[Mel]

Hi everyone 

I have had the excess fat cut off of my two sows and wish to use it for fat balls for the birds- amongst other things.

I have pure white fat,is it best to mince it,then cook it down and so forth or is there a better way? I have been melting it down in a pan,then adding all the birdie ingredients and then,allow it to set.

I have been cutting the skin into strips and baking it so drain the excess fat-and putting this is jars and obviously the remainder is very nice crackling.

Any advice would be most welcome!
Mel

[robert waddell]

not even mincing just cut it into small pieces saves you cleaning the mincer then heat if using for cooking skim the crud from the melted fat it is the purest whitest cooking fat ever

[Mel]

not even mincing just cut it into small pieces saves you cleaning the mincer then heat if using for cooking skim the crud from the melted fat it is the purest whitest cooking fat ever

Oh Thank you Robert,I have been mincing it up,taking ages!

[Sylvia]

I put mine in a large roasting tin in the oven, then pour it onto seeds etc. Our birds get squares rather than balls but don't seem to mind

[Plantoid]

years ago when when we had our pigs slaughetrted and cut up at home mum & dad used to coarse mince the fats .,& along with thick fqatted skin  render it down in the oven and then pour the lot into an emamal bucket whilst  straining the fat and melted fsat through some muslin or cheese cloth.
 
Us kids used to ask for some of the newly drained off renderings or hot crispy crackling , put sugar & salt on them and eat them while still piping hot .
Any left over renderings or unwanted crackling was kept aside in a big screw topped bin and added to the dogs & cats foods over the winter.

 Though sometimes mum would put some of the saved renderings out for the birds and use the unsalted lard to make a tray of fat squares as already described using mixed in grain & rolled oats if there was snow on the ground.

[YorkshireLass]

.
Any left over renderings or unwanted crackling was kept aside in a big screw topped bin and added to the dogs & cats foods over the winter.

Do you remember if the crackling kept well over the winter...? Or were they doing fresh renderings every so often?

[Plantoid]

The crackling  was hacked into pork scratching size lumps rendered & jarred up , as far as I can recall it seemed to last for ages but I was only a 3 to 7 yr old munchkin in those days .

It coiuld be that the salted hanging meat or the side laid in the salt trough was the source of the crackling and fats after th inital pig killing , then the first few meat , pies & sausages preparations sessions  for i have vivid pictures of it in the big pantry with the skin still on and honey flavoured salt crystals on the outside . ( Yes us kids licked the residues off out sticky fingers gained from touching the raw honey salted joints & hams etc because it tasted real good .
 

I've just thought of a picutre of mum adding some cooked crackling bits to the big enameled soup pan that stood on the kitchen range fire or at the side ...Mmmmmmm  delicious smells return tom my head.

[Anke]

Well where I come from, the white hard back fat is rendered down, and then at the end of the process apples pieces and onion slices are added, then poured into jars and very slowly cooled down. The crackly bits are minced, added some salt. Both are eaten on  (sourdough or other dark) bread, some salt on top and absolutely delicious (although any heart specialist would probably have a heart attack when hearing this...). All last very well over winter in cool larder.

Also rendered lard very good for cooking, esp cabbages during winter, doughnuts etc etc.

Also useful for making soap...