Lardo, or pork butter, is an awesome alternative to butter. using this basic recipe, you can make any number of flavored versions. The first recipe listed here makes a salty, savory, and sweet version that’s perfect for bread or grilled vegetables. Recipes for black truffle honey butter and pepperoni-pizza lardo follow.

 

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Fatback: Lardo


  • Author: Jill Baker
  • Yield: 4 cups 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

5 lbs. Pork Fat; any type, hard or soft, including lard or skin

1 c. Dry White Wine

1c. Water

5 Cloves Garlic

1 Fresh Bay Leaf

2 Sprigs Thyme

Salty/Savory/Sweet Version
1 Tbsp. Green Curry
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Lime Juice
1 tsp. Chopped Garlic
2 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 tsp. Coarse Sea Salt or Fleur de Sel

Black Truffle Honey Butter
1 Tbsp. Rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Fresh Black Truffles, chopped

Pepperoni Pizza Flavored
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 tsp. Red Chili Flakes
1 tsp. Granulated Garlic
1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sea Salt


Instructions

Preparing The Pork Fat
Cut the pork fat into 1-inch pieces. Use a crockpot or a very heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with a lid. Put everything in the pot.
If using a crockpot, cook 2 hours on high followed by 2 hours on low. If using a Dutch oven, cook on low, stirring every 10-15 minutes for 3 to 4 hours.
Once the pork fat is cooked, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Place it in a casserole dish, press with a 3-4 lb. weight and cool until it’s firm like butter.

Salty/Savory/Sweet Version
Put 2 cups of the prepared fat in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and add green curry, sugar, line juice, garlic, and fish sauce. Cream until it resembles whipped butter, then transfer it to a dish until ready for serving.
Serve on grilled bread with fleur de sel.
(Reserve the other 2 cups of the prepared pork fat for use in confit or other uses.)

Black Truffle Honey Butter
Once the pork fat is firm, put 2 cups in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and add 1 Tbsp. chopped rosemary, 1 Tbsp. honey, and 2 Tbsp. fresh, chopped black truffles. Cream until it’s the consistency of whipped butter and transfer it to a dish for serving.

Pepperoni-Pizza-Flavored
Once the pork fat is firm, put 2 cups in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and add 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. red chili flakes, 1 tsp. granulated garlic, 1 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 tsp. olive oil, and 1 tsp. sea salt. Cream until it’s the consistency of whipped butter and transfer it to a dish for serving.
This butter can be refrigerated in plastic wrap for up to 6 months.

Notes

Information contained within is an excerpt from The New Charcuterie Cookbook by Jamie Bissonnette. Purchase the book here.