I have bought leaf lard or other pork fat and melted it down to make lard, which is cheaper than buying the finished product and a project. It does make the house smell, but it lasts for a long time. The farmer's market or small batch lard is so different from supermarket lard that I am completely spoiled. Lard also makes the best biscuits and pie crust, in combination with butter.
I buy leaf lard from The Smoking Goose in Indianapolis and they have a great online store. Their lard is great quality and locally sourced from small farms. I hope that helps!
Donna, we have a very small company here in Portland, Oregon that does nothing but render animal fat. They ship all over. www.fatworks.com. They do beef tallow, duck fat, pork lard, pork leaf lard, bison tallow and soon, lamb fat. All of the animals are pasture raised and grass fed. It's very high quality fat and a great group of guys own the company. It called FatWorks. They just recently started selling their fats in grocery stores on the west coast. New Seasons and Whole Foods both carry it. Not sure if they sell it in other stores or other parts of the country yet. It's really good stuff.
Susan, how much do they charge in your local grocery store? A while ago I wanted to buy a jar on Amazon, but it was pricy (about $24 for 14oz). I did not see them in my local Whole Foods. Will go right now to check again...
QueenSashy, it's not cheap. High quality animals and small batch production. I bought Beef Tallow and Pork Lard (so good) on Talloween 30% off sale. They do it yearly on Halloween. I'm going to New Seasons today, so I'll remember to check the price. I do remember seeing it on Amazon and thinking it was a lot more than buying directly from them (I used to literally drive to one of the owners house and buy it directly from them) or from a local store after they got their USDA approval. I'll look on their website and see what they charge when not having their yearly sale.
I just looked on their website. 16 oz of pork lard is $16.25. Leaf lard is $17.25. One jar of each is $30.15. Beef Tallow is $16.25. Their package deals are the way to go. I think shipping is $6.50 for one or two jars.
If you have access to higher quality lard, I would recommend it. There is a significant difference between the supermarket lard and higher quality lard, and it will reflect in the flakiness/texture and taste of cookies. High quality lard, such as leaf lard, has close to no pork flavor, and produces wonderfully flaky and crumbly cookies. Industrially produced lard is usually rendered from lower quality fat parts, and to prevent spoilage it is typically treated with bleach, deodorizing agents, emulsifiers, and other stuff. Plus its also hydrogenated, in other words, loaded with trans fats.
The recipe does not call for a specific type of lard (or quality level). She mentions 1 1/2 cups or "one 1 lb. box" so it is likely she is referring to regular supermarket lard.
The regular supermarket lard brand in my area is Armour (green and white box).
Of course, it is your call whether or not you wish to seek out fancier lard, but the recipe author does not call for that.
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Ps heated on low in a 8 litre crock pot, place calloused feet in before pedicure for remarkable results.
The regular supermarket lard brand in my area is Armour (green and white box).
Of course, it is your call whether or not you wish to seek out fancier lard, but the recipe author does not call for that.
Good luck.