Ask a Prepper
  • DIY |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Contact
ask a prepper survival every day
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All Articles
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Survival Knowledge
  • How To’s
  • Store
  • About Claude Davis
  • Home
  • All Articles
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Survival Knowledge
  • How To’s
  • Store
  • About Claude Davis
No Result
View All Result
Menu
Ask a Prepper
Search
No Result
View All Result
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Home All Articles
What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

KJ Barber by KJ Barber
September 18, 2020
36

I’m sure many of you have either lived by, or heard great stories from the grandparents, about using or consuming bacon grease for cooking. My grandfather was a butcher and loved a good fat sandwich. I loved everything about him, except that. But, to each their own.

Anyway, many counters in the past have hosted canisters of bacon grease ready to use for adding flavor in cooking and frying up tasty dishes, such as potatoes. This grease was often just left out on the counter, and not refrigerated at all. And, it seems that people survived just fine.

Now, some people today might think that this is taboo and that it should be refrigerated, if not even used at all. However, I think you should use your gut instinct on this. Mine says that there are probably enough natural and added preservatives in some meats, especially pork, that it creates a favorable environment for preventing bacteria to thrive.

Take bacon. It’s cured in salt, which is an effective preserving agent. In fact, store-bought bacon also has nitrates added, due to its preservation tendencies.

In addition to the salt in pork, grease in itself can serve as a preservative because it does not allow for air to penetrate or bacteria to grow. It can act like a seal, much like using wax to seal homemade jams and jellies. So, what about lard?

Related: 25 Survival Uses For Leftover Bacon Grease

Lard as a Meat Preservation Option

While lard might not contain much salt, or other chemicals, it’s still fat. And, being pork, I tend to think that it would have some natural salt and preservatives in it.

Even so, the grease alone will act like a sealant and will help to keep bacteria at bay. It basically locks it out and protects the meat. In other words, sealing meat in lard can be an effective way to store meat for months, especially the colder months. Now, just keep in mind: this is for cooked meat, not raw.

While lard may be easy to make, I chose store bought to use for this article. Either is fine though.

Needed Supplies

Some of the supplies used can vary, depending on what you have and what you prefer. But, it’s a short list:

  • Meat – I have known and read about pork and beef, but nothing on chicken yet at this.
  • Lard – This can be either homemade lard or store bought.
  • Crock or Canning Jar (and lids) – The size will depend on how much meat you plan on preserving.
  • Pans – You will need pans for both cooking the meat, as well as heating the lard. Or, one can be used for both (see my instructions).
  • Funnel – This will make it easier to pour the lard over the meat, if you choose to use canning jars instead of a crock.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

Related: Canning Meatloaf for Meals in a Jar

Now, let’s get started. At this time, I am only going to use a small amount of meat and lard, because it’s for the purpose of this article. However, when doing this for a batch for storing for the family, the amounts of product would be much larger.

I am also using a canning jar at this time. My instructions will be based on that, not the crock. But, I will add a few comments regarding the use of a crock at the end.

Step 1

First, cook the meat. It should be thoroughly cooked by the time the jar is sealed. Considering that the meat will still be hot when placed in the jar, as well as hot lard being poured over it, it’s most likely that the meat will continue to cook slightly, maybe a couple degrees.

So, if you use a meat thermometer, stop the cooking process a couple degrees short of your desired temperature. I am using pork sausage patties.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

Step 2

Put the meat in the jar (either whole, or sliced). Lightly place the lid on it to keep it warm while you move to the next step.

Note: You could do steps 1 & 3 at the same time, as long as you keep an eye on both. I chose to do them back to back, but melted the lard in the same pan that I used to cook the sausage patties. In hindsight, I would have used a smaller jar. I only wanted enough meat in the jar for 1 meal for my family, and the quart is a little bit larger than I needed.

Related: Pressure-Canning Hamburger Meat for Long Term Preservation

Step 3

Melt the lard in a pan, so it’s hot and easy to pour. Again, I used the same pan…easy to clean and also grabbed some of the grease and flavor from the cooked sausage.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

Step 4

Pour hot lard over the meat in the jar.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

Step 5

Place the lid and ring on the jar and tighten.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

Step 6

Wait for the seal. Pop! It was sealed rather quickly.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?

Whether you use the canning jars, or a crock, make sure to store the container(s) in a cool and dry location. It does not have to be refrigerated. But, it has to be cool enough that the lard will not melt again.What Happens If You Put Meat In Lard?Now, if you use the canning jar method, it might be difficult to get it sealed again once you open it. So, this might be best if you want to preserve small batches separately. You might be able to re-seal it with more hot lard and a new lid. However, I have never tried to re-seal a canning jar.

If you use a crock, the amount of meat you can preserve will depend on the size of crock you use. By using this method of storage, you can take out what you want to use, and simply add more hot lard to cover the meat.

Related: How to Can Your Leftover Turkey

Tips on Using the Crock Method:

Place the cooked meat into a dry and sterilized crock, cover the meat completely with the hot lard. Cover that with a piece of clean wax paper, then cover the wax paper with the crock’s cover. When you want to take some meat out to use, make sure to cover the remaining meat with more hot lard and cover again with clean wax paper and the crock’s cover.

The less often the meat is disturbed, the better results you should have in the end.

Preserving meat in lard is not meant to be for years, but rather months…preferably the colder months so the meat and lard do not warm up.

You may also like:

tlw banner What Happens If You Put Raw Meat Over A Dead FireHow To Stockpile Lard, The Calorie Rich Survival Food Of The Great Depression

This Homemade Device Can Power Up Your Entire House 7 Days in a Row (Video)

Is it Safe to Drink Old Stored Water?

Medicinal Uses for Activated Charcoal

DIY – Mason Jar Soil Test

Tags: Prepperreserve foodstockpile
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
ShareTweetPin25

Comments 36

  1. Smitty says:
    3 years ago

    Sooooo when you’re ready to take it out & eat it, it will be a solid cake of hard grease. Do you warm it up in a double boiler, or oven on low to melt it to use? I’m also guessing you should melt & use the whole thing in one setting

    Did you like this comment? 4
    5
    Reply
    • left coast chuck says:
      3 years ago

      There used to be a C-ration called sausage patties in gravy. It really was sausage patties in lard because the can was filled with congealed (grease)(lard), especially in severely cold weather. Some guys really like it and I was always able to trade it off for ham and lima beans which strongly resembled a meal that my mother frequently made at home. We were poor but I never realized it until I started reading about the folks who are considered “below the poverty line” by fat cat goobermint officials. Everyone I knew was poor but we never realized it. We always thought we were middle class Americans. Heck, even the wealthy only got 3 channels on their TV set and only a test pattern after 11:00 pm. I don’t know how we survived.

      Did you like this comment? 37
      1
      Reply
      • City Chick says:
        3 years ago

        Bet you had the best parents too LCC! They are the ones whose kids never have the foggiest idea that their home life was anything short of the best it could possibly be! It’s only in hindsight that kids realize what an amazing job their parents have actually done!

        Did you like this comment? 15
      • IvyMike says:
        3 years ago

        Our typical meal was something like vienna sausages floating in a pot of beans with scratch biscuits (lard!) on the side. The Governmental Official Bureau of Nutrition these days probably considers that child abuse. As a Libtard I don’t begrudge anybody their nutritional assistance payments and free school meals but it would seem more efficient for the Government to supply information to the poor on how to eat like the poor! Navy beans are 1$ a pound, Vienna Sausage 50 cents a can, canned biscuits 1$ a pound. Feed 4 for $2.50! Keeping your self respect is cheap.

        Did you like this comment? 9
        1
    • red says:
      3 years ago

      No, we used to just put it in 10 gallon crocks, then take it off a layer at a time. If you want small, easy to use batches, use quart jars and melt in a pan of water on low heat. niio

      Did you like this comment? 9
      Reply
    • freida says:
      3 years ago

      Why does this website keep insisting I’ve already made this comment and not allow me to post my comment?

      Did you like this comment?
      1
      Reply
      • red says:
        3 years ago

        freida: Mine does the same, but the post won’t show till the next day. niio

        Did you like this comment?
  2. Stevenac says:
    3 years ago

    My grandmother fried up sausage patties and poured hot lard to cover them in a five gallon crock.tmThis was undone in the fall at butchering time. She had sausage for nearly a year this way in the days before refrigerators

    Did you like this comment? 4
    1
    Reply
  3. Chubby says:
    3 years ago

    My mother in law stored fried venison in a crock like this.

    Did you like this comment? 1
    Reply
  4. left coast chuck says:
    3 years ago

    The French have been doing that for a very long time with duck meat. It is called duck confit. It was used to preserve duck meat long before refrigerations.

    There is an article in the archives about how to do make duck confit which could have been the companion piece to this article.

    Did you like this comment? 10
    Reply
  5. clergylady says:
    3 years ago

    Use it in one setting unless you can refrigerate it. Then it should be good around a week in the grease. Use some of that grease to mkje a rue and milk or cream gravey.

    Did you like this comment? 3
    2
    Reply
    • Joseph says:
      2 years ago

      I growed up saving bacon grease and we used it for seasoning foods all the time. I actually thought this was common practice. The next time yall cook a pot of dry beans put a heaping table spoon in there with them and a big cake of cornbread with a chunk of onion. Thats good eating there.

      Did you like this comment? 8
      Reply
  6. red says:
    3 years ago

    KJ, good article and I like reading it! But, what’s wrong with fat sandwiches? Get rid of the bread an you have keto. Dad and my grandfathers would take them to the mines. The women saved fat of the hams, hams the men cured and smoked for them, fry it up, add homemade brown mustard, and you had a meal that lasted hours after eating. Plenty of energy, at that. At one time, and in the future, smoked lard, from bacon and hams, as well as smoked beef, cost more than good quality butter. niio

    Did you like this comment? 6
    1
    Reply
  7. City Chick says:
    3 years ago

    Gourmet cuisine! All you need to do is follow with a small salad and cheese course along with a chilled bottle of champagne.

    Did you like this comment? 5
    1
    Reply
    • red says:
      3 years ago

      CC: thought you might look at this. https://www.finalprepper.com/urban-survival-surviving-in-the-city/
      Urban Survival: Surviving in the City
      Of course, you’re probably already doing all of it! niio

      Did you like this comment?
      Reply
  8. Bill says:
    3 years ago

    After you have eaten your meat, use the remaining lard to make soap. You could also strain the renaining kard and use it for frying and then use it to make soap.That will allow you to waste nothing.

    Did you like this comment? 6
    Reply
    • red says:
      3 years ago

      Bill: When it’s too used to be food, biodiesel! niio

      Did you like this comment? 1
      Reply
    • Cathie says:
      3 years ago

      I need to learn how to make soap with lard! Is there an article on that???!!!!

      Did you like this comment? 1
      Reply
      • red says:
        3 years ago

        Cathie: Easy to do, but it has to age for weeks! don’t expect perfection right off, but I hope it’ll come out great. Nor do you have to use lard, but can use cooking oil, instead. Any fat will make soap. niio

        https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a20705805/how-to-make-homemade-soap/

        https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/soap-making-101-making-cold-process-soap/

        https://thethingswellmake.com/making-a-basic-beginner-soap-and-then-making-it-fun/

        Did you like this comment?
        1
  9. Houdini says:
    3 years ago

    I was born in 1952 and lived in a small town, but both sides of my family were farmers. My father’s brother’s killed hogs during the first hard frost each fall. When I got big enough I helped by scrubbing off the hairs and bristles. I watched my aunt’s make sausage and render the lard. They would wind the sausage into what they called lard cans and pour hot boiling lard over the sausage until the cans were full. These were stored in the smoke houses along with all the meat that was smoked. They did this up into the late 60’s as long as their health was good. My grandmother would send me out to the smoke house to open a lard can and get out a few links of sausage along with the lard. She would scrape the excess lard off then fry or bake the sausage. Of course the excess lard went into the lard can in the kitchen for later frying oil.

    The only spanking she ever gave me as she caught me in her smoke house cutting plugs out of a smoked ham with my brand new bone handle Barlow folding knife. You just did not mess around in someone’s smoke house.

    Did you like this comment? 12
    Reply
    • City Chick says:
      3 years ago

      Sounds like an episode of Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations. I hope you have this all written up in the family cookbook!

      Did you like this comment? 3
      Reply
      • City Chick says:
        3 years ago

        Red- Much appreciated! Many thanks for sending along these links! Will all make wonderful bedtime stories!

        Did you like this comment? 2
        1
    • red says:
      3 years ago

      Houdini: At one time, smoked lard, drippings from bacon, ham, and so on, was more expensive than good butter. niio, walk in beauty

      Did you like this comment? 1
      Reply
    • IvyMike says:
      3 years ago

      Bone handle Barlow knife! Hadn’t thought of those in years.

      Did you like this comment? 1
      Reply
  10. left coast chuck says:
    3 years ago

    I searched all 21 pages of “How To” and couldn’t find the article I was looking for about duck in lard. Actually, I think it was duck in duck fat that makes duck confit. Obviously I am having some kind of hallucinatory episode.

    Did you like this comment? 1
    1
    Reply
    • City Chick says:
      3 years ago

      LCC – Looks like there’s room here for you to submit an article for publication.

      Did you like this comment? 1
      Reply
      • red says:
        3 years ago

        I agree! niio

        Did you like this comment?
    • IvyMike says:
      3 years ago

      Far out man, it was hallucinatory episodes turned me into a Liberal.

      Did you like this comment? 1
      2
      Reply
  11. MorganS says:
    3 years ago

    Growing up my grandparents killed, dressed and processed all their meat beef and pork. The hams, hocks jowls, and side meat was smoked. The sausage was pack in a muslin casing and smoked as well. Left over sausage was cooked and canned without fat, and kept well.
    I get pig fat and render 4-5lbs to make lard. I can the lard in pint and 1/2 pint jars. I just opened my last jar that I canned 5-6 years ago. So not only should it keep meat but it’s a great way to store the lard itself

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  12. Alsmurf4 says:
    3 years ago

    My dad, born in 1926, was raised in the country with the family keeping a few cows, chickens and hogs. He told me many times of his mother preserving meatballs in a “crock of grease” when he was a child.

    Did you like this comment? 1
    Reply
  13. freida says:
    3 years ago

    We cannot find tallow at all in our are of West Virginia. In fact, the butcher shops are over an hour away in Charleston! Occasionally, I’m able to find fastback at Walmart, but only occasionally. So how would I use this to make pemmican? Also, though I have a stick blender, my regular blender recently died and I have to save money to buy a new one. (Who knew they had increased in price so much?). Therefore, after drying my beef, I count get it into powder, but just fine bits. I had the opportunity to dry blackberries this year too, but the are also not a fine powder. So what adjustments do I need to make to make pelican with these ingredients? Would rosemary, sage, or thyme be appropriate to add to the pemmican? It seems any of these herbs might keep the product from tasting too fatty and still go well with the berries.

    Any help would be appreciated! Thank you in advance!

    Did you like this comment? 1
    Reply
    • red says:
      3 years ago

      freida: Pemmican is a sausage. Basics are chopped dried meat, which you have, dried berries and dried fruit, tallow or lard. Tallow comes from any mammal not a pig. I heard of people using schmaltz, lard, fatty bacon, you name it. Just so it soaks into the mix. When smoked, put a pan under it to save the drippings. this is smoked lard (or tallow) and used to bring a higher price than good quality butter. For that matter, you can use butter for the fat. The ancestors hung it from the ceiling of the longhouse where it was in smoke 24/7 and it kept well from the winter hunt well into summer. niio

      Did you like this comment?
      Reply
      • Doug001 says:
        7 months ago

        Tallow is hard fat, typically beef or lamb (or mutton, goat or deer) pork fat is soft, chicken fat almost liquid. The drippings from roasting meat spread on bread witha sprinkle of salt is delicious.

        Did you like this comment? 1
  14. Javier M.Guerin says:
    2 years ago

    Amazing tips! I think most of the people did not know about it. Thanks for sharing such nice tips! I really love this blog and content is really useful. Thanks for telling us about the importance of solvency. Keep sharing this post more and more.

    Did you like this comment? 2
    Reply
  15. Gman says:
    2 months ago

    My Grandparent would take pork chops and Sear each side then put them in a crock with a layer of lard about 1 1/2 inch thick then spread the pork chops then more lard until they were at the top. Covering each layer with lard. They will keep for a long time in a cool spot. When you need chops just reach in and pull out what you needs.Be sure and keep them covered with lard. It’s also goods practices to have a wooden cove to keep out bugs and other unwanted critters out.
    You can buy good pork fat at butcher shop. Then render it down. I am pushing 84 years old and have slowed down but still try and do as much in the old ways. God Bless all.
    Gman

    Did you like this comment? 2
    Reply
  16. Edward says:
    2 months ago

    One thing that nobody mentioned here is that the lard you preserve anything is has the highest calorie content of any food you are preserving. When in a survival mode that fat can be the difference of having the energy to continue on or give up. It can be a very valuable addition to your survival kit.

    Did you like this comment? 3
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions Terms & Conditions.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

FOLLOW US ON:

PREPPER RECOMMENDS

YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE AN EMP STRIKE WITHOUT THIS

IF YOU SEE THIS PLANT IN YOUR BACKYARD BURN IT IMMEDIATELY

HOW TO GET 295 POUNDS OF EXTRA FOOD FOR JUST $5 A WEEK

THE AWESOME DIY DEVICE THAT TURNS AIR INTO FRESH WATER

5 INGENIOUS WAYS TO REFRIGERATE YOUR FOOD WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOUSE INVISIBLE TO LOOTERS

Banner Generator

LATEST ARTICLES

The Last Of Us: Mistakes That Might Get You Killed

Is Your Drinking Water Safe After Ohio?

How To Build Your Own Panic Room

25+ Ways To Keep Food Cold Without Electricity

If You Have This On Your Property, Hide It Immediately

This Is How The Government Is Stopping You From Living Independently

DIY Poor Man’s Greenhouse

Why You Should Put A Silver Coin In Water

7 Stores Where You Can Buy Cheap Survival Food

Essential Survival Know-Hows Modern People Have Forgotten

What Happens If China Becomes The Ruling Economic Power Of The World

How To Treat And Heal Wounds With Sugar

5 Ways To Actually Use FEMA To Your Advantage

Long-Lasting Amish Burgers

How To Get Back Home After An EMP Strike

Why You Should Bury A Trash Can In Your Backyard

6 Signs Your Neighbor Will Become A Looter As Soon As SHTF

Ancient Types Of Homes You Can Build For Cheap

5 Unexpected Events Following An Economic Crisis That No One Talks About

How To Recondition Old Gasoline

Veggies You Only Plant Once And Harvest Forever

20 Prepping Items That Will Skyrocket In Price This Year

How To Use An Old Refrigerator For Survival

Banner Bor

Banner TLW2

The Lost Ways Claude Davis

HOW TO

How To Recondition Old Gasoline

How To Remove Radioactive Particles From Water In Case Of A Nuclear Fallout

How To Make Bread Last For Up To 5 Years

How To Prepare Your Car For SHTF

How To Cook Steak On A Stone In The Wilderness

How To Craft A Deadly Slingshot

How To Make Your Chickens Lay More Eggs

How To Make And Can Evaporated Milk

How To Prepare For The Rising Energy Prices

How To Protect Your Garden From Looting Intruders

Vote for ask a Prepper

YOU CAN ALSO FIND US ON:

Survial Websites Prepper

Banner LSF Hamburger

Copyright © 2014-2023 Ask a Prepper

  • Home
  • All Articles
  • Ask a Prepper
  • About Claude Davis
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2014-2023 Ask a Prepper

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.