Rendering Lard

So I had read somewhere online that many butcher shops will give away fat scraps.  Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case in my area.  Nevertheless, there are always ways to acquire that which we need.  It occurred to me that I always have a lot of grease leftover when I fry bacon, and that grease is nothing but unfiltered lard.  So, when I fried a 1 lb. pack of bacon last night I decided to strain the grease and attempt to render lard.  The process turned out to be much simpler than I imagined and I got 1/2 cup of lard from it!

First off, I will say that this is a project that probably is best undertaken at least 1 lb. of bacon at a time.  I always fry the whole batch in one go, and refrigerate the cooked slices.  This makes it much easier in the mornings to grab what we need, heat it in the microwave, and go.  Because only 1/2 cup of lard was rendered from the entire pound of bacon, I think it probably wouldn't be worth doing lesser quantities at a time.

The set-up:
I used my Pyrex measuring cup to catch the bacon grease because I wanted a container that I could use to measure and that had a spout.  Bacon grease (AKA liquid lard) takes a while to solidify, so have no fear about it solidifying before you finish and pour everything into your storage container.  Over my measuring cup I put a mesh strainer.  I wanted a more finely filtered product, but I didn't have any cheese cloth.  RM to the rescue!  He had a couple cotton under-shirts that he had accidentally bought in the wrong style months ago and had been meaning to wear but never actually had.  So he donated one to the project efforts.  From this I cut a square large enough to fill the basket of the mesh strainer.  Then I picked a container, an old jelly jar (washed, of course) and lid.

The process:
It couldn't have been easier!  As I fried bacon, grease accumulated in the frying pan.  Occasionally I poured the grease through the cotton and mesh strainer into the measuring cup, then resumed frying.  I did cook the bacon at a slightly lower heat than usual, ensuring I wouldn't accidentally burn the grease.  This added a little to the cooking time, but it wasn't a big difference, and my bacon slices didn't wrinkle up as much.  Once all the bacon was cooked and the grease filtered, I took note of the quantity, poured the still-liquid lard into the jelly jar, then secured another square of cloth over the top of the jar with a rubber band.  I let the jar sit on the counter and cool a while, then once I saw the lard was solidifying (after maybe 30 minutes) I removed the cloth, put on the lid, and stuck it in the fridge for future use.  That's it!

Results:
I've never actually seen or used lard before, so I can't say for 100% sure that it was exactly as it was supposed to be.  However, it fit all the descriptions I'd ever heard: white, creamy, soft, and no visible impurities.  I used it in my biscuits and it worked great!  So, all in all, I'd say it was a success!

Bonus!
I was able to clean the undershirt rag so that I can re-use it.  I put a drop of dish detergent in a bowl, filled it with water, then dropped the rag in.  I agitated the water a little then let it soak overnight.  The next morning I agitated it a bit more, than rinsed out the rag thoroughly.  It was good as new! I put it in the kitchen drawer with my hand towels so that I can use it again next time I render lard.


Update 1/24/13:
I recently baked a ham, and after it cooked I collected the fat, heated it in a pan, and used the same process above to render the lard.  I got almost a cup and a half of lard from it!  I will now be attempting to render the lard and tallow from all fat-rich meats.

Update 2/14/2013:
So I've found sometimes that when the tallow sets, there is a layer of brown gelatinous goo underneath.  As far as I (and Google) can tell, this stuff is pretty much worthless, and should just be thrown out.  The only thing it might be good for is if you have any meat eating pets who might enjoy it poured over their food.  If you find you have some of this brown goo, just make sure that your tallow is cleaned of it before you store it.