Yesterday’s housecleaning binge took me down to the basement and into the chest freezer, and soon enough I was sidelined curing pork fatback, which is known as lardo every place without fat-phobia. I’ve been meaning to get on this one for weeks, since we’re about out of the original batch, which began curing in March.
That batch turned me into a fervent convert, a believer in the wonders my chef friend Evan promised it would deliver. Just a few thin slices give wonderful depth to sauces and soups, including New England specials like fish chowder. I’ve rendered it as cooking grease and found that when sauteed over slow heat with garlic and shallots, it contributes tremendous flavor. And the cure has only gotten better with age. It is so loved by my adventurous friends, who eat thin shavings right from the block, that I may have to give some away at Christmas. And it’s so embarrassingly simple that I’d keep the recipe secret, but I’m liable to forget what I did in the first place. So here it is:
Recipe: Lardo
1 lb pork fatback, a single piece is preferable / scant ¼ cup table salt / 3 tbls brown sugar / several grindings black pepper / 2 x 4″ sprigs rosemary, minced / 1 tbls minced fresh thyme / 1 bay laurel leaf, ground
Rinse fatback in cool water and and pat dry. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Coat fatback with cure mixture and wrap tightly in a plastic bag, then wrap bag in a sheet of newspaper (as light will degrade the fat). Weigh with a 5-pound weight and refrigerate. Lardo is ready to use in 4 to 6 weeks, or when the fat feels firm. Adapted from Evan Mallett.
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September 1, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Poppy
Audrey,
I can’t wait to try this. Where can I buy the fatback? Does this need to be refrigerated while it is curing?
September 2, 2008 at 8:48 am
audrey
We got 20 lbs of fatback with our half-pig, so this is part of the cook-with-the- whole-animal campaign. Another route would be to check with Heath Putnam of Wooly Pigs, who sells at the University and West Seattle farmers markets and may be able to hook you up, or other meat purveyors at the farmer’s market. Or check with your neighborhood butcher — there are a half-dozen in Seattle. And I do keep my fatback refrigerated, but those who know what they’re doing keep it going in a cool dark place.
September 27, 2008 at 9:16 pm
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[...] onion, minced / 2 oz pancetta, salt pork, or lardo, cut into matchsticks / ½ pound fresh tomatoes, diced / pinch hot pepper / grated Parmesan cheese [...]
October 1, 2008 at 8:30 am
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[...] chiles / ½ onion, minced / 1 tsp jalapeno, minced, or to taste / 2 oz pancetta, salt pork, or lardo, minced / 1 lb waxy potatoes, diced / 3 stems fresh thyme, leaves stripped / ½ cup whole milk or [...]
October 27, 2008 at 10:25 am
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October 27, 2008 at 10:30 am
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October 27, 2008 at 10:31 am
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[...] cup dried cranberry beans / olive oil / 1/4 cup pancetta or lardo, minced / 1/2 onion, diced / 1 tsp garlic /1 tsp fresh sage, chopped / 1 tsp fresh rosemary, [...]
October 27, 2008 at 10:33 am
speak, memory « Eat Local Northwest
[...] / ¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves / ½ cup sorrel / 2 tbl chives, minced / 1 tsp lemon zest / 2 oz. lardo or other cured pork, shaved into thin slices, [...]
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[...] tbl chopped lardo, optional / 1 clove garlic, minced / 1 cup cauliflower florets / pinch hot pepper flakes / 5 green [...]
November 16, 2008 at 4:44 pm
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[...] back. I tweaked his recipe slightly, incorporating homemade tomato sauce, fresh garden herbs, and cured fatback in lieu of more standard ingredients, and it made for a hearty local meal after a long day of [...]
January 7, 2009 at 2:32 am
Greg Bulmash
Have you brine cured your lardo also or just dry cured it?
After you cure it, how long does it keep and what are the best methods for keeping it.
Heath’s supposed to introduce some pure manganitsa this month. I’m sure there are already dibs on his limited supply of fatback and pork belly, but just in case I can get some, I’m contemplating a lardo cure.
So far, I’ve found a brining recipe and your dry cure.
January 7, 2009 at 1:31 pm
audrey
Hi Greg, thanks for the comment. I’ve only dry cured lardo, as it goes in back of the fridge and a brine would take up much more space. In my experience, once the salt is rinsed off, the fat is at its best in the first three months or so then starts to taste less fresh.
That said, I’ve left the salt on for months without a problem, and I’ve heard that New Englanders once kept salt pork in brine for two years.
I’ll be curious to hear what works for you. Hope you’re able to get some fatback and belly. Heath’s pork is really tasty stuff.
January 24, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Aldous
Hi Audrey,
Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s been very difficult to find anything on how to cure your own lardo on the internet; I know that there are recipes in charcuterie books but in a pinch those aren’t always accessible. I’m in such a pinch as I just picked up a few pounds of fatback from my butcher.
Can you tell me more about the process at the end of the 4-6 weeks? After you rinse (and I presume, dry) the lardo, how do you store it? Would it be possible to freeze it (for eating raw or for cooking)?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
January 24, 2009 at 3:08 pm
audrey
Hi Aldous, I’ve been leaving this stuff in the salt mixture until I’m ready to use it, with the idea that the salt coating keeps other flavors out. I rinse and dry the piece I’m going to use just before I use it. It’s cured, so I don’t know if freezing adds to storage life and may add flavors you don’t want depending on how its wrapped. I’ve done this technique up to six months after the fat goes into cure but the flavors seem best in the first three months. Let me know how it works for you.
February 1, 2010 at 2:26 pm
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