky.
I set mine aside in a pot and used it to make lentil soup with later.

So far, so good.

Now, there are two ways to render, dry and wet.
Pretty much, you choose to either add some water in the beginning, or not. A little water can help keep the fat from sticking and keep the fried 'pork taste' to a minimum. But you don't have to. I've done it both ways and there really isn't much, if any, difference in the end product.

This time, I added water. Now you just cook on low for a long time, and wait for the fat to melt.
At first, I had it on the stovetop because I was afraid I would forget it was in the oven, and it would burn.
I am quite forgetful at times...
Hours later, nothing much was happening, so I got brave and moved it to the oven, set at 250deg.
I left it in there ALL DAY.
Wasn't done by bed time.
So I switched the oven to low and left it overnight. In the morning, no progress had been made.
I turned it back up to 250 and left it most of the next day.
By the evening, the fat still wasn't quite all the way rendered, but I was DONE with this!

Next step is simple. You need to filter out the lard from the skin pieces. (I'd say cracklin's, but mine were not crackly, they were a gooey mess!)

I placed a metal sieve over a pyrex measuring glass, and put a clean washcloth over that, and then poured through. Many people use cheesecloth, which is a good choice. I just couldn't find mine...

Then pour the hot lard into canning jars. The result will be a yellowish liquid, which clears and becomes hard and white upon cooling.

The lard lasts a surprisingly long time. You can keep it in the fridge or in a cupboard.
Lard is great for frying things with and using in place of shortening!

Lard is pretty amazing in that it is one of the only food sources of vitamin D!

One of my favorite uses for it though, is making lotion!

Im going to make some lotion for my neighbor and her extended family soon, by request, and Ill make a post about how this is done. It's SUPER easy!

Lard works great for lotion because the fatty acids in it are very similar to the ones found in our skin, so it absorbs and makes better use of it than lotions made with vegetable fats. (Like coconut or olive oils.)

Anyway, thanks for reading about my misadventure!
I hope you enjoyed! Ill have to do another post on the right way to render lard when I do another batch!
I still have a trashbag full of fat in my freezer!

As always, have a blessed day!

badges courtesy of @daddykirbs

Also, since I've never had a dutch oven before, I am looking for ways to use it and things to make! Please share how you use yours and any tips you have! Thanks! ♥