On a frosty day, returning from a walk, it is so nice to pour a plate of fragrant borscht, cut off a slice of fresh bread with a crispy crust and put on it thinly sliced pieces of bacon with a pink vein of meat. Pieces of properly salted bacon should melt in your mouth, and it itself should certainly be fresh.
Where can you buy and how to choose the right lard for salting
A piece of bacon can be bought ready-made, in any store, but, unfortunately, not every manufacturer can be trusted to be sure of the quality of the product, as well as its freshness. Lard can be completely bland and tasteless, and this is not the worst thing that a product bought in a store can upset.
Traditionally, only coarse salt and ground pepper are used for salting lard, sometimes other spices. Do not be afraid to oversalt a piece of meat, but you should be more careful with spices and pepper so as not to interrupt the delicate taste of bacon.
If you make very little effort, be patient, then in a couple of days you can get salted lard, cooked at home.
Traditionally, only coarse salt and ground pepper are used for salting lard, sometimes other spices. Do not be afraid to oversalt a piece of meat, but with spices and pepper you should be more careful so as not to interrupt the delicate taste of bacon.
When choosing a piece of fresh bacon you like, you should be extremely careful. After all, this type of product will not undergo heat treatment. You should buy meat only in stores and markets and, without hesitation, ask the seller for a certificate of veterinary inspection of the carcass. Particular attention should be paid to the date of issue of this certificate. It will be even better if the selected piece has a special stamp confirming that the meat has been tested.
What should the salting look like?
Salted lard with meat veins will turn out much tastier, the meat veins should be from 0.5 cm.
The most optimal thickness of the selected piece of bacon for salting is more than three centimeters, with one or two layers of meat.
Salted lard with meat veins will turn out much tastier, the meat veins should be from 0.5 cm.
The piece should be soft, pliable in the hands, this is what will ensure the tenderness and juiciness of the finished product. The skin of the fat should be clean, free of bristles and other contaminants. The color of the skin can vary from light yellow to almost white.
If the skin of the selected piece is dark, then the purchase should be discarded. The fat should be white, pale cream or pink in color. You should not buy lard if it is yellow, uneven layers of meat, or none at all.
Make a small test on the piece you like and press on it with your finger. If the fat is fresh, and the pig was young, then the dent from the finger will remain, but if the depression disappeared immediately, this means that the piece is hard and the meat is old. No matter how you salt it, it will still remain tasteless. If you are sure that the selected piece of bacon meets all the requirements, you can safely buy it.
