Of all the cured meats from Italy, for me, lardo is the most essential, primal, and pristine. It challenges our modern view of food down to one of it’s most fundamental and pervasive cores: fat is bad for you. But eaten as intended, sliced thin and consumed sparingly, this fat is good for you in every life-enhancing way imaginable.
Lardo is a thick slab of pork back fat that has been salted and left to cure in a soupy brine for six months. There is no intermediary meat of consequence. You slice it thin, and let the fat melt on your tongue. You can drape it over bread, let it dissolve over a just baked pizza, or add it to countless dishes in place of oil or butter as you would salt pork. It is the purest expression of the pig in all it’s glorious fat-ness.
It Italy, the best lardo is made in Colonnata, where the ancient marble mines of Carrara provide a natural vessel for curing the fat. Marble blocks are hollowed out to make caskets, where the fat cures along with salt, rosemary, and other aromatics for up to six months. The marble keeps the fat at a consistent temperature. And no refrigeration is used – Italians keep their caskets in cool basements or caves.
Lardo is a hard item to come by in the US, so making your own is one of the only viable options for obtaining it. But you need an impeccable source for the fat. You cannot just go down to your local supermarket and buy commercial back fat, full of nasty antibiotics and growth hormones. You need thick (at least 1 inch), organic, farm raised, heritage pork to make this salumi. You want pigs that spend their lives foraging, and from a farmer who is ethical and humane. My source was Caw Caw Creek Farms in South Carolina.
Recipe
The recipe I used was adapted from Salumi by Ruhlman & Polcyn. The only equipment you need is a scale capable of measuring grams and a non-reactive container that will hold the fat snuggly (you may need to trim it). Some use plastic ziplock bags, but I don’t want plastic touching this fat in a brine for 6 months.
- 100% pork back fat, at least 1 inch thick, skin on
- 50% sea salt (I used grey sea salt)
- 2% crushed and sliced garlic
- .5% black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle
- .4% juniper berries, crushed with a mortar and pestle
- .15% fresh rosemary stalks, crushed by hand
- .1% bay leaves, ripped into small pieces by hand
Combine all the seasonings. Place some of the cure mix in the bottom of a non-reactive container that can be covered tightly, such as glass or ceramic (or your custom made marble casket!). Set the fat skin side down in the container, and spread the rest of the cure over the top. Cover tightly, and wrap in a black plastic bag to keep the light out, which will destroy the delicate fat. Place in the fridge for six months.
I will post pictures of my lardo when it is finished.
Do you know where a suitable marble casket can be purchased from to make this the authentic way?
I have never seen one for sale in this country. But you can find a marble/granite company that makes stone kitchen sinks (farmhouse sinks), and they can probably make one to your specs. Carrara marble is pretty common with these companies, so you could make the real thing.
They sell them in Colonnata. I could barely lift the small ones!! I suspect they would mess up one’s baggage weight allowance too….
How exciting!!!!!! We purchased a pig share from a local farm and just doing research on the whole hog and can’t believe what a gem I have waiting for me in my freezer. Ahhh! I’m looking forward to your results. It’s been difficult finding a recipe without nitrates, so I’m going to give this a whirl and let time do it’s due diligence! Thanks for sharing and all the best, Jessica
Let us know how it goes! I just pulled my fat from the cure recently and the results were nothing less than spectacular.
John
I got a piece of mangalitsa steak with about an inch of lovely fat. I am going to turn the fat into lardo using your method! I can’t wait! Well, I can wait 6 mo.!
Very cool. I would love to do that. I’ll have to look around NY for someone selling a share in a pig.
Thanks,
M
Hey, John. Great post! Just a heads-up for any readers regarding where to get quality fatback. Caw Caw Creek has closed. After 20 years of farming, Emile has moved on to some exciting endeavors in the city. However, just around the same time, we got a new supplier, Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork (http://www.heritagecheshire.com), and they’ve got some gorgeous fat. I just put some on cure. Can’t wait! Take care!
Chef Kristian Niemi @kristianmn
Rosso Trattoria
Columbia, SC
That is sad to hear, but thanks very much for the new suggestion on pork procurement.
John
I raise Heritage Hogs. Large Blacks and Tamnworths. I have a supply of Fat Back. I feed my hogs non-medicated Grain, Whey and a lot of vegetables when in season. You can reach me at the above email or by phone: 401-300-8267
pvfarmstand.com All my products are USDA approved.
So how much water do you use in the brine recipe?
None. The recipe is a cure, not a brine.
Hello! We’re also a South Carolina farm, located in Sumter, SC, that humanely raises heritage breed hogs. We have Tamworth, Berkshire, Spots (spotted Poland China), Duroc, and Hampshire. They’re pastured and woodland fed, as well as grain fed to insure they get all the minerals, vitamins & protein to produce sufficient fat. Please review our website: http://www.sunnycedars.com
and follow the Facebook link. Thanks, Russell Singleton
Thanks for the information. Do you carry jowls by any chance? Also, any plans to raise Mangalistas in the future? It is one of my dreams to get a whole Mangalista and butcher it down to all the primals for curing. That breed is the king of fat in Italy.
What happens if I have the fat but not the skin? Will the recipe still work?
Absolutely.
Hey John, great site. I operate a small craft curing company. Saint Sus American Charcuterie. I just placed two slabs to cure, taken from the loin of a Mangalitsa here in Florida. I had planned on hanging them after a 14 refrigeration cure…do you suggest leaving them in the pressed dry cure on refrigeration for 6 mths…? If so, what results will differ from the hanging in my curing cabinet? This is my first Lardo cure, so I’m open to suggestions.
Thanks for your feedback,…Salt and patience…
Hi Keith – Lardo is not traditionally cured by hanging. It is kept in a salt cure at low temps for the entire duration to keep the fat milky white and supple. I am sure it could be hung – but it would be a very different product.
Do you have your salumi for sale?
Hi john!
Specila thanks to your information. I am so happy to find your site. I am about to receive Iberian backfat today, so your information is very helpfull.
I have a question. Do we need 50% sea salt? Itn’t it too much? Is it the normal amount for 100 fatback?
Thank you!
Starting my lardo now from a pasture raised Herutage pig. There are lots of good pasture raised pigs near you including Russel Singleton, Tank Jackson down in Charleston and Gra Moore with Carolina Heritage Farms-all in SC.
Heritage Cheshire Pork is just more confinement raised pork from NC. Too many good producers of pasture raised pigs in NC and SC to be using pigs raised on concrete!
I have some back fat waiting for me in the fridge. Does anyone have measurements in grams or teaspoons and Tablespoons for the recipe. thanks ahead of time.
Hi Reesa.
The measurements in (g) depend on the initial weight of your fat. You need to weigh your piece of fat, then apply the percentages provided above for the other ingredients.
Are those percentages by weight? So if I have 2 lbs of fat, I will need 1 lb of salt? I just made a batch with a friend and it was a disaster. Fail forward! Thanks.
In case anyone is interested I have found an Italian website selling small-ish Carrara marble conca for making Lardo: http://www.oggettisticamarmocarrara.com/en/kitchenware/92-marble-lard-conteiner.html
The shipping is quite expensive outside of Europe due to the weight, but this is the only place I have managed to find so far. I think I visit to Italy will be on the cards (with an empty suitcase)!
That site seems to be history
Much easier to make one than lug 20+ lbs of marble back from Italy.
I wish to add. If smoked over straw or hay, cold smoking mind you, you have lardone. Don’t have to use straw or hay, but it is traditional. I occationally use alder.
I’m curious on the follow up for this. How did it turn out? Would you change anything about what you did? Or the balance of the ingredients in the cure? I just put a batch in the cure and the fridge using this recipe from Ruhlman & Polcyn. I’m especially intrigued by Frank M’s comment about cold smoking. I will try that with some of it for sure.
JDV – hey man! I found you back when I started my lardo curing quest. I purchased Ruhlman & Polcyn’s book and started curing my precious fatback. Today marks it’s third birthday! I checked on the remaining three slabs and by looks and scent, we are golden. However, it had these salt-like strands protruding all over. Not scary, but unusual … Ever seen this before? Wondering if you have any insight if the lardo is still good or if it’s spoiled? I’m terrified to try it because, you know, botulism. Hope to hear. ✌ – Jessica
Dana and Brad Hoffman, Gypsy Wind Farms, have Mangalitsa. We always have something available. gypsywindfarms.com or barbadosblackbelly.com and on fb gypsywindfarms. We’re in Blair, SC. We just sold 20 lbs of fresh fatback to a chef in West Palm Beach that is making Lardo. It looks like it is going to be delicious!
My wine room stays at 54 degrees would this be suitable for curing Lardo? It stays dark also which would be good.
We have a mangalitsa grower here in Indiana too Cameron Farm. Our family just raised two mangalitsa/Berkshire crosses for ourselves that we bought from him. Can’t wait to try lardo!
available at Fromage in Old Saybrook, CT
Is the skin absolutely necessary? I’ve seen recipes that call for skinless.
My local farm does not have the skin attached but can get me as much skinless as I need.
Thanks.
I found this wonderful business that deals in fatted pigs.
https://www.mangalitsaestates.com/about
As you can see, it’s all about the fat.
Thanks for your post, John. Our family farm, Glendower Farms, has a herd of pastured Iberian/Iberico pigs in north Florida. There’s always plenty of fat left over after a slaughter. So about 15 months ago, we used a slightly modified version of your recipe to make lardo from some thick slabs of backfat. As of now (Sept. 2019), we have nearly 100 pounds of it in stock. We also have a limited supply of uncured backfat slabs available. Our website is GlendowerFarms.com.
Can Flap Fat from the pig be used instead?
This is a lovely article! Thank you for educating us all in the traditional ways of food preservation. We raise pure Mangalitsa in western NC. They are raised on pasture, non gmo feed and herbal blends for parasite control ie absolutely no chemicals or vaccines. Most importantly and often forgotten is the water quality fed to livestock. Commercial Bone broths have been found to contain lead for instance. Our Mangalitsa drink from our spring which is tested annually. We just had the honor of having two of our Mangalitsa selected for The Michelin Star Guide restaurant reveal gala dinner at the Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes! June 9 2022. We are beyond thrilled! Mangalitsa fat is especially suited for lardo as it’s 4-6” thick and the fat composition is more than 10% higher in monounsaturated fat than other breeds. To give you an idea, when kept in the refrigerator, it is slightly firmer than mayo and easily spreadable. We would love to share our Mangalitsa with you! Somkymangpig.com or call/text 828-246-7372
I raise mangalitsa pigs in a free range farm. Every year I process one pure blood and one mangalitsa berkshire cross. I have a herd of about 15 adults and 30 smaller ones. I feed them a diet of about 7 thousand pounds of apples and pears a week along with dairy, vegetables, and other fruit and grains. The quality of the pork and fat is incomparable to any commercially available pork or any other breed. According to the ministry of agriculture in the united kingdom fatty mangalitsa pork is one of the 8th healthiest foods you can eat.