RENDERING LARD IN JACKET KETTLE OR CALDRON.
Before putting the fat into the kettle, put in a gallon of water for every 100 lbs. of fat, as the water prevents the lard from scorching. Then put in all the fat to be rendered and start the fire or slowly turn on the steam, as the case may be.
In rendering Lard the heat should be brought up gradually, so that quite a little of the fat is melted before the full heat is applied. If the heat is brought up too rapidly, it will cause the Lard to be darker in color than when it is gradually heated.
Lard should be boiled about 1½ hours after the entire mass is boiling.
Those butchers who wish to render their Lard scientifically, with the aid of a thermometer, can do so by hanging a thermometer in the Lard and bringing the temperature gradually up to 255 to 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and then turn off the steam or check the fire, as the case may be, and allow the Lard to cook slowly until it is finished.
A butcher can always tell when the Lard has cooked sufficiently by the way the cracklings press out.
After the Lard has all been tried out, skim out all the cracklings, put them into a press and press out all the Lard, adding what is pressed out to that in the kettle.
Now the Lard is ready to be strained through a piece of cheese cloth.
IF ONE HAS A LARD SETTLING TANK, AS HERE ILLUSTRATED, HANDLE THE LARD AS FOLLOWS:
After treating the Lard as directed, with Lard Purifier and water, and after the Lard has been treated enough to make it foam, and the foam has been skimmed off, dip the Lard and water out of the kettle, run it through a piece of cheese cloth into the settling tank. A settling tank is simply a galvanized iron tank with a large faucet at the bottom. The bottom can be made to taper to the center and the faucet placed in the center, so all the water can be drained off, or the bottom can be made flat with the faucet close to the bottom, and the tank can be set slanting, so the water or Lard will all drain out.
After the Lard is in the settling tank, let it settle for one or two hours, according to the size of the tank and quantity of Lard in it. Then drain off all the water and the impurities which have settled to the bottom. After these are drawn off, the Lard is ready to be run into buckets, which should be placed in the ice box to cool.