Who among us has not tried the "traditional Ukrainian product" - salted pork fat? Probably, everyone has.
And if, at first glance, lard is cholesterol, which is harmful to health, then scientists have long since refuted this belief.
Eating salted lard in reasonable amounts only benefits the body.
Pork fat contains large amounts of arachidonic acid, which is necessary for normal metabolism in the body.
As paradoxical as it may sound, this acid, participating in immune reactions, cleanses our blood vessels from cholesterol deposits.
If you like this delicious product, you can easily prepare it at home.
First, you need to buy lard that is suitable for salting. The main criterion for this product is the hardness of the pork fat. For salting, it should be uniform, white or with a layer of meat.
A sign of good lard is a thin skin, which a knife can easily penetrate without any visible effort. So, the lard has been selected.
Let's start salting it.
There are several types of salting lard, but the most popular and uncomplicated is salting lard in brine.
Let's prepare the brine. Pour 250 g of salt into a container and add a liter of hot water. Put it on the fire and heat until the salt is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and leave to cool to 20-28 degrees.
The required salt concentration can be checked using a raw potato. Place a medium potato in the prepared brine.
If it floats on the surface, the brine is ready; if it sinks, add salt.
Cut the lard into medium-sized pieces that can easily fit into a liter glass jar. If the pieces are large, the lard may go rancid in the jar.
Place the sliced lard in layers in a jar, interspersing the layers with peeled garlic cloves, allspice and bay leaves.
Try not to pack the lard too tightly so that the brine can be distributed evenly.
Pour the cooled brine over the prepared lard. Cover the jar with a napkin, a loose lid or gauze and put the container in a cool place for 4-6 days. After some time, try the lard. If it is salted, take out the required amount and put the jar in the refrigerator.
For lovers of smoked lard, you can add 50 ml of liquid smoke to the cooled brine - a food flavoring that gives products the taste, aroma and color of natural smoking.
In this case, after 5-8 days, take the lard out of the brine, lay it out to dry on paper towels and, having pulled a thick thread through it, hang it out to dry in a cool place (for example, on the balcony) for 12 hours. Store the finished lard in the refrigerator.
