Smoked bacon, stupefyingly smelling on the counters of markets or shops, causes profuse salivation and increased appetite. Smoking lard at home is an even more exciting process - the main thing is to follow all the rules for its preliminary salting so that the product acquires an amazing taste and color.
Dry and wet salting
For salting lard in a dry way, which is the simplest, take large pieces of bacon, a wooden (enameled) deep container, salt and spices to taste. Rinse the bacon thoroughly, leaving the skin if desired, cut it into small pieces and rub each of them with a mixture of spices and salt. Pour a layer of salt (2-3 cm in height) on the bottom of the container, lay the pieces of bacon on top of it as tightly and closely as possible, cover the bacon with oppression and press down with a load. Place the container in a cool, dry place for seven to eight days and during this period periodically open it to turn the salted pieces. After a week, remove the bacon, wipe it well with a napkin and smoke it cold or hot.
Do not grease lard in a wooden pine container - it will give off a resin that will spoil the quality of the lard.
To salt lard in a wet way, take large pieces of bacon, 10 g of sugar, 100 g of salt, 1 liter of water and spices to taste. Pour the water, salt and sugar into a small saucepan, simmer over medium heat and cool to room temperature, then pour the brine into a wooden or enamel bowl. Place pieces of bacon in this container so that they are completely covered with brine, and put oppression on top. Place the container in a cool, dry place for five to seven days - if stored in the refrigerator, increase the salting period by another four to five days. After the expiration date, thoroughly rinse each piece to remove the salt, dry the bacon and start smoking it.
Combined salting
For a combination salting applied to large pieces of lard, take lard, 2-3 liters of water, 50 g of sugar, salt, spices, juniper branches and stones. Rinse a wooden container with water, place junipers on its bottom and press them down with hot stones - this will disinfect the container and remove all foreign odors. Rub the bacon with salt on all sides, put in dense layers on the bottom of the container, press down on them with oppression and put them in a cool, dry place for six to seven days. Turn the pieces over from time to time during the period to evenly salt them. Boil water with salt and sugar in a saucepan, then strain through a piece of cheesecloth and chill.
Filtration of the brine is especially recommended when preparing lard for smoking in natural conditions or for a long journey.
Pour the lard in the container with the resulting solution and leave it to salt under pressure for another ten to fifteen days. When foam appears on the surface of the brine, remove the pieces of bacon, rinse them thoroughly, drain the liquid and boil it again, adding another 100 g of salt to the brine and cooling it to room temperature. Then again pour the lard tightly packed in a wooden container with the refreshed brine, wait a few hours and start smoking the bacon hot or cold. Preliminary salting will allow the lard to retain its taste for a long time without spoiling.
