How to tasty pickle fat at home

Well, what Russian feast can do without a thin piece of fragrant and juicy lard? And also under boiled potatoes with butter, green onions, pickled cucumbers, pink bread and a little white glass ... Until you have started salivation, let's talk about fat.

Salo is a unique product that contains in its composition a huge amount of fatty acids necessary for normal functioning of the human body. Salo is a useful and tasty snack, without which in many Slavic houses not a single holiday is complete. In ancient times, lard was considered the food of poor people. People with wealth could afford to buy expensive pork, and all the fat was given to those who were not so rich. Over time, the poor began to notice - eaten fat gave a lot of energy.Even a small piece of this product provided a person with endurance and long-term performance.

Today, fat is taken on long hikes; they are fed by athletes, tourists and astronauts. Salted lard can be stored without a refrigerator and does not deteriorate; a small amount of this product can feed a large number of people. And most importantly, fat gives energy for more than 4 hours. Having eaten a sandwich with bacon, you do not think about food until the next meal.

Today, the assortment of lard in the markets and in stores is very wide. You can buy salted, smoked, fried, stewed and boiled bacon. However, the most delicious, valuable and nutritious product is the one that you prepare with your own hands. So, before you salt the fat, you need to buy it.

How to choose lard for salting

Go to the market or to the supermarket to choose the most delicious and fresh piece of lard, following our advice.

1. Fat from one pig can be different in its density. For example, the fat from the neck and head has the hardest structure, it is most suitable for roasting. Hams, on the contrary, have a very soft and porous lard, which is best used for minced meat. But the brisket and peritoneum - this is exactly the fat that we need.It has a delicate taste and a suitable density for salting.
2. It is better to buy fat with sandpaper, that is, unpeeled. Scientists have shown that the most useful pieces of bacon are a layer under the sandpaper about three centimeters thick.
3. A piece of bacon should be uniform, sufficiently elastic, without a sharp foreign smell.
4. The most tasty fat from females, but not from males.
5. Lard should be whitish or pinkish in color, without yellow shades and inclusions. If the fat is yellow, it means that it is old. By the way, it is the old pieces of lard that are salted and sprinkled abundantly with spices. By preparing the delicacy yourself, you yourself control what kind of lard is used for pickling.
6. To choose a good fat, ask the seller to pierce him with a knife. Quality fat will pierce immediately, it is elastic, the cut will be clear and even. The old fat will be crushed, pierced not immediately, after squeezing will long return to its shape.
7. Quite often, the fat smells like urea, and the smell is quite persistent. Sometimes it is not noticeable when buying, and felt only after cooking fat. To pre-check the fat on the smell, you need to cut off a piece of fat and heat it on a burning match or lighter. Lard with the smell immediately manifest itself when melting.
8. A little about the streaks of meat on fat.If the pig was fed in a natural way, without growth hormones and extraneous additives, there will be no veining on fat. In addition, microorganisms and bacteria can multiply in raw meat, while in fat they are practically absent. To avoid food poisoning and choose a healthier product, you need to buy pure fat, without meat layers. Or with a minimum number of them. If you prefer bacon with pieces of meat, it will need to be subjected to heat treatment.
9. Check for fatty streaks and particles. On the back of the stick in the fat match. If the fat is tender and soft, the match will come in easily. If it is hard, stiff and streaked, the match will fit into the fat at intervals.
10. And be sure to check for the stigma on the pig's skin. Only this seal will tell you that the carcass has passed laboratory tests and is safe to eat.

The classic recipe for salting salo

So, consider the simplest and most common recipe for salting lard.

1. If you bought a large piece of bacon, it should be cut into medium blocks of 5-6 cm wide.
2. After that, on each bar it is necessary to make transverse cuts so as not to cut the fat completely. This is done to ensure that the delicacy is completely salted.
3. Dip each piece of bacon in plenty of salt. Do not shake the salt, the fat will take as much as you need.
4. Mix in a plate 2 parts of black ground pepper and one part of red hot pepper. After the fat has been rolled in salt, dip it in the prepared pepper mixture.
5. In between the cuts, place the sliced ​​garlic cloves.
6. After that, wrap the fat with cling film and place in the refrigerator. After 4-5 days it is ready for use.
7. When salted with salted pork, for long-term storage, it should be cleaned of salt and pepper and wrapped in a clean cloth. After that, put the cloth roll in the bag and in the fridge. Thus, the fat can be stored for a long time - up to two months. If you solit fat for future use in large quantities, you need to store it in the freezer. A long freeze will help to preserve lard for more than a year.

This is the easiest and most famous way to salting salo. Here are some more interesting recipes that will help to cook delicious savory fat without much effort.

Pickle bacon on brine

This recipe will allow you to pickle fat for 6-8 hours. If you have learned in the morning that guests will come to you in the evening, you can catch the salt on your own.

To prepare the brine you need to dissolve a glass of salt in a liter of water. Add 15-20 bay leaves to the container and bring the water to a boil.

While the pickle cools, the fat should be cut into slices (two pounds of fat will be needed for the proportions of salt and water) and grind it with black pepper and garlic. Put the bacon in the cooled brine and throw in the remaining garlic. Cover the fat with a plate and oppression so that it is salted better and does not float up.

After 6-8 hours the fat will be ready. It will need to be removed from the brine. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Salting salads in Ukrainian

Prepare lard, as in the first recipe. That is, a kilogram of fat should be cut into strips 3-4 cm wide. Then, transverse cuts are made into which bay leaves and finely chopped cloves of garlic are placed. After that, you need to mix 4 tablespoons of salt, a teaspoon of hot pepper, the same amount of cumin, two teaspoons of paprika and a tablespoon of ground black pepper.Roll the bacon in the seasoning mixture and wrap the pieces in foil. Leave in the fridge for two weeks. During this time, lard absorbs all the taste and aroma of spices. After that, the lard can be turned and cut into thin slices. As soon as you unfold the foil, you will feel the crazy smell of salty bacon. And the taste will delight you even more!

Pickling bacon with onion peel in a slow cooker

In the bowl of the multicooker you need to put a layer of onion peel (half of the total mass). Husk is pre-washed. On it the fat and bay leaf is laid out. Closes all the remnants of onion peel. In hot water, you need to dissolve two tablespoons of sugar and salt. Pour the cooked brine lard. Simmer the bacon in the slow cooker for about an hour. After that, leave the bacon in the cooked marinade overnight. In the morning, the fat should be removed from the brine, rub with chopped garlic and pepper, put in the freezer. After a day you can eat fat.

Salo is a favorite product of many nations.Most of the Slavs can not imagine their life without a daily reservoir of salty fat. Our recipes will help you to prepare a natural and healthy product with your own hands.

Video: how to pickle tasty salted or fat