I've been reading up on lard vs. Crisco. Does anyone on here use it? Where do you get it? My understanding is that the lard you buy in the stores is just as "bad" as Crisco because it's been processed.
Lard is difficult to find, so is tallow. Even butcher shops around here rarely have it, must order it, if they can get it in at all. I would use it if I could find it from a natural meat source, which I have not. I would love to make soap with it, too!
There is a place in Ozark, MO that has, at times, carried it (for soap making). It's The Home Brewery. The mostly sell wine/beer making supplies, but also cheese-making and soap-making. Maybe you'll have luck with them? (They do have a website, but don't update with every product the warehouse gets. They will ship anything they have, though)
I use it. I render my own. We buy pork on the hoof from a bio-dynamic farm (basically, pastured pork that is organically raised, but without the stamp from the Fed govt). If you do this, you have to be very, very, VERY specific when you have the animal processed (or you won't get a lot of it back) and be sure to use a reputable processor who has been recommended to you by someone you trust (or else you won't get all your meat/lard back no matter how specific you are). Most of those facilities process huge numbers of animals -- you can understand how one pig in hundreds -- some lady wants the lard? and liver? If no one else wants that, it's like keeping track of a needle as it passes through a haystack. Plus, I'm quite certain the processing facilities sell most of that "stuff" people in general don't want (like lard and organ meats) to other outlets, which increases there income. I've had a few negative experiences. It's a learning process.
Around here, I would go straight to the slaughterhouse. We have a good one, slaughterhouse in the back, and they'll cut and package up your deer or wild hogs you hunt/kill, and in the front is the butcher shop. They make boudin, sausage, cracklins (LOTS of rendered lard there!), and have any cut of beef or pork you want, fresh or pre-seasoned for you, I've seen lard in blocks like a pound of butter, and in 2 gallon and 5 gallon cans at the non-chain grocery stores.
I don't know how to render the fat into lard (although I'm sure a quick google search would give me a good idea). I was just thinking that we process our own deer. We used to process our own cattle when my family had livestock. Is it possible to buy a hog and have someone you know process it for you? or better yet, have them teach you how to butcher a hog yourself?
When Dad gets his pigs slaughtered by the Amish butcher he uses we always get the lard in little tupperware containers to use, free of charge. All we have to do is ask. I'd use the amish if you have any in your area. The one we use is fair, and very nice to work with. Funny Story: When Dad was cookin with his Lard one night, I was helping in the kitchen and Gary was on the backporch with the kids. Since I'm notorious for aweful pranks, I took a spoonful of it and went to the back porch and said, "Here, Dad made frosting earlier. Go ahead and taste it." He eyes me, but opened his mouth and ZOOMP! In it goes!! Oh, I almost peed myself. The look on his face was genuinely priceless. Yes it was gross, but funny. He has yet to get me back.
Around here, it's entirely possible! The folks at the slaughterhouse make a living processing people's calves/cows, pigs/hogs, deer and other game for them. I'm not sure if they do alligator, though. You can bring in a cow/calf or pig/hog you've either raised yourself or just bought at the auction - you have to have an appointment though, because too late in the afternoon is just rude, y'know?
We render our own and sell it as well - both beef tallow and pork lard. Around here, you need to schedule your animals because they are back-logged! We schedule our animals almost a year in advance (but that's just us because it's our business as well). You can always ask a slaughter house for beef fat or park fat and render your own - if my husband can do it - I think anyone can You are just cooking it down in a pot on your stove or in a low temp oven for a good while.
