Pork fat rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 40 recipes to cook with it.

What is pork fat?

Pork fat is exactly what it sounds like: the solid white fat trimmed from a pig, valued for the richness and silky mouthfeel it gives sausages and roasts. The most common form is fatback, the firm slab of fat that runs along the pig's back, sold fresh and unsalted.

It matters because lean meat alone cooks up dry and crumbly. Fold in pork fat and you get juiciness and a smooth bind, plus a clean flavor that carries seasoning rather than fighting it.

That is why nearly every homemade sausage on this site, from Bulk Italian Sausage to Polish Kielbasa, leans on it.

Not all pork fat is the same, and the differences decide what you can do with it.

Knowing Your Pork Fat

Fatback is the hard back fat. It grinds clean and stays in distinct flecks, which makes it the standard fat for sausage and for larding lean roasts.

Leaf lard is the soft, crumbly fat from around the kidneys and loin. It is the most neutral-tasting fat a pig offers and renders into the whitest, cleanest lard, the kind that makes pie crust flake. Save it for pastry, not sausage.

Salt pork is fatback that has been cured in salt. It is a seasoning and a flavor base, not a fresh fat. Rinse it and render it slowly to start a chowder or a pot of beans, as in Manhattan Island Clam Chowder.

Cooking With Pork Fat

For sausage, the classic ratio is about 70 to 80 percent lean meat to 20 to 30 percent fat by weight. Drop much below that and the links cook out dry and tight; this fat is what keeps a Cumberland Sausage or a batch of Chorizos juicy.

Keep everything cold. Grind the fat half-frozen and chill the grinder parts, because warm fat smears into a greasy paste instead of cutting into clean pieces, and a smeared sausage turns chalky.

To render lard, cut fat into small cubes and melt it slowly over low heat with a splash of water to stop it browning. Strain out the crisp bits, called cracklings, and you are left with snowy lard for frying and baking.

Larding is the old trick of threading strips of fatback through a lean roast or game so it bastes from the inside. It is the same logic behind adding pork fat to Venison Burgers, where the lean venison would otherwise be dry.

Substitutes for Pork Fat

For sausage, beef fat works but tastes stronger and firms up waxy when cold, so use a little less. Chicken or duck fat is softer and better for pâté than for links.

For rendering into a baking fat, leaf lard has no real plant substitute that flakes the same way, but butter or a solid vegetable shortening will get you a workable crust with a different texture.

To replace salt pork, bacon is the easiest swap. It brings smoke that salt pork lacks, so cut any added smoked paprika or extra salt in the recipe to compensate.

Buying and Storing Pork Fat

Ask the butcher for fatback or leaf lard by name. Supermarkets rarely display either, but the meat counter can usually cut it for you. Choose fat that is firm and bright white, never yellow or sour-smelling.

Fresh pork fat keeps in the fridge for about a week and freezes well for several months; wrap it tightly so it doesn't pick up freezer odors. Because fat traps off-flavors quickly, freeze whatever you won't use within a few days.

Rendered lard is far more stable. Stored in a sealed jar it keeps for a few months in the pantry and up to a year in the fridge.

Refrigeration is the safer call for home-rendered lard, which has no preservatives. If it ever smells sharp or paint-like, it has gone rancid and should be tossed.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Food group: Pork fat is a member of the Pork Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

猪肉的脂肪

British (UK) term

Pork fat

en français

graisse de porc

en español

grasa de cerdo

How much does pork fat weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 ounce	28 grams
4 ounce	113 grams

Related

Pork Products

Recipes using pork fat

There are 40 recipes that contain this ingredient.

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