Estee in Sweden's video: How To Preserve Food In Lard Preserve meat without refrigerator

How To Preserve Food In Lard | Preserve meat without refrigerator 0:00 Intro - Ways to preserve food without refrigerator 0:36 How to make lard 2:00 How to preserve meat in lard How To Preserve Food In Lard When I was growing up, it was a given that the bacon grease would be sitting by the stove in Grandma’s tin canister. Or maybe it was aluminum. Whichever it was, that grease sat out forever. We used it to fry potatoes or season beans, or just about any other time we wanted to add flavor. But, knowing what we know today, shouldn’t that grease always be kept in the fridge? My personal answer is “Meh.” It hasn’t killed me yet, and I’m reaching the age where death by bacon grease is the least of my concerns. I mean, if I have to go, at least I know I got one flavorful last meal, right? Seriously, though. Does animal fat, including lard, have some sort of preservation properties? Sort of. Meats like bacon have two things going for it. First, it’s cured in salt. And in the case of modern, store-bought bacon, nitrates and nitrites are often in there as preservatives, too. We know that salt is an effective preserving agent. It creates an environment where bacteria can’t thrive. Add that to the grease, which isn’t a great environment for bacteria growth either, and you’ve got a decent preservation method. The fat essentially seals out the bacteria, much like waxing your jellies. But recently, I heard about meat being preserved in just lard. Lard has no salt or other chemicals in it – just fat. Specifically, pork fat. So is there some magic quality to this that makes it keep meat from going bad? Can you preserve meat in simple lard? If so, that could be great for those of us who are worried about survival when SHTF. Plus, lard is easy to make. From what I discovered, storing meat in lard or another fat would be effective for the same reason that waxing it is – it keeps the bacteria locked out of the food. Confit methods In researching this question, I found that it’s been a common practice for centuries, in various forms. In French, the word confit means preservation. You’ve probably heard of duck confit because it’s a delicacy. The traditional confit method involves salt-curing the meat – usually duck, goose, turkey, or pork – then poaching it in its own fat until it’s tender and storing it covered in that fat. Back then, they didn’t refrigerate it at all. They just trusted the meat fat to preserve it. You can do that if you want, but we don’t live in medieval times anymore. Take advantage of the modern conveniences and refrigerate it, at least until you can’t anymore. A properly confited bird will store in a cool, dry place for 6 months, then you can repeat the process and extend it by another six months, though you should eat it in the first six months to get the best flavor. The process is the same for pork or beef. Today, many people skip the whole sat-curing step and just preserve it in the lard, suet, or schmaltz (bird fat). I wouldn’t recommend that, though. Salt is a powerful preservative that adds flavor as well as protection. So, can you just cut off a slab of meat, stuff it in lard, and leave it alone? Absolutely not. For a few reasons. First, the meat may have bacteria in it already. That’s why cooking, or even better, salt-curing then cooking, is important. Also, if you’re storing food, you should probably make sure that the container you’re using is free of bacteria before you put the lard in it. And just to be safe, heat that lard up, too. For that matter, cook the meat in it in the traditional confit manner. Hi, I am a Singaporean living in north Sweden for over 23 years. This channel is about how I adapt to stress-free Swedish way of simple slow life. Being a prepper, foodie and nature lover, Sweden offer me my dream lifestyle ! If you are seeking self-care, mental health, hygge ideas, this is the right channel for you. My goal in life is how to stay positive and healthy. I am so happy you found me here, let's share our journey together ❤️ Reach out with me at my Koji profile here https://withkoji.com/@esteeinsweden ⭐️⭐️SUBSCRIBE ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe here http://bit.ly/2mcyhwj and set bell notification "on" so you don't missed my new videos. DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!