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My understanding is that the primary function of larding is to prevent the meat from drying out by adding fat, it has less to do with adding flavor. Larding isn't practiced much since today's commercial meat producers have bred animals with more intramuscular fat. The animals themselves live a relatively cushy lifestyle so their muscles don't get too firm unlike animals that are allowed to run around.
Larding is still useful for truly wild game but not farm-raised deer, etc.
The larding needle itself both cuts a hole and inserts the lardon at the same time. In Europe this would typically be unsmoked cured pork fatback so again primarily for fat. You can't fill the larding needle trough with a crumbly material, the item needs to be fairly firm to survive the journey through the newly formed cavity.
In my mind, there are better options for today's commercial meat cuts.
The first option is to cut a hole in a long roast with a long slender knife and stuff the cavity with a flavorful mixture (like duxelles). For a shorter piece of meat you can just use your fingers but for a longer one, you might need help from a tool like the handle of a wooden spoon to ensure the filling reaches the center of the roast. I did this years ago with boneless center cut pork loin roast and some beef (mostly tenderloin) roasts. I don't do this anymore, it seems like such a shame to cut a hole in the middle of an already perfect roast.
The second option is to apply filling onto a relatively flat cut of meat, roll into a cylinder and truss with kitchen twine. This method lends itself naturally to meat cuts that are already fairly flat due to the butchering.
Tuscan porchetta is a well-known classic example but pretty much every culture that raises pigs has such a similar treatment (for example lechon liempo is the Filipino version).
This technique is also popular with turkey since this bird's meat tends to be on the dry, bland side. Leg of lamb is ideal for this when it has been boned.
One advantage of this technique is that you can often get a swirl of filling (like a cinnamon roll or a Swiss roll) rather than all of the flavored filling in one central location.
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Larding is still useful for truly wild game but not farm-raised deer, etc.
The larding needle itself both cuts a hole and inserts the lardon at the same time. In Europe this would typically be unsmoked cured pork fatback so again primarily for fat. You can't fill the larding needle trough with a crumbly material, the item needs to be fairly firm to survive the journey through the newly formed cavity.
In my mind, there are better options for today's commercial meat cuts.
The first option is to cut a hole in a long roast with a long slender knife and stuff the cavity with a flavorful mixture (like duxelles). For a shorter piece of meat you can just use your fingers but for a longer one, you might need help from a tool like the handle of a wooden spoon to ensure the filling reaches the center of the roast. I did this years ago with boneless center cut pork loin roast and some beef (mostly tenderloin) roasts. I don't do this anymore, it seems like such a shame to cut a hole in the middle of an already perfect roast.
The second option is to apply filling onto a relatively flat cut of meat, roll into a cylinder and truss with kitchen twine. This method lends itself naturally to meat cuts that are already fairly flat due to the butchering.
Tuscan porchetta is a well-known classic example but pretty much every culture that raises pigs has such a similar treatment (for example lechon liempo is the Filipino version).
Here's a version using pork belly:
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-how-to-make-all-belly-porchetta-the-ultimate-holiday-roast-italian-roast-pork-slideshow
This technique is also popular with turkey since this bird's meat tends to be on the dry, bland side. Leg of lamb is ideal for this when it has been boned.
One advantage of this technique is that you can often get a swirl of filling (like a cinnamon roll or a Swiss roll) rather than all of the flavored filling in one central location.