LARD -- any idea where to buy?

[decodelighted]

I''ve become obsessed with this video where director Robert Rodriquez gives a 10 Minute Cooking School on "Sin City Breakfast Tacos" ... including how to make flour tortillas from scratch. Key ingrediant: lard. Which apparently has less fat grams & calories than butter -- but don''t quote me.

I JUST TODAY bought flour tortillas to make fish tacos ... but now I HAVE to make them from scratch ... but have a feeling the grocery store ain''t carrying LARD. Any ideas????

 

[FireGoddess]

Mexican grocery store? Have any near you? (I've got to go to one this week to get the specific brand of chipotles in adobo that my dad wants...so I can ship them across the country to him!!)

ETA: Can you use vegetable shortening instead? Is that sacrilege?

 

[TravelingGal]

I was going to second the mexican grocery store idea...only because we owned one years ago and definitely sold lard. I have no idea where you could get it now. Specialty shops? farmers markets?

 

[sumbride]

My safeway carries it in the international aisle, but then there is a high population of hispanics in this area so it may be a regional thing. Definitely check a hispanic grocery! It shouldn''t be quite as rare as you think as many many cultures use it for cooking.

 

[Skippy123]

They have it at all my grocery stores, but then again I live in New Mexico

 

[surfgirl]

deco, you''re scaring me girl...Lard? You''re actually wanting lard? I used to date a Mexican American guy and his mother made the most outstanding tortillas and gorditas - we got her recipe - and we used Crisco and they came out terrific. Honey, dont eat lard willingly. It''s really a gross product.

 

[dianne]

Lard? Now that''s a word I haven''t heard since childhood. I barely remember seeing it in the grocery store, but that''s where they used to sell it. My grandma used lard to make homemade biscuits, I think. I can''t remember seeing it in...forever.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/12/2007 9:47:45 PM
Author: surfgirl
deco, you''re scaring me girl...Lard? You''re actually wanting lard? Honey, dont eat lard willingly. It''s really a gross product.

HA!! You *have* to watch the video ... somehow he makes lard SEXY! I was hypnotized!

Thanks GANG!! I was thinking mexican grocery stories but I''ve already been looking for one to find "mexican coke" ... which we heard had cane sugar in it & tastes much better.

I''m gonna go on an all out lard MISSION tomorrow. It''s the Northeast, small town ... not a huge "internationl" community here - but I''m hopeful!

He said you can substitute butter but that the tortillas would turn out dryer & less tasty. I didn''t even know the difference between Lard & Crisco -- but I do now. Almost as horrifying as when my aunt told me about frying up pork chops in BACON GREASE .. yet, I''m gonna try that too - as soon as I collect enough bacon grease!

Everything in moderation ... I just like exploring new foods & new techniques etc -- I don''t wanna become any more of a LARDxss than I already am, I ASSURE you.

 

[FireGoddess]

I''ve got to ask Deco, because your new avatar keeps cracking me up...what are you ''thumbs down-ing'' over there?!

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/12/2007 10:39:13 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I''ve got to ask Deco, because your new avatar keeps cracking me up...what are you ''thumbs down-ing'' over there?!

HA! It was from my "Irish Honeymoon" thread ... I explained that this was my reaction to hiking further up for a better view of the Cliffs of Moher and SOMEFOLKS thought that this was a character-revealing shot.

Figured I''d play along ... for a few days at least!

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/12/2007 10:45:01 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 6/12/2007 10:39:13 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I''ve got to ask Deco, because your new avatar keeps cracking me up...what are you ''thumbs down-ing'' over there?!

HA! It was from my ''Irish Honeymoon'' thread ... I explained that this was my reaction to hiking further up for a better view of the Cliffs of Moher and SOMEFOLKS thought that this was a character-revealing shot.

Figured I''d play along ... for a few days at least!

*cough* *cough*......

 

[sumbride]

Date: 6/12/2007 10:37:19 PM
Author: decodelighted


Thanks GANG!! I was thinking mexican grocery stories but I''ve already been looking for one to find ''mexican coke'' ... which we heard had cane sugar in it & tastes much better.

I''ve had Dr Pepper with real cane sugar and it''s AMAZING... SO MUCH better!! they sell it at the Dr Pepper museum in Waco, TX. If you find this special kind of coke, let me know how you like it! I had coke in Mexico but I can''t remember if it was cane sugar or corn syrup.

 

[divergrrl]

Deco---my aunt makes her own lard. I watched her....gets half a pig (she lives in the boonies, neighbors share whole pigs, sides of beef, etc) cuts the fat off of it, puts it in a big pot & reduces it down...

LOL..

can ya just imagine?

Diver

 

[neatfreak]

If there''s a good butcher in your town usually they can get it for you even if they don''t normally carry it in the store. Worth an ask...

 

[Pandora II]

Fab stuff, I use it to cook with a lot.

In cornwall they even have a cake called "lardy cake" with a thick layer on the bottom. It''s soooo good.

It''s in all the supermarkets here! Sorry - not much use I know!

 

[Mara]

hmm i dunno, my grandma makes awesome flour tortillas from scratch but she doesn't lard. i think she used crisco actually when i was younger. she still does make them but not with crisco or lard. not sure what she uses actually! she gave me a tortilla pan and i have made my own in the past but i can't remember how i did it and they did come out tasty but i am not the best at rolling them out so they come out fatter and puffier hehehe.

just the name 'lard' sounds gross! haha.

 

[chrono]

Well, lard isn''t the best of oils so it is kind of gross. It''s pig fat, so I even consider the bacon oil lard too.

 

[Skippy123]

That is how my grandma made tortillas. She would fry bacon and save the oil and it turns solid. Hers were yummy. She is no longer alive but her tortillas were sure yummy!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rainbowtrout]

Italian specialty shops may have it too.

it really is great for certain kinds of cooking, and no more gross than other fatty animal products. I mean, proscuitto is half lard!

and crisco is terrible for you as well, might as well use the good stuff.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/13/2007 5:34:04 PM
Author: rainbowtrout
crisco is terrible for you as well, might as well use the good stuff.

Right! No trans-fats in Lard! I think it''s really a cultural or geographic kind of thing ... we Southerners love our Bacon Grease! Watch that Food Network lady whatshername ...

But I''ll admit it does "sound bad" to me ... LARD ... just the word ... LARD.

But WATCH THE VIDEO -- I swear he makes it SEXY!

 

[monarch64]

Hee hee, I''m a vegetarian but I saw this thread and it is bringing back serious memories, Deco! Hope you find some lard...I have never bought it myself so i don''t know where to tell you to find it, sorry.

My family has been in the drive-in/24 hr. diner restaurant business for over 50 years in southern Indiana. Think homemade pies in every (seasonal) flavor, milkshakes made with real ice cream, those spinny-shiny barstools along the counter, and chicken-fried everything, lol! Great food but horrible for the cholesterol levels. My grandmother and my aunt still run the last of the restaurant chain my Papa Ted started in the late 40''s, and they do a lot of the baking themselves. My grandma makes these awesome homemade dumplings every holiday, and the key ingredient happens to be lard. Before I went semi-veg in grade school, I used to LOVE them, couldn''t get enough, well no one could, ha. Then my mother totally burst my bubble and told me what lard was and that it was used in dumplings...

Anyway, I still indulged myself those few times a year until I went to college and decided I didn''t want to eat the stuff anymore.

Grits with red-eye gravy? forget it. Dumplings? Ahhh, not anymore, but I have great memories of stuffing myself quite full of them!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 6/13/2007 6:48:58 PM
Author: monarch64
Hee hee, I''m a vegetarian but I saw this thread and it is bringing back serious memories, Deco! Hope you find some lard...I have never bought it myself so i don''t know where to tell you to find it, sorry.

My family has been in the drive-in/24 hr. diner restaurant business for over 50 years in southern Indiana. Think homemade pies in every (seasonal) flavor, milkshakes made with real ice cream, those spinny-shiny barstools along the counter, and chicken-fried everything, lol! Great food but horrible for the cholesterol levels. My grandmother and my aunt still run the last of the restaurant chain my Papa Ted started in the late 40''s, and they do a lot of the baking themselves. My grandma makes these awesome homemade dumplings every holiday, and the key ingredient happens to be lard. Before I went semi-veg in grade school, I used to LOVE them, couldn''t get enough, well no one could, ha. Then my mother totally burst my bubble and told me what lard was and that it was used in dumplings...

Anyway, I still indulged myself those few times a year until I went to college and decided I didn''t want to eat the stuff anymore.

Grits with red-eye gravy? forget it. Dumplings? Ahhh, not anymore, but I have great memories of stuffing myself quite full of them!

Hey Monarch...I''m around IUB...whereabouts is your family''s reastaurant? That is the kind of cooking my dad would really enjoy when he visits! (esp. since I don''t cook that way

)

 

[decodelighted]

VICTORY thy name is GOYA!

Got some! Yeesh -- weirdness though. I went to our regular, upscale-ish grocery store and checked out the "Mexican" aisle. Way down low there were butter type packages marked "LARD" ... but ALL of them were a) dusty b) out of date .. some as far back as JANUARY. Blech. Then I mosey''d on over to "Hispanic" ... BINGO! Giant gallon tub of Goya brand LARD! I wish to goodness they had smaller packs like the butter sized ones -- as I don''t anticipate this becoming a STAPLE of our diet

... I just wanna experiment with this one dish ... anyhoo -- it was three dollars so if we only use a bit & throw it out -- it''s not a tragedy.

Then, when I was checking out -- the teen girl goes "LARD? What''s that ... for like BAKING?" ... and I just laughed & explained about the tortillas.

Sidenote -- Because I''m a total spaz I also almost missed the Scallions because they weren''t labeled "Scallions" -- but "Green onions". I asked four people & none of them knew either. Yet, when it rang up on the register -- scallions they were. Whew!

Maybe I should explain that DH is out of town & I''ve been cooking foods only *I* like while he''s away. Tonight is Fish Tacos & Margaritas in front of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Whoopee! (Though I''m gonna wait to make the homemade tortillas til he''s back -- I want a WITNESS for that!!)

 

[rainbowtrout]

I WORSHIP Goya. Seriously. Srsly. (to go a little Grey''s on you.) Their EVO is the best quality for dirt cheap, and they have the best beans, etc..and evidently lard!

 

[surfgirl]

deco, you crack me up. But honestly, as Mara attests to, Crisco veg shortening is just as good and healthier I think (if Crisco can be considered healthy in any realm!) than LARD. Blech.

If you want to explore the wild world of artery clogging substances, you should get some DVDs of Two Fat Ladies or whatever that show was called on the Food Channel. Those two fat British women cooked everything in lard, even bacon was cooked in bacon fat. Sounds right up your current alley!

 

[Skippy123]

My mom makes them with Crisco and they come out pretty yummy! After seeing the video I am craving my moms HOMEMADE tortilla''s . . . I might just call her

 

[rainbowtrout]

Guys, just go for a run or something after you have the tortillas. Occasionally making a pie or tortillas with lard won''t kill you. And (for me) it has more flavor than crisco.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/13/2007 7:13:17 PM
Author: surfgirl
But honestly, as Mara attests to, Crisco veg shortening is just as good and healthier I think (if Crisco can be considered healthy in any realm!) than LARD. Blech.

Not so fast, Surfgirl ... I''ve been doing a lot of research on this -- it''s counterintuitive ..

One passage

"Natural lard is more healthy than hydrogenated fats, such as Crisco, and butter. It is lower in saturated fat than the other two. It also creates a wonderfully flaky pie-crust and is good in many patries."

Another

"Lard contains two kinds of fat: saturated, which carries its own health-risk baggage (high cholesterol, heart attack, stroke); and monounsaturated, the darling of the fat world that is believed to lower cholesterol and might even fight heart disease. Lard is lower in saturated fat than butter (roughly 40 percent vs. approximately 60 percent) and contains more monounsaturated fat than butter (45 percent vs. 23 percent)."

And
here''s a newspaper article praising Lard!

 

[monarch64]

Hi loveinbloom! The restaurant is in Bedford, IN...it''s called Golden Gables. If you take 37 south out of B-ton, you follow it all the way to where it merges with state hwy. 50, and then it''s about 1-2 miles down (eastbound) on your right. There''s a Speedway station right in front of it. Be warned: it''s still a smoking establishment, one of the few left around, so if you or your dad don''t mind smelling like a big greasy cigarette when you come out you won''t mind it, but if you do I''ve given you a heads-up, LOL!

Date: 6/13/2007 6:53:43 PM
Author: Love in Bloom

Date: 6/13/2007 6:48:58 PM
Author: monarch64
Hee hee, I''m a vegetarian but I saw this thread and it is bringing back serious memories, Deco! Hope you find some lard...I have never bought it myself so i don''t know where to tell you to find it, sorry.

My family has been in the drive-in/24 hr. diner restaurant business for over 50 years in southern Indiana. Think homemade pies in every (seasonal) flavor, milkshakes made with real ice cream, those spinny-shiny barstools along the counter, and chicken-fried everything, lol! Great food but horrible for the cholesterol levels. My grandmother and my aunt still run the last of the restaurant chain my Papa Ted started in the late 40''s, and they do a lot of the baking themselves. My grandma makes these awesome homemade dumplings every holiday, and the key ingredient happens to be lard. Before I went semi-veg in grade school, I used to LOVE them, couldn''t get enough, well no one could, ha. Then my mother totally burst my bubble and told me what lard was and that it was used in dumplings...

Anyway, I still indulged myself those few times a year until I went to college and decided I didn''t want to eat the stuff anymore.

Grits with red-eye gravy? forget it. Dumplings? Ahhh, not anymore, but I have great memories of stuffing myself quite full of them!

Hey Monarch...I''m around IUB...whereabouts is your family''s reastaurant? That is the kind of cooking my dad would really enjoy when he visits! (esp. since I don''t cook that way

)

I grew up in Bedford and know the Bloomington/IU area quite well, are you going to school there? It was an option for me, but as a sheltered 17 yr. old choosing which in-state school her parents could afford to send her to, decided on In. State U. instead since it was farther away and I didn''t want my mother all up in my business...probably not the best decision I ever made but i did make it through with a B.S. so I guess the end result was alright.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 6/13/2007 7:35:18 PM
Author: monarch64
Hi loveinbloom! The restaurant is in Bedford, IN...it''s called Golden Gables. If you take 37 south out of B-ton, you follow it all the way to where it merges with state hwy. 50, and then it''s about 1-2 miles down (eastbound) on your right. There''s a Speedway station right in front of it. Be warned: it''s still a smoking establishment, one of the few left around, so if you or your dad don''t mind smelling like a big greasy cigarette when you come out you won''t mind it, but if you do I''ve given you a heads-up, LOL!


I grew up in Bedford and know the Bloomington/IU area quite well, are you going to school there? It was an option for me, but as a sheltered 17 yr. old choosing which in-state school her parents could afford to send her to, decided on In. State U. instead since it was farther away and I didn''t want my mother all up in my business...probably not the best decision I ever made but i did make it through with a B.S. so I guess the end result was alright.

Hehehe, Monarch, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! Way to go with the B.S.-what did you study?? I totally understand about the need to get away from the family noses...sometimes I think 800 miles isn''t far enough!! So, I think I have heard of that restaurant...Fi and I probably passed it on our way to Kentucky and perhaps that is why the name rings a bell

. Thanks for the directions and for the heads up on the cig smoke. There are some places I went in Martinsville that still allow smoking too (I just have to remember to bring an inhaler, argh, darn asthma

). I like to explore alot in Indiana, especially since I am from the east coast and everything seems so different to me out here.

I am currently not a student, but I do work for IU in the biology department. I get mistaken for a student all the time. I taught intro level bio labs at my old university and some of the ppl I taught are now attending IU for biology. It is kind of weird, and makes me feel old! My fiance is currently in gradschool...he''s hoping to have his PhD in analytical chemistry by 2009. *sigh* We have no idea where we will go after that!