Start by cutting the fat into small pieces. If you have a meat grinder, you can leave the pieces in 1 inch cubes, but if you do not have a grinder, .5 inch cubes would be better. After it is all cut, run it through your grinder. A grinder will speed up the process, but it is not necessary.

Fill a crock pot or roaster with your animal fat. I like to add about half a gallon of water if I am using my large roaster, or a cup of water if I am using a crockpot. Turn the crockpot or roaster on low heat. This slow cooker method is the easier way to set it and forget it without worrying about it being on your stovetop.

Typically, overnight your lard or tallow is turned from a solid into a liquid. You will see small bits or meat and other floaters in it, and that is the sign it is ready to strain. Use a fine mesh strainer and a cheese cloth to strain your fat into another container. Let your fat come to room temperature and check the bottom to see if there are any other impurities that sunk to the bottom. Typically after this first strain, you are ready to reheat and perform a final strain!

Put your chunk of lard back into a crockpot or roaster without any water. Once it is a liquid, strain it into your final jars! We use half gallon or quart canning jars to store our lard and tallow in a cool place for future use. We keep whichever jar of lard or tallow currently in use at room temperature in our pantry.