How to salt lard for smoking: two salting methods

Before salting, you should make sure that the lard has no foreign odors. It very quickly absorbs someone else's aroma, and if there was fish lying next to the lard, this will have to be corrected.

Salted lard in brine

This is a method for lard with a smell, or old, already stale lard. It is quite dense, and in order to salt it properly, it is better to use brine.

Scrape the lard with a knife and cut it into pieces of the desired size with which it will be smoked. Place the lard in a saucepan or basin.

Peel the head of garlic, place the cloves between pieces of lard, and prepare the brine. For 1 liter of water, add 150 grams of rock salt, a couple of black peppercorns, and a few bay leaves. Boil the brine until the salt is completely dissolved and cool slightly. Pour the lard with warm brine and put pressure on top so that it does not float. Now the lard should be salted in brine, get rid of foreign odors, and be saturated with the aroma of spices.

There are no specific rules for how long lard should be in the brine. Some housewives let it stand for at least a week, others salt it for only 3 hours.Both are extremes, and in the case of lard, rely on your own feelings. Salt lard in brine for a day, and you can’t go wrong.

Dry salting

Lard from young pigs can be salted dry. It is already quite loose, and it does not need additional liquid for salting.

Cut the lard into pieces that you will smoke and rub it with coarse salt on all sides. You can add paprika or ground black pepper.

Young lard absorbs flavors well, and you need to take advantage of this. Cut a few cloves of garlic into slices and sprinkle the lard over them.

Now all that remains is to wrap the lard in cling film or a bag and leave it in the refrigerator for a day (not in the freezer).

Watch the video for the whole process of how to salt lard for later smoking: