At least they had the good sense to test-market it in the South …
Okay, I freely admit I love bacon, but even I never considered putting it on ice cream. But apparently Burger King has:
Nashville is serving as a test market for Burger King’s new bacon sundae.
The bacon topped chocolate, caramel and soft serve ice cream may go on the fast food chain’s everyday menu nationwide if the new dessert is a hit in Music City.
Nashville’s News 2 purchased 10 bacon sundaes at the Burger King in Bellevue and stopped 10 people for our own unofficial taste test.
Husband and wife, Richard and Sue Peterson, both approved of the new sweet treat.
“It takes a while for the flavors to mix. Then it’s sort of a nutty flavor,” Sue said.
Her husband Richard added, “It’s different,” he said, but in “a good way.”
Well of course it was in a good way. It’s bacon!
Big tub o’ lard
Chareva finally found the holy grail – tubs of lard that isn’t hydrogenated.
We bought a slab of frozen pig fat awhile back and have good intentions of rendering our own lard someday, but this will do in the meantime. With the lard, the zucchini, and the deep fryer we just picked up, I see deep-fried zucchini strips in my near future.
I checked the nutrition label on the lard. There are 12 grams of fat per serving, but only 5 grams of saturated fat. About half the fat in lard is monosaturated – you know, the kind of fat that supposedly makes olive oil good for us. The saturated fat, of course, will primarily raise your HDL.
The fatty-acid profile of lard is very similar to human body fat. If you lose weight and consume your own fat in the process, that’s good for you. But if you consume a very similar fat from a pig, that’s bad for you, according to the anti-fat hysterics. I wrote about that in a post long ago.
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I attended a party in April where one of the guests made chocolate chip bacon cookies. Came out quite well. It’s the salt in bacon combined with the sweetness of the chocolate. Quite addictive.
I never would’ve dreamed up that one.
real deal lard like you found is usually available at mexican grocery stores.
Lucky! I can’t find good lard anywhere.
Hey Tom, just wanted to say thanks for the sausage stuffed zucchini recipe, we made it tonight, with enough left over for lunch.
Excellent. Glad you enjoyed it — I sure did.
Keep in mind lard from industrially raised pigs is more like 32% Omega-6 rather than the 8% figure typically batted around (island pigs that eat nothing but coconut are way lower than 8%, though). Pigs and humans are very similar, and just like us, their O6 content changes drastically with diet. I wouldn’t make lard a large portion of my calories unless it was from pastured hogs.
That would make sense. One of these days we’ll actually get around to rendering our own.
Tom you inspired me to do s search for that brand of lard and I am happy to report that the sav-a-lot in my area has it. Some Walmart stores carry it as well but not the one here in small town “bible and gun” clinging western PA.
Pork belly is my next mission.
Thanks again for all that you do.
Enjoy.
In new zealand lard is a few bucks in most of the supermarkets. A few of the butchers even give away off cut fat or skin for free so you can render your own. You get funny looks asking for off cuts of fat though, even more if you say that your eating it.
When we bought some pig fat, it was really cheap.
I attended a party in April where one of the guests made chocolate chip bacon cookies. Came out quite well. It’s the salt in bacon combined with the sweetness of the chocolate. Quite addictive.
I never would’ve dreamed up that one.
real deal lard like you found is usually available at mexican grocery stores.
Lucky! I can’t find good lard anywhere.
Hey Tom, just wanted to say thanks for the sausage stuffed zucchini recipe, we made it tonight, with enough left over for lunch.
Excellent. Glad you enjoyed it — I sure did.
Keep in mind lard from industrially raised pigs is more like 32% Omega-6 rather than the 8% figure typically batted around (island pigs that eat nothing but coconut are way lower than 8%, though). Pigs and humans are very similar, and just like us, their O6 content changes drastically with diet. I wouldn’t make lard a large portion of my calories unless it was from pastured hogs.
That would make sense. One of these days we’ll actually get around to rendering our own.
Tom you inspired me to do s search for that brand of lard and I am happy to report that the sav-a-lot in my area has it. Some Walmart stores carry it as well but not the one here in small town “bible and gun” clinging western PA.
Pork belly is my next mission.
Thanks again for all that you do.
Enjoy.
Mmph, not sure celebrating the use of bacon to make sugar more attractive is the way to go . . .
I tried some lard from the local supermarket (I THINK it was un-hydrogenated), but it smells funny to me so I don’t like to cook with it. I prefer coconut and olive oil. My housemate laughed at me the other day when he thought I was making muffins, and it turned out I was melting down a big ol’ tub of coconut oil and chilling it in a muffin tin to make nice little single-use chunks. I hate having to chip away at the big block of the stuff. If this low carb thing ever takes off maybe I can start a business selling peel-packs of saturated fat. Throw one in the skillet and go.
I’m not tempted to try a bacon sundae because I don’t want to start craving sundaes.
In new zealand lard is a few bucks in most of the supermarkets. A few of the butchers even give away off cut fat or skin for free so you can render your own. You get funny looks asking for off cuts of fat though, even more if you say that your eating it.
When we bought some pig fat, it was really cheap.
When I was a kid (I grew up in NZ and now live in the UK) my Dad cooked me and him sausages, bacon and eggs every morning cooked in lard.My Mum and my brother refused to eat it because of the fat!! My Dad was lean and healthy aside from the smoking.
Fast forward a few years and the lard went out the window – Dad now refused to eat breakfast at all because “cereal tastes like the box it comes in…” Over the years he put on weight (me too). He had stopped smoking but was at least 50 pounds overweight all around his middle.
I see that from the time we, as a family, started to eat “healthy” we put on weight. I now wish I could share a lardy breakfast with my Dad like the old days. he is still with us – but thousands of miles away. he would get a kick out of someone eating lard – especially me! I really wish I had listened to him.
Our family went through that “healthy” phase as well. Egg Beaters instead of eggs, corn oil instead of lard … huge mistake.
You probably could find room for 2 or 3 pigs on your farm.
Can I please try that again Tom? With less typos this time!
>>>
I am indeed fortunate that my source for grass-fed beef, pastured pork and lamb — a local farmer + butcher — makes their own lard.
Lard also seems to come up whenever I mention I am on an high fat diet :-0
I find that I often have to explain that I don’t actually sit on the couch, in front of the TV, with a big ol’ tub of lard and a spoon!
I’m losing count of the number of times I have used your insight regarding the reported “ills” of pig fat; as compared to what we are expected to burn on a calorie restricted diet. It is pure genius to point out to a dietitian that in fact what they are recommending is a diet high in saturated animal fat!
It’s almost like one of those (several) Star Trek episodes where Kirk confronts a computer with an irreconcilable paradox in its programming; which causes it to self-destruct! 😉
I’d like to see some of those dietitians self-destruct … or at least watch steam come out of their ears as they realize they’re counseling us to consume our own lard.
There is hydrogenated lard? What on earth for? Lard is still relatively cheap, as it’s not that popular, though it did get a bit of a price rise with an influx of Eastern Europeans (they have Lard Soup, how cool is that?). Our local butcher doesn’t even sell, it, as theyre’s ‘no call’ for it, but he does sell dripping (which is also quite cheap and makes the best chips (fries) ever…
Manufacturers hydrogenate oils to make them firmer and increase the shelf life.
Mmph, not sure celebrating the use of bacon to make sugar more attractive is the way to go . . .
I tried some lard from the local supermarket (I THINK it was un-hydrogenated), but it smells funny to me so I don’t like to cook with it. I prefer coconut and olive oil. My housemate laughed at me the other day when he thought I was making muffins, and it turned out I was melting down a big ol’ tub of coconut oil and chilling it in a muffin tin to make nice little single-use chunks. I hate having to chip away at the big block of the stuff. If this low carb thing ever takes off maybe I can start a business selling peel-packs of saturated fat. Throw one in the skillet and go.
I’m not tempted to try a bacon sundae because I don’t want to start craving sundaes.
How do you know if your lard is hydroginated? I’ve searched the label high and low but found no words that say hydroginated. I’m looking at what I can find at walmart. Since I’m in California, half the label is in Spanish and half in English.
The brands that are hydrogenated list that on the label, at least from what we’ve seen. The brand Chareva picked up just lists lard as the ingredient, with 0 trans fat on the nutrition label.
I get beef lard from US Wellness Meats, it’s from grass fed cows. Good stuff!
Wouldn’t that be tallow?
I remember my mom being very.picky to buy the Lard Free tortillas when I was a kid. They had a big flag on the bag denoting them as such. You don’t see thst anymore. I guess they all went to the dark side.
Anyone know a source for good lard online? My grocery store carries lard, but it’s the hydrogenated kind. It’s sold in bricks and is located next to the Crisco. I have tried to find leaf lard online, but haven’t found a good source yet.
Any ideas?
See the other comments. Some people posted links.
Fatworks.com has the best sources of all animal fats I’m in love with their products and so is my body and health!!!❤️
Huh. Never mind. I just Googled “leaf lard Maine” and found a source close by. http://www.tidemillorganicfarm.com
Cool!
Just goes to show: if you don’t want to *be* a tub of lard, then *eat* tubs of lard!
When I was a kid (I grew up in NZ and now live in the UK) my Dad cooked me and him sausages, bacon and eggs every morning cooked in lard.My Mum and my brother refused to eat it because of the fat!! My Dad was lean and healthy aside from the smoking.
Fast forward a few years and the lard went out the window – Dad now refused to eat breakfast at all because “cereal tastes like the box it comes in…” Over the years he put on weight (me too). He had stopped smoking but was at least 50 pounds overweight all around his middle.
I see that from the time we, as a family, started to eat “healthy” we put on weight. I now wish I could share a lardy breakfast with my Dad like the old days. he is still with us – but thousands of miles away. he would get a kick out of someone eating lard – especially me! I really wish I had listened to him.
Our family went through that “healthy” phase as well. Egg Beaters instead of eggs, corn oil instead of lard … huge mistake.
Jana,
Hydrogenated lard is displayed in stores on regular shelves – usually in the “baking needs” section where Crisco shortening is.
Non-hydrogenated lard must be stored in a cool place because if it is not, it will go rancid quickly. So, non-hydrogenated lard is usually displayed in stores in their refrigerators where they display butter.
In Greater Toronto Area (Canada), non-hydrogenated lard is a staple in stores that cater towards customers of Central and Eastern European background.
Tom,
Great blog – really enjoy it. BTW, cookies with lard are very popular in Central and Eastern Europe. They taste great – especially when walnuts are added as well. However, my concern is the sugar and four content and when I switched to my keto diet, I had to say goodbye to those melt-in-your-mouth beauties. Still, small price to pay for maintaining healthy weight easily and feeling great.
That’s what used to be in commercial cookies, lard or coconut oil. I once saw a comedian do a whole bit about how he ate Oreos as a kid and didn’t know he was stuffing himself with lard. Of course back then, we were all squirming over the idea of eating gobs of lard.
It was great meeting you and Chereva on the LC Cruise.
I am lucky enough to buy pork belly and fat from Polyface. Sheri Salatin has a really easy way to render the lard from the pork fat using a crockpot. It is so easy. Here is a link to her instructions.
http://polyfaceyum.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-make-lard.html
Excellent idea.
Tender Grass Farm ( tendergrassfarm.com ) is having a sale on their pastured leaf lard right now. It’s normally$ 9.99 a lb. and right now it’s $5.99 lb. Great deal. It still needs to be rendered, but that’s easy enough to do. Just throw it in a crockpot on low and melt it down until the fat is separated out, and enjoy eating the cracklings that remain. YUM.
“Wouldn’t that be tallow?”
Actually yes, you are correct sir!
I had to go to the google to find out the difference between lard and tallow: Tallow is fat rendered from beef, and lard is from pork. It’s the same thing, just a matter of what the source of the fat was.
Btw, US Wellness Meats calls it tallow on their website, but they call it “Beef Lard” on the label.
Anyway its good stuff. Once in awhile i make home-made ground beef and add some in to up the fat content. Also add it in when I sous-vide cuts of beef that are on lean side.
Where did you get the lard? I am looking for somewhere I can order some. I can’t seem to find it locally that isn’t hydrogenated. I still have some places to check though. Not interested in doing my own rendering yet.
Chareva found it at a local grocery store, but doesn’t remember the name. She found some at Kroger too.
You probably could find room for 2 or 3 pigs on your farm.
I order organic leaf lard from “Prairie Pride Pork”
https://www.prairiepridepork.com/index.php
No preservatives. Needs to be refriged or frozen. Pure leaf lard (from the fat surrounding the kidney.
Expensive. About $10.00 a lb.
Can I please try that again Tom? With less typos this time!
>>>
I am indeed fortunate that my source for grass-fed beef, pastured pork and lamb — a local farmer + butcher — makes their own lard.
Lard also seems to come up whenever I mention I am on an high fat diet :-0
I find that I often have to explain that I don’t actually sit on the couch, in front of the TV, with a big ol’ tub of lard and a spoon!
I’m losing count of the number of times I have used your insight regarding the reported “ills” of pig fat; as compared to what we are expected to burn on a calorie restricted diet. It is pure genius to point out to a dietitian that in fact what they are recommending is a diet high in saturated animal fat!
It’s almost like one of those (several) Star Trek episodes where Kirk confronts a computer with an irreconcilable paradox in its programming; which causes it to self-destruct! 😉
I’d like to see some of those dietitians self-destruct … or at least watch steam come out of their ears as they realize they’re counseling us to consume our own lard.
Good stuff! One of my distant cousins fried everything in lard and salted it heavily. And lived to 102.
There is hydrogenated lard? What on earth for? Lard is still relatively cheap, as it’s not that popular, though it did get a bit of a price rise with an influx of Eastern Europeans (they have Lard Soup, how cool is that?). Our local butcher doesn’t even sell, it, as theyre’s ‘no call’ for it, but he does sell dripping (which is also quite cheap and makes the best chips (fries) ever…
Manufacturers hydrogenate oils to make them firmer and increase the shelf life.
I work in an office and about once every week or two someone will bring in a treat…usually donuts. I have seen a bacon-wrapped donut before. Sounded interesting, and apparently they are really good although I have not had one. Then I thought, “why waste perfectly good bacon on a donut?”
My thoughts exactly.
How do you know if your lard is hydroginated? I’ve searched the label high and low but found no words that say hydroginated. I’m looking at what I can find at walmart. Since I’m in California, half the label is in Spanish and half in English.
The brands that are hydrogenated list that on the label, at least from what we’ve seen. The brand Chareva picked up just lists lard as the ingredient, with 0 trans fat on the nutrition label.
I get beef lard from US Wellness Meats, it’s from grass fed cows. Good stuff!
Wouldn’t that be tallow?
I didn’t know that I could become so frustrated and heated over misinformation that is directed towards others and not myself. Let me explain…
I overheard a conversation that a dietician was having with a patient of ours. She informed him that he was pre-diabetic. She began discussing with him that they will put him on a moderate amount carbohydrate diet. She asked if he ever feels the need to snack, and he said, “Well, at night I sometimes wake up and become hungry, so I grab a graham cracker.” Her response? “Oh great! That’s a perfect snack!”
After she left, I looked at the pamphlet she gave him. It showed a meal plan of the choices a person should make. They recommend carbohdyrates at every meal because “They are the body’s main source of fuel and you need carbohydrates in your diet, so don’t skip them!” It was 60 grams at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with two snacks in the day containing 15-30 grams of carbs. So with the meals alone that’s 180 grams IF you don’t eat one single snack.
As I was reading the material and shaking my head, the patient said, “I can tell you don’t agree with this. But I know you don’t want to step on any toes around here. Maybe I will listen to what they have to say when I speak with them and then you and I can have a conversation.”
This pamphlet was just screaming with the low-fat, carb crap non-sense all over it. Here was this dietician, giving the worst advice possible for someone with rising glucose levels, and simply making this man more sick and miserable. I feel bad because he doesn’t know any better.
Sometimes I feel like I’m betraying patients by not giving the information that I know, but then if I do, I feel as though I’m toying with the boundary of my role in the workplace. It’s just so damn unfortunate.
Indeed. Must be quite frustrating for you.
Question (hopefully not as stupid as I think it is):
Can I use fat from an already cooked pork butt to make lard? I was slicing off the skin from a leftover roast to make cracklings, and there is a huge layer of creamy white fat that I scooped out with a spoon. Can I save this in a jar to fry in? It seems a shame to throw it out!
I tried looking for a tutorial, but they all show raw fat.
Yup, save it. We save bacon grease for frying.
I remember my mom being very.picky to buy the Lard Free tortillas when I was a kid. They had a big flag on the bag denoting them as such. You don’t see thst anymore. I guess they all went to the dark side.
Anyone know a source for good lard online? My grocery store carries lard, but it’s the hydrogenated kind. It’s sold in bricks and is located next to the Crisco. I have tried to find leaf lard online, but haven’t found a good source yet.
Any ideas?
See the other comments. Some people posted links.
Fatworks.com has the best sources of all animal fats I’m in love with their products and so is my body and health!!!❤️
Huh. Never mind. I just Googled “leaf lard Maine” and found a source close by. http://www.tidemillorganicfarm.com
Cool!
Just goes to show: if you don’t want to *be* a tub of lard, then *eat* tubs of lard!
Jana,
Hydrogenated lard is displayed in stores on regular shelves – usually in the “baking needs” section where Crisco shortening is.
Non-hydrogenated lard must be stored in a cool place because if it is not, it will go rancid quickly. So, non-hydrogenated lard is usually displayed in stores in their refrigerators where they display butter.
In Greater Toronto Area (Canada), non-hydrogenated lard is a staple in stores that cater towards customers of Central and Eastern European background.
Tom,
Great blog – really enjoy it. BTW, cookies with lard are very popular in Central and Eastern Europe. They taste great – especially when walnuts are added as well. However, my concern is the sugar and four content and when I switched to my keto diet, I had to say goodbye to those melt-in-your-mouth beauties. Still, small price to pay for maintaining healthy weight easily and feeling great.
That’s what used to be in commercial cookies, lard or coconut oil. I once saw a comedian do a whole bit about how he ate Oreos as a kid and didn’t know he was stuffing himself with lard. Of course back then, we were all squirming over the idea of eating gobs of lard.
It was great meeting you and Chereva on the LC Cruise.
I am lucky enough to buy pork belly and fat from Polyface. Sheri Salatin has a really easy way to render the lard from the pork fat using a crockpot. It is so easy. Here is a link to her instructions.
http://polyfaceyum.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-make-lard.html
Excellent idea.
Tender Grass Farm ( tendergrassfarm.com ) is having a sale on their pastured leaf lard right now. It’s normally$ 9.99 a lb. and right now it’s $5.99 lb. Great deal. It still needs to be rendered, but that’s easy enough to do. Just throw it in a crockpot on low and melt it down until the fat is separated out, and enjoy eating the cracklings that remain. YUM.
That brand is sold at Save-A-Lot stores, in my experience. I have also seen small-chain and independent grocers here in Florida sell un-hydrogenated lard rendered by small firms in Georgia, perhaps with a sideline in pork cracklings. The Mexican groceries I have tried stock mostly hydrogenated lard, as do most chain supermarkets.
I’m finding that with the fatty meat I buy and my new habit of using coconut oil and ghee, I don’t use as much lard as I used to. Also I wonder how high the omega-6 content is in pig fat from most American porkers these days.
That’s a good question. We bought the pig fat from a farmer who raises free-range pigs, so I assume it’s okay.