leaf lard vs. back fat

[Brian P. Miller]

Will leaf lard behave acceptably when ground as an additive for lean meat sausages or do i need to use back fat specifically. Gonna make merguez this week and i have plenty of leaf lard. Thanks, B.

[Big Guy]

No leaf lard has been processed it won't work.

[Oddwookiee]

Yes and no- if you can get raw leaf lard straight off the carcass, it is passable but not preferred, If you do use it, make sure it hasn't been worked at all and is still in the hanging form, sometimes with the kidney. Back fat is still preferred, though.

The softer texture of leaf lard can be a good thing, if you're looking for a sausage with a little less tooth, or want the fat so cook through the meat quicker. It's a worthwhile experiment if you want to mess with it.

[BriCan]

No leaf lard has been processed it won't work.

Beg to differ sir, leaf lard is not processed it comes from the lining of the belly and around the kidneys and can be used in some sausage mix but not all

[the chorizo kid]

i would not suggest leaf lard for any sausage made to be heated, as the lard will melt out of the meat, and affect the taste/texture adversely. i also think it not a processed product. i think it is most often used in making pastry, as the little chunks of leaf lard act just like little chunks of butter. they melt and separate the rolled dough into layers of flaky pastry.

[tommix]

Well fellas, I just learned something; I had always thought that lard was a processed product as well and fat was an unprocessed product. Anyway here is what Wikipedia says.

"Lard can be obtained from any part of the pig as long as there is a high concentration of fatty tissue. The highest grade of lard, known as leaf lard, is obtained from the "flare" visceral fat deposit surrounding the kidneys and inside the loin. Leaf lard has little pork flavor, making it ideal for use in baked goods, where it is valued for its ability to produce flaky, moist pie crusts. The next highest grade of lard is obtained from fatback, the hard subcutaneous fat between the back skin and muscle of the pig. The lowest grade (for purposes of rendering into lard) is obtained from the soft caul fat surrounding digestive organs, such as small intestines, though caul fat is often used directly as a wrapping for roasting lean meats or in the manufacture of pâtés."

Melting point backfat: 30–40 °C (86–104 °F)
leaf fat: 43–48 °C (109–118 °F)
mixed fat: 36–45 °C (97–113
I was surprised to see that backfat had a lower melting point than leaf fat.

[Vindii]

Does leaf lard need to be rendered like regular lard before its used for baking? Or is it used as is?

[Oddwookiee]

I'd render it- there's a thin membrane around the folds that would be unpleasant in pastry, I'd expect. It's super fine, to the point that it gets almost 'crispy' when the carcass has been hanging for a few days and it dries out, but it's nothing I'd want in pie crust.

[yotmon]

Best to call it 'flare fat' to save any confusion with rendered lard. I think it can be used in black pudding to give a richness to the meat without leaving the visual cubes found when using back-fat.
Don't forget though - If you ask for 'lard' in France, you will be given bacon, so with all the international recipes found on here, lets hope nothing is lost in translation

[vagreys]

In my family, the fat was always called 'flare' or 'flare fat'. It was only called 'lard' if rendered, and it wasn't called 'leaf lard'. My great-grandmother kept a separate spring-lid jar of lard just for pie crusts. I didn't read about 'leaf' until I got into sausage making.

[BriCan]

This from my mate who still is a CFIA officer -- did his training same time as I and comes from Devon

I asked the question "what do we call the fat that lays against the belly'

His typical reply (I think Wheels and a couple of others may have seen some of his reply's) "Bull Shit, you have forgotten more than they will ever know" ( ) "Leaf fat. that is where pure lard comes from."

We was trained (UK) in this terminology as it would/dose look like a leaf

As we can see, different parts of the world call the same thing by different names

[zerocrop69]

I would like to know does anyone know the smoke points of different types of pork lard?