Meat in lard, step by step
Interactive lesson: salt the meat and cook it all the way through, drain the juices, fill the crock with no air, keep sausages, ribs and čvarci, and take meat out safely in winter.
Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Meat and čvarci preserved in lard module. Already bought? Unlock
This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.
The whole lesson as text
1. Raw material and salting
After the pig killing there is meat that isn't cured: neck, shoulder, chops, ribs.
- The result first — Pork and game don't go into the crock until a negative Trichinella result has come back. Cooking in lard doesn't reliably destroy it, and fat doesn't kill it.
- Cut evenly — Pieces of 150–300 g, 3–5 cm (1¼–2 in) thick, so they cook through to the middle. Cut all pieces of the same kind the same size.
- Salt by weight — Per 1 kg of meat 20–25 g of salt, 2 g of black pepper and 1 bay leaf; never less than 20 g. Garlic goes neither in the salt nor in the crock.
- 1–3 days in the cold — Meat in a glass, enamel or stainless steel container at 2–4 °C, turned every day. Then drain it and wipe it dry; the brine is thrown away.
Why: Salt is the first barrier: it draws water out of the surface of the meat, gives flavour and slows germs even when the meat is already in the lard. The best meat has little sinew and a bit more fat, because it stays juicy even after a month in lard.
- Lean meat (leg, loin) turns dry and stringy in lard: it is better for pršut or the freezer.
- Minced meat, offal, liver, black pudding and dishes with vegetables, sauce or flour don't go into the crock.
2. Cooking all the way through
Cooking is the second barrier: it kills most germs and drives water out of the surface of the meat.
- In the oven — Deep roasting tin, a little lard on the bottom, meat in one layer, 160–170 °C (320–340 °F, gas 3). Covered for the first hour, then uncovered; 2–3 hours in all.
- Or in lard — Meat into melted lard, moderate heat, turning until browned and the juices stop coming out: 1.5–2.5 hours.
- Dry and slowly — Put the meat into hot fat dry, with a ladle or tongs, not by hand. Water on the meat causes spitting, and never water on burning fat.
- Check the middle — The thickest piece at least 72 °C (162 °F) in the middle, poultry 74 °C (165 °F), juices clear. Without a thermometer cut it open: if it is pink or moist, keep cooking.
Why: Undercooked meat in the crock is the biggest mistake in this job. The middle stays moist and raw, and the fat seals it off from the air.
- Slow cooking in fat at 85–95 °C (185–200 °F) for 2–3 hours gives the most tender meat.
- Smoked meat is already salted: don't salt it again, just cook it and cover it.
3. Draining · Locked
Buy the Meat and čvarci preserved in lard module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
4. Filling the crock · Locked
Buy the Meat and čvarci preserved in lard module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
5. Sausages, ribs, čvarci · Locked
Buy the Meat and čvarci preserved in lard module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
6. Keeping and taking out · Locked
Buy the Meat and čvarci preserved in lard module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.