Smoked lard at home - a delicacy for real gourmets

Tell me how to make smoked bacon at home? We were recently with friends on a fishing trip, and they brought a couple of pieces with them. I haven’t tasted such yummy food yet; I cannot compare it with store lard. I decided to experiment for myself, especially since the necessary products will soon be completely free - the matchmaker is slaughtering a pig. What is needed for smoking and is it possible to do without a smokehouse? I don't have it, but if necessary, I can ask a neighbor.

Smoked bacon is a real delicacy, fragrant, with a unique smoke and beautiful color. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to go to the store for it - it is quite possible to make smoked bacon at home. One can argue about the benefits of smoked meats and any nutritionist will say that they should be consumed rarely and in small quantities. But with what he will certainly agree - homemade bacon is many times more useful. Especially if you smoke it on wood material, without using chemicals in the form of liquid smoke. But, before starting the process, you need to choose a good product and prepare it for smoking.

What lard is better to take

The product should definitely be fresh, of a beautiful white color, with a well-peeled and soft skin. The most delicate smoked delicacy is obtained from lard, cut on the belly or on the sternum. In this case, the pieces should be small, about 5 cm thick, preferably with a meat layer. However, this is not for everybody, you can do without a layer.

Smoked lard at home - salting methods

What is fat without salt? Before smoking, it must be salted. This can be done in two ways:

1. Dry salting. Cut lard into small pieces and soak in water for a couple of hours. Then dry, rub with garlic and a mixture of salt and black pepper. Place in a cool place for 3 days.
2. Pickling. Boil 1 liter of water, add 150 g of salt, 2 lavrushki, 5 chopped cloves of garlic and spices to taste. Allow the marinade to cool, and pour the lard in warm. Press down with oppression and leave for 3 days.

Dry salted lard should be washed and dried before smoking. And before pouring the lard with marinade, it is better to chop the pieces so that they are well saturated with spices.

How to smoke lard at home - ways

Of course, the best option is if there is a special smokehouse at home. You need to lay wood material in it, and this is not firewood at all. Wood chips, shavings or sawdust are used for smoking. They should be fresh or pre-soaked. Dry material will burn immediately and will not produce smoke.

It is better to smoke on chips of deciduous crops (cherries, plums, apple trees). You can add a little birch, but without the bark - it will give the lard a beautiful color. Also add oak, aspen, oak for color. And for taste, put spicy herbs, grapevines or juniper branches.

If not smokehouse, you can smoke fat at home:

1. In a cauldron on a gas or electric stove. Cover the bottom of the dish with foil, put sawdust on it, and put the bacon on the grate, which is inserted into the cauldron. Cover with a lid and heat over low heat for 40 minutes.
2. In the oven. Also line a baking sheet with foil and a layer of sawdust. Place the mold in the oven, heat, setting the temperature to 90 ° C. Put the lard in a preheated oven and smoke for half an hour.

To make the bacon in the oven crispy, at the end, in 10 minutes, you can slightly increase the degrees.

Smoke lard in a homemade smokehouse