Q and A: Rendering lard, canning recipe for the fair, and canning hominy

Rendering lard

I have searched your site and the internet, but cannot find an answer to my question. I have a side of pork belly I want to render for lard. It has quite a bit of meat interlaced through it (just like bacon, of course), so do I need to try to cut out the meat and only use the fat or do I cut the whole slab into 1-inch pieces and put it all in the pot? It is very difficult to try to cut the meat out, but I don’t want the lard to taste too porky for baking. I know how to do the process, but just don’t know if the meat in it is a problem.

Jo Riddle
Vienna, West Virginia

I think what I’d do is to grind the whole pork belly, put the meat in a roasting pan and set it in your oven at 250 degrees. This will melt the fat but not “cook” the meat so much that the lard tastes “porky.” — Jackie

Canning recipe for the fair

Just received both your books. I love to can; my grand is in first year 4H here in Texas. Next year she is going to enter some canning. In your opinion which of your canning recipes would you enter? No meat entries, she’ll just have to help Oma with those.

Pam Evetts
Gatesville, Texas

I’m so glad you liked the books! Wow…which recipes to can for the fair? My oh my, what a decision. I’d pick some that are pretty colored, such as salsa; one of the pretty colored jellies, jams, or preserves, such as raspberry or prickly pear preserves; dill spears (just a tip — don’t water bath them, just pack hot brine into hot jars and seal; the pickles will be SO crisp that way, they’ll be sure to win. Don’t tell folks I told you to do that!); mixed vegetables; watermelon rind pickles; or little pickled apples. There are a ton more, too, but these are a few that would be very attractive and easy to do. Let us know how your granddaughter does! — Jackie

Canning hominy

I know you have said you can home can anything that comes in a #10 can. I just recently received a #10 can of hominy, can I recan this and at what pound pressure and time?

Margaret (Peg) Koontz
Social Circle, Georgia

Yes, you can. I’ve done it many times! You’ll be dumping out the liquid, heating it to boiling, then packing the hominy into hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Pour the boiling liquid over the hominy, leaving 1 inch of headspace. You’ll process at 10 pounds pressure for 55 minutes (pints) or 85 minutes (quarts). If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet consult your canning book for directions on increasing your pressure to suit your altitude, if necessary. — Jackie