Cured pork fat
This recipe takes the ‘No Waste’ ethos to the next level. Lots of people avoid fat for health reasons, but there’s no arguing it is delicious full of flavour and energy. I believe that if an animal is killed for consumption then it should be consumed from nose to tail. Theres all sorts of delights that can be made with this cured meat.
Curing meat is a simple and almost primeval activity. The fat of a beast should be savoured like all cuts. It will add an interesting depth of flavour to dishes and is surprisingly tasty, especially in a slow cooked stew.
Sometimes if pork is too fatty, some of the fat has to be removed from the joint or the bacon. Ask your butcher he may be able to put some aside for you. Butchers normally reserve the back fat for sausages as they have a high fat content. This makes them juicy.
Check out my recipe for cabbage soup with cured pork fat to see a great way to use the cured fat.
Ingredients
200g + Slab of free-range pork fat 100g Course sea salt 100g Brown sugar 3 Dried or preferably fresh bay leaves, chopped 2 tsp Coriander seeds 2 tsp Slightly crushed peppercorns A bottle of red or white wine vinegar
Method
Day 1
Place the fat in a suitably sized tub. Thoroughly mix all the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Generously sprinkle some of the curing mixture over the fat, and rub into the meat. Now put the fat in the fridge. Jar and label the remaining curing mix.
Day 2, 3 and 4
Each day remove the fat from the fridge, drain of the liquid and rub in a little more of the seasoning.
Day 5
Remove the fat from the fridge and brush off the remaining seasoning. Dab down with vinegar to prevent the fat from moulding. Your fat is now ready to use. Keep the cured pork fat in the top of your fridge, open on a plate for up to a month.
