To Melt Fat For Shortening Recipe

The fat of all kinds of meat, excepting that of ham and mutton, makes

good shortening. Roast meat drippings, and the liquor in which meat is

boiled, should stand until cold, to have the fat congeal, so that it can

be taken off easily. When taken up, scrape off the sediment which

adheres to the under side of the fat, cut the fat into small pieces,

together with any scraps of fat from broiled meat that you may happen to

have. Melt the fat slowly, then strain it, and let it remain till cold.

When formed into a hard cake, take it up--if any sediment adheres to the

under side, scrape it off. Melt the fat again--when partly cooled,

sprinkle in salt, in the proportion of a tea-spoonful to a pound of the

shortening. The dregs of the fat are good for soap grease. This

shortening answers all the various purposes of lard very well, excepting

in the hottest weather. The fat of cooked meat should not be suffered to

remain more than a week in winter, and three days in summer, without

being melted. Ham fat, if boiled in fresh water, and then clarified,

answers very well to fry in. Mutton fat, if melted into hard cakes, will

fetch a good price at the tallow-chandler's. The leaves, and thin pieces

of pork, should be used for lard. Cut them in small bits, and melt them

slowly; then strain them through a cullender, with a thick cloth laid in

it. As soon as the fat cools and thickens, sprinkle in salt, in the

proportion of a tea-cup full to twenty weight of the lard. Stir it in

well, then set the pot that contains it in a cool place. Some people

have an idea that the pork scraps must be on the fire until they become

brown, in order to have the lard kept sweet the year round, but it is

not necessary, if salt is mixed with it.

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