Step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions on how to open a coconut and grate it.  It’s much easier than you might think to open up a fresh coconut and grate the meat inside for your next recipe.  From Coconut Cakes to Coconut Cream Pies and so many other dishes, you’ll love the distinctly different taste of using fresh coconut.  We’ll show you how.

How To Open A Coconut:

It’s so easy these days to pick up a bag or even a can of flake coconut so, you might wonder why in the world you’d want to go to the trouble of opening and grating a fresh coconut.  The answer is easy…TASTE.  It’s all about the taste.  Now, I’ll admit, it does take a little work and effort but, the results will be well worth the effort.

Growing up here in North Carolina, I watched my mom take daddy’s hammer and whack open more than a few coconuts in her time.  It was a time to get closer in the kitchen because once the coconut was opened, I knew I had to get a bite of it.  I’d watch closely as she poked a nail or screwdriver into one of the coconut “eyes” as they are called.  Then, she’d flip it over on a mason jar or a glass and let the water inside drain out.  Maybe, just maybe, she’d even let me take a sip after she would open it up.

With hammer in one hand and, a towel and coconut in the other, she’d give that coconut a good whacking around the middle.  She’d hit it once, turn it slightly and hit it again…until it would finally break open.  That’s when you could see all that lovely white interior of goodness.  Of course, the hard part was yet to come.  Getting that white part out…was sometimes a little tricky.  She’d persist though, wiggling a butter knife around the edges and, I’d always end up the happy recipient of one of the smaller pieces that would break off.  It was like candy as I’d chew away on it.

Mama always did most of the actual grating of the coconut.  She’d let me give it a try if I asked but, it wasn’t as easy as she made it appear to be.  As I grated this one in the pictures, I couldn’t help but think back to how she took the time and effort to make those delicious fresh coconut cakes we all loved.  When I mentioned to my older brother the other day that I was working on one, he quickly declared that fresh coconut cake was his all time favorite.  You think that might have been a hint?  Older brothers….gotta love them.

The first time you open up a coconut of your own, you may wonder exactly what possessed you to do so.  But, do like mama and push on through and, you’ll have a bowl full of freshly grated coconut in no time at all.   Then, use it for our Fresh Coconut Cake Recipe or in a Coconut Cream Pie and enjoy the difference that fresh coconut can bring to the table.   Don’t be shy…you can do it.  Ready to give it a try?  Let’s Get Cooking!  Er…I mean…cracking!

How To Open A Coconut:  You’ll need a coconut or, maybe two and, a few simple household tools.

Now days, at least around here, coconuts come wrapped in some type of netting.  They are a bit messy with all that “hair” and I guess the netting helps keep that from making such a big mess in the produce counter.  You’ll need to cut the netting away of course.  Aren’t they cute…with those big brown EYES….I feel like I should name them.

The three brown spots are called “eyes.”  It looks more like two eyes and a mouth though.  When you purchase your coconut, be sure the eyes don’t have any area where it looks like the liquid might have leaked out.  Like yours…they should be clear.  You’ll also want to shake your coconut while you’re in the store.  You should be able to hear a good amount of liquid sloshing around inside and the coconut should feel “heavy” to you for it’s size.  Look it over and make sure it doesn’t have any cracks in it already.

At least one, maybe two, of the eyes will be somewhat softer than the others.  You can find this one by taking a nail, clean screwdriver or, a punch of some sort and just pressing it into that eye area.  Then, carefully place the punching device into the center of the brown spot and hold it securely.

Take a hammer and give the top of the screwdriver a slight tap.  It shouldn’t take a lot to puncture the coconut.  You may even hear air under pressure being released when you do it.  Wiggle the punch around a bit and open the eye up as much as you can.

Now, grab a glass or jar and, flip the coconut upside down on top of it so the water inside can drain into the jar.  RESIST the urge to stick a straw into the coconut and sip it like you’ve seen on TV.  You really don’t want to do that just yet.  Let all the juice drain into your container.  Set the water aside for the moment.  It can be refrigerated for a day or two or, freeze it in an airtight container for use later.  If you grate or shred your coconut, you can add the liquid back into the grated coconut and freeze it all together.  It’s best to strain out any particles that might be in the water before freezing or use.

This particular brand of coconut was called a “Groovy Coconut.”  Once you remove the netting, you’ll see one or two grooves that have been cut into the coconut.  No, they don’t grow that way.  These are cut into the coconut to help you open it easier.  Some have just one groove and then some have a type of intersecting groove.  Just depends on what is available at your grocer.  If your’s doesn’t happen to have a groove, it’s no problem.

You’ll find various methods on the Internet on how to actually open a coconut.  This is just the way we’ve always done it around our house.  Some people put them in bags and smash them on the sidewalk or driveway.  If you don’t have a hammer, I suppose that’s the next best way.  This works pretty good and you don’t even have to go outside.  Please, please, please though….grab a towel to hold it.  You can thank me later.  Place the towel in your hand and lay the coconut on top of the towel.

Take your hammer and start tapping around the middle of the coconut.  In my case, I tapped around the groove that was cut into my coconut.  You have to tap it firmly but not real hard.  Just tap it, turn it, tap again and keep rolling it in your hand until it cracks open.  By the way, that’s the hammer that belonged to my dad.  One of my small treasures.

Warning:  The next photo isn’t what a coconut is suppose to look like inside.  I’m just telling you in advance because you need to know these things.

THIS is why you DON’T want to be sticking a straw into a coconut like this.  I know it’s not pretty but…it happens.  It’s not suppose to look like this once you get it open.  Apparently the grocery store I bought my coconuts from doesn’t sell a lot of them.  The meat has spots that are clearly visible and if you are brave enough to taste it…it’s yucky.  Take my word for it.  Either throw it away or return to the store you bought it from for an exchange or refund.  You DON’T want to use this.  Of course, the water inside was also bad and I threw that away.  Imagine if you’d stuck a straw inside and took a big sip.  Yuck!  Enough said….let’s move on now…..to something prettier.

THIS is more like it.  All white meat inside and it smells like fresh coconut when you sniff it.  That spot on the right side is where I punched it to drain the water out.  Now we’re getting somewhere.

BE CAREFUL:  The following steps really require you to be careful.  Sharp objects are involved and the meat of the coconut is pretty firm.  Getting it out of the shell can be a bit of a task and I really can’t emphasize enough how careful you need to be.

Having said that, take a good pairing knife and carefully make two cuts in the meat of the coconut.  I started down at the middle..or bottom…of the meat and cut a V shape out of it.  I think you’ll find this step makes it a bit easier to remove the meat.

Now, carefully slip the knife between the meat of the coconut…the white part….and the outer shell…the brown part.  You could use a butter knife for this or, even the clean screwdriver you punched the eyes with.  Just BE CAREFUL.  I suggest you place the coconut down on your cutting board or counter top and NOT hold it in your hand while you do this.

OK….I got a bit lucky with this one.  The V-shape cutout helps and, after running the edge of the knife all around the meat, I was able to pop the meat out of this half pretty much in one piece.  I suspect this is more of a sign of the aging of my coconut other than my own skills.

EXTRA TIP:  Some folks will place the unopened coconut inside a heated oven once they drain the water out.  Mama never did this and I’ve never tried it myself.  Although, I think I will when I get my next coconut.  It’s suppose to make it easier to remove the meat from the shell.  All you have to do to try it is pre-heat your oven to about 325º.  Drain the water from the coconut and place the whole empty coconut on a baking sheet.  Slide it into the warm oven for about 15-20 minutes and then remove it.  Once it’s cooled enough to touch, use the above steps to crack it open.  The meat is suppose to be easier to remove this way.  Does it dry out the meat any?  I really can’t say since I’ve not tried it.  Maybe I can update this post later and let you know.  Sometimes, the coconut will even crack open inside the oven once it starts to warm up.

This is more likely what you’ll get as you try to pry the meat out…..smaller pieces.  It’s OK though because you’ll end up working with smaller pieces in the long run once you start to grate it.

If you need to, you can always place the coconut down on the cutting board and whack it again to break the shell more.  The whole process is pretty much a “do what you have too” type of thing.

Finally, your hard work will pay off and you’ll have all the meat safely removed from the shell.  You’ve done good.  Your reward is yet to come.

OK…we’re making progress.  All the meat is out.  Now, we just have to cut away the brown layer of skin that’s on the backside that was next to the shell.  Use a good pairing knife and carefully cut the skin away as best you can.  You’ll certainly want to remove it all but, it’s not quite as easy as peeling a potato.  Yes, a vegetable peeler works good as well.

You’ll probably end up with some small bits and pieces along the way.  But hey….they’re really good to nibble on while you work.  I think coconut oil may be good for the skin also.

Before you know it….you’ll have it all peeled.  What next?  You can freeze these pieces just like they are and save them for later…or…you can go ahead and grate them.  If you decide to freeze them now, it’s recommended that you place them in a freezer type plastic bag and remove as much of the air as possible before sealing the bag.  Pop the bag in your freezer and you’ll be steps ahead when you’re ready for that cake or pie.

Or….you can go ahead and grate it….by hand of course.  Well, if you’re really feeling old fashioned, it’s the only way mama ever knew how to do it.

If you have a good food processor, you might want to try using that.  I’ve not tried it and can’t speak of it’s success.  Then too, there are numerous tools available online or, at your local kitchen store, that are made just for this purpose.  Some look interesting and if you plan on doing this often, it might be worth looking into.  Most appear to be a type of scraper that you scrape the coconut out of the shell with.  You might want to check those out if interested.  I’m going for the old fashioned tradition with my Fresh Coconut Cake…so….I guess I’ll do it the hard way.

This box type grater is capable of doing several different styles of cuts.  Each side offers something different.  Here’s an example of one side that produces a larger type of flake.  This would be good for a garnish or finish on top of a cake or pie but….it’s not what I’m really looking for.

THIS is more like what I remember.  Much smaller flakes although it will take a little more work.  It’ll be worth the effort though.

No doubt about it…this COULD be a bit of a knuckle buster.  You really want to be careful while grating the meat.  I found that the curve of the piece of coconut seemed to work best when placing my thumb inside the curve.  From there….you just keep the piece in motion until you can’t hold onto what’s left.  Again, it’s one of those “do what you have to” processes that you just continue to push forward with until you’re finished.  What else can I say about it?  I can’t even begin to imagine how many times mama must have done this very thing….just because she loved us.

If you hang in there….you’ll find find that last piece.  You’ll have pushed through and succeeded with the project.  Those little bits on the right hand side are down to as close as I could get.  I wanted every flake.

And for the record, I measured it out.  This ONE coconut provided 3 full cups of grated coconut.  I measured out 2 cups and that’s what you see in the bowl on the left.  I had just over one cup left in the measuring cup on the right.  I wanted to weigh it but the battery was dead in my kitchen scales.  So much for that.

At this point, I felt quite proud of myself and decided to take the rest of the day off.

Now, let me tell you a little more about my coconut cracking adventures.  I stated already that I bought two coconuts and one was bad.  It’s not typical and I think I just ran into some that have been around for awhile.   I guess there’s not really a lot of calls for whole coconuts anymore.  A week before, I purchased two coconuts and BOTH of those were bad.  I don’t think they were from the same company though.

When I cracked open the first one, things went pretty good despite the fact that it had some bad spots inside and couldn’t be used.  On the second one, I wasn’t using a towel and after about the second whack with the hammer, the shell jumped open and “bit my finger.”  “Ouch Charlie…that hurts!”  It really did.  The shell opened up and pinched my thumb.  At first I thought it was bleeding but then realized it didn’t break the skin.  A big blood blister popped up instead and a week later….I still have signs of it.  I’m in hopes it will eventually go away but it’s taking a long time.  I think I’ll be alright though.  Thank you for your concern and tremendous outpouring of support.  You’re so kind to me.  (Smile)

Anyway….that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  Want to see?

I don’t have a “Recipe” for this.  I hope the pictures have been helpful and that you’ll venture into the realm of Fresh Coconut one day soon.  I really do taste a difference in it and I think you will too.  It freezes well so, I suggest you might just open the coconut and freeze the meat after you removed it….for another day.

Enjoy!

Follow these easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making our homemade Basic Cake Layers Recipe. Baking from scratch is much easier than you think.  Why give credit to a boxed cake mix when you can bake your very own scratch made layers and, have family and friends raving about how moist and delicious your cakes always are.

Basic Cake Layers Recipe:  Made from scratch.

Sure, you can buy a boxed cake mix and whip up a pretty decent cake in just a few minutes.  But why?  Its just not your… style.  Not only do you remember how great those cakes your Mother and your Grandmother made were but, you also remember how everyone raved about how delicious and moist they always turned out to be.  Right?  Wouldn’t you want folks saying the same thing about the cakes YOU bake?

Now, you can keep those family traditions alive by baking up your favorite cakes from scratch.  Great cakes start with great layers.  And, these layers can be the foundation of so many different types of cakes, whatever the occasion.  Just add your favorite frosting and you’re all set.  It’s much easier than you might think.

Taste of Southern is all about sharing great family recipes and keeping the basic knowledge of cooking alive for generations to come.  Cooking and baking shouldn’t be a hassle for you.  Sure, you’ll make mistakes along the way, we all do… and still do.  Its just part of the learning process.  But, we don’t give up trying and we continue to strive to provide the best that we can for our family and friends.  It’s a great way to get the kids and Grand kids in the kitchen and make some memories they will remember and cherish for the rest of their lives and, hopefully pass on to their kids and Grand kids.

So, don’t be afraid to pull out a bowl or two and that old mixer and, whip up some delicious cakes for them to enjoy.  You’ll have fun in the kitchen, make some memories and, you’ll end up with some great desserts to share and enjoy as well.  Whether you need a cake for that next Birthday, Anniversary, Bake Sale or for a special treat for the family, we’ve got the steps below to help you pull it off.  You’ve just got to figure out what frosting you want to spread the layers with.

These are Basic Cake Layers that are versatile for making a large variety of cakes.  We’ve got some good ideas right here on Taste of Southern that you might like.  So, go ahead and preheat the oven.  Let’s Get Cooking!

Basic Cake Layers Recipe:  You’ll need these ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 325º.  You always want a good hot oven to start your baking.

Grab a good sized mixing bowl and, add the Sugar.  It’s cake… it starts with some sugar.

You’ll need some room temperature Butter.  Slice it up and add it to the mixing bowl.

Add the Shortening.  I’m using Crisco for these layers.

You’ll need to mix these ingredients together with a mixer.  A simple hand mixer will do the trick but, a stand mixer is great if you have one.  Just mix the ingredients until they become a bit “creamy” together.  It will only take a few seconds to reach this stage.

Throughout the mixing process, we also want to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  This gets any ingredients that might be clinging to the sides, that the mixer isn’t reaching, mixed in to the batter we’re making.  I usually do this after I’ve added a new ingredient and mixed it in.

Crack open one of the eggs in a separate bowl or cup.  We’re adding the eggs, one at a time, and mixing each one after we’ve added it.  Breaking the egg in a separate container will help you to see any egg shell that might have fallen into the egg before adding it into the batter mixture.  You want to remove that if it happens.

Using low speed on the mixer, work this egg into the batter mixture just enough to get it mixed good.

Repeat the process, adding one egg at a time and mixing, until you’ve got them all worked into the batter.  Don’t over beat it, just make sure it’s mixed well after you add each egg then, move on to the next one.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

Place a sifter in a large bowl.  My sifter is marked in one, two and, three cup increments.  The recipe calls for 3 cups of Plain Flour.  Those need to be level cups of flour after its been sifted.  Proper measuring of the flour is very important in making cakes, cookies, pies and etc.  If you just scoop flour out of a bag, you’ll get more flour added into the recipe than you might need.

Sifting sort of “fluffs up the volume” a bit as it adds air into the packed flour and also can remove lumps or impurities.  In the old days, sifting would help remove anything that might have fallen into the flour as it was being milled.  It just makes for lighter cakes, cookies and other pastries.  A sifter is a valued piece of equipment in the kitchen.

Sifting is also a great way to mix dry ingredients together.  Here, I’m adding the Baking Powder right into the sifter.

Add the salt.

Sift the dry ingredients together.  Hold the sifter down in the bowl as much as possible to keep flour from going all over the place as you turn the handle.  Kids really love doing this part if you have one around watching.

Add one measured, level cup of the sifted flour into the wet ingredients.

Level Cup:  As we mentioned above, you don’t want to just scoop flour out of the bag.  Now that you’ve sifted all the dry ingredients together, take a large spoon and scoop flour from your bowl into a one cup measuring cup.  Fill it to full and over flowing.  Then, take the back side of a butter knife and run it across the top of the measuring cup as you rake off the excess flour.  This gives you a level cup of flour for your recipes.

Using the mixer on low speed again, mix the dry flour into the wet ingredients.

Add about half of the Milk into the mixture.  Again, we’re doing this in steps, adding a little at a time as we go.

Mix the milk into the batter.  Stay on the low speed to avoid splatters.

Add in the next level cup of Flour.

Mix the batter again.  Just enough to incorporate the last amount of flour that was added.

Add the rest of the Milk into the mixture.

Mix the milk into the batter.  Don’t forget to scrape down the sides again.

Add in the last of the Flour.

Mix the flour in real good.

Mix everything together until the batter is smooth and creamy looking.  Don’t over do it… just be sure to scrape down the sides and get it all mixed together good.

Now, add the Vanilla Extract and the Coconut Extracts.

Mix in the Flavorings just until combined.

If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl one more time.  Don’t leave anything out of the batter.

After its all mixed, use the spatula and remove as much batter from the mixer blades as possible.  Set the batter aside until we can prepare the pans.

Take some shortening and coat the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pan.  We’re making two layers with this recipe.

You should have some Flour leftover from where you sifted it.  Sprinkle a good amount of this in the bottom of your pan.  Then, gently shake it all around until the bottom is completely covered with flour.

Tilt the pan sideways and roll the flour all around the pan until the inside edges are also coated with flour.  Turn the pan upside down over the bowl you had flour in and gently tap out the excess flour.

Your pan should have a fairly even coat of flour on the bottom and all around the inside edges.  Make sure you don’t have any excess lumps of flour around the inside edges.  Turn the pan over and tap it out again if needed.  Flour built up in the corner edge of the pan will not bake into the batter while its in the oven.  It causes the edges of your layer to have dips and uneven edges.

Gently spoon half of the batter mixture into the pan.  This measured out to be THREE level cups of batter for each of the two pans.  Place it in the center of the pan and let it spread out towards the edges.  The batter is a bit thick and will not spread out completely.  We’ll have to help it a bit.

Use the back of a spoon and start spreading the batter out from the center of the pan to the edges.  Try not to scrape the sides of the pan or you might remove some of the flour coating.  We don’t want the layer to stick to the pan now do we?

After you’ve smoothed it out, lift the pan a couple of inches from your counter and just DROP IT.  I normally do this a couple of times.  It helps to settle the batter even more in the pan and, helps release any bubbles that might be in the batter.  Besides, it’s good therapy.

Place the layer or layers in the oven and bake at 325º for about 20 minutes.

Oven temperatures vary so watch your layers carefully.  Give them about 15 minutes to bake without opening the oven.  You should start smelling the layers baking about this time, smells good doesn’t it?  Time is always a variable part of baking.  You may also need to make adjustments based on your location and altitude.  The amount of moisture in a batter will affect the amount of time needed to bake a layer until it’s done.  The more you bake and use your oven, the easier it gets to produce those perfect baked goods.  You know, practice makes perfect.  Right?

Test the baked layer to be sure its done by inserting a wooden toothpick into the thicker part of the layer.  If the toothpick pulls out clean, the layer is done.  If it pulls out with a few crumbs sticking to it, place the layer back in the oven for another minute or two.

Place the baked layer on a wire rack to cool.  The layer should sit, uncovered, on the wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before you try to remove it from the pan.

Here, you can see where the layer has slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan as it baked.

Most layers will have a slight bubble in the middle.  You can try to press this down a little, it might work and might not.  Place a clean paper towel on the layer just after it comes out of the oven and gently press the center.  You wont get it to go down completely but it can’t hurt.  Just do it gently so the paper towel doesn’t stick to the top of the layer or, you could end up pulling the top of the layer off when you remove the towel.  Don’t leave the towel on the layer as it cools though.

To help remove the layer from the pan, run a knife all around the edge between the layer and the pan.

You can turn a plate over on top of the layer or, use another wire rack if you have an extra one.  We’re going to flip the layer over so we can remove the pan.

Holding all three pieces together, carefully flip the layer over.  Use your fingers and gently tap around the bottom of the pan to help release the layer.

Slowly lift the pan away from the layer.  As you lift, you should be able to tell if the layer has released or not.  If it doesn’t feel like its letting go, gently tap the bottom of the pan.  Hopefully, it will drop right out.

The pan should pull away clean.  As you can see, I had some minor sticking around the edges.  Probably needed a bit more shortening and flour in that area.  That’s why pan prep is so important.  Of course, a layer of frosting will hide many of the imperfections.

Once you remove the pan, turn the layer back over onto the wire rack.  If you do it carefully, you should be able to flip the layer with your hands.  Its best to leave the cake right side up as it cools completely.  Any excess flour on the top or bottom can be gently brushed away.

Always let your layer cool completely before adding any filling or frosting.  You can thank me later.

Once the layers are cooled, you can add your favorite frosting or, you can save the layers for later.  If you plan to frost the layers the next day, wrap each one securely in plastic wrap.  The layer could then just be left out on the counter overnight and frosted the next day.

If you don’t intend to frost them within 24 hours, make sure they are wrapped well with the plastic wrap and then place them in the freezer until needed.  Some folks think freezing the layers for a few days increases the flavor and helps the texture of the finished cake.  You might want to test out this theory yourself and see what you think.

Enjoy!

Follow step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions and learn how to roast peppers in your oven.  Roasting peppers is a great way to preserve some of the summers bounty of peppers, and you’ll find lots of uses for them in the weeks ahead.  We’re roasting these to use as a pizza topping and we’ll show you just how easy it is to do.  Printable recipe included.

How To Roast Peppers:  Another tip and technique from Taste of Southern.

A friend gave me a couple of really pretty Bell Peppers a few days ago.  Most of them were red but I did get a yellow one in the bunch and I just love how bright the colors are.

Bell Peppers seem to be getting more and more expensive lately.  I’ve mentioned it before but when I can get them during the summer, when they are cheaper, I chop up a good number of them and place them in the freezer.  That way, I can just pull out what I need for a recipe and keep on cooking.  Yes, fresh is great, but when they get up to about $1.50 each during the winter, I don’t mind using the frozen ones in the freezer.

Sometimes, I find those little plastic boxes of them already cut up in the super market.  They have some diced, and some sliced for stir fry along with some diced onions near the fresh produce where I shop.  I always check them out and often find some reduced in price.  I can’t seem to resist them when they are reduced.  Is it just me?  I’ll bring them home and spread them out on a baking sheet, pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then place them in a plastic bag and keep them frozen.  If I could only be that frugal on some other things, I might would do OK.

So, I decided I’d do a little quick post on how to Roast Peppers in the oven.  Once you’re done, you can store them in some Olive Oil and use them for salads, pizza toppings, in pasta, in spaghetti, in omelets, soup, well… you get the idea.

So, next time you find some reasonably priced Bell Peppers, pick up a few extra and try roasting them in your oven.  I’m going to use these for topping on a pizza very soon.  I think you’ll like them if you give it a try.  Ready to roast some peppers?  Alright then… Let’s Get Cooking!

Roasted Peppers:  You’ll need these ingredients.

You’ll need to give the peppers a quick rinse under cold running water.

Dry the peppers and then cut each one in half.

Remove the stems and seeds from each half.

Next, remove the “pith,” or that white looking membrane from inside the peppers.  Just cut it out with a paring knife.

Place the cleaned peppers in a mixing bowl.

Pour a couple of Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil over the peppers.

Use your fingers and rub the Vegetable Oil over the outside and the inside of each pepper.

Sprinkle on a little bit of Salt.  Not much, just a light coat over all the peppers.

Do the same with the Black Pepper.

Spread the peppers out on a baking sheet, skin side up.

Place the pan in the oven and let them roast about 10-15 minutes or until they are tender and lightly charred on top.

Don’t let them burn, just get a little charred coating on the skin of each one… like this.

Place the hot roasted peppers back in your large mixing bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the peppers cool.

Once the peppers have cooled, you should be able to easily peel away the outer skin from each one.  If it doesn’t just slip right off, use your paring knife to help peel it away.  You might even need to scrape them lightly with the knife to get them good and clean.

Remove the skins from all of the peppers.

Carefully slice each pepper.  The peppers are ready to be used.  Or…

You can save them for use later by placing the sliced peppers in a Mason jar and covering them with more Olive Oil.

Just cover them with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Put a lid on the jar and set them in your refrigerator.

NOTE:  The roasted peppers should be used within a week or two of adding the Olive Oil and refrigerating them.  The oil will get cold and thicken up but when you’re ready to use them, sit them on the counter until the oil warms back up.

Enjoy!

Follow step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions and learn How To Render Leaf Lard.  Making your own lard at home, is much easier than you might imagine, and we’ll show you just how to do it. Leaf Lard is considered to be the finest lard for baking, especially when making pie crusts from scratch.  It just takes a little time to render down, but well worth the time involved. Printable recipe included.

How To Render Leaf Fat to make Leaf Lard:

Leaf Lard is said to be the very best lard one can use to make pie crusts. It’s suppose to produce a very flaky crust and is favored because it has very little pork flavor as compared to regular pork lard.

Derived from pork fat, it is considered a premium lard, and is made from the small amount of fat that surrounds the kidney area in pigs. Mostly used in baking, it provides a moist, flaky crust for homemade pies. It’s considered to be more healthy than regular lard and many of today’s chefs also prefer it because it smokes less when heated.

Most of the so called lard you find in supermarkets today has been rendered from fat taken from various parts of the pig, mostly the “fatback” from the back of the pig. It’s not as pure and in order to make it shelf stable, it is usually overly processed and hydrogenated.

Because it is more pure, and has not been processed like commercial lard, Leaf Lard must be refrigerated or frozen, to keep it from going rancid and producing a bad taste when used. Many chefs today will only purchase leaf lard from a well known source, or just render it themselves. You can do the same at home, and we’ll show you the easy process in the few steps listed below.

While it’s fairly easy to render down, you must remember to stir it about every 20-30 minutes during the 4-6 hours it takes to render over super-low heat on your stove top. It’s not something you’ll complete in an hour or two, so be sure to allow yourself the needed amount of time to render it down slowly.

I became intrigued with the idea of making Leaf Lard at home, after reading so much about it over the past year or two researching recipes for Taste of Southern. It is supposedly the best lard one can use when making pie crusts from scratch. So, always looking to bring my pie baking skills up a notch, I decided I had to find some Leaf fat and render it out myself here at home.

As a youngster, I remember the cold days of hog killing time each winter. By the middle of the day, a fire had been built underneath the big black wash pot that had been setup in the yard. Fat, only hours removed from the pig, was cut into cubes and placed inside the heated wash pot. There always seemed to be someone stirring the pot with a big wooden paddle, much like a boat oar, and the process of rendering down the fat turned into an all day affair.  It takes a good amount of time to make lard that way.

Later in the evening, you could see the browned chunks of the fat, floating on top of the oil.  When they started popping, the oil would be removed and strained into a large bucket.  The remaining pieces of pork were now “Cracklins” and were often lightly salted and enjoyed as a snack once they cooled a bit. Some of the cracklins would later be ground down and added to cornbread to make Cracklin Bread. It gave the cornbread a bit of a bacon flavor and is still considered an old Southern favorite.

Youngsters were hardly ever allowed to stir the pot more than just a few seconds. The adults always were fearful of the kids being too close to the fire and I guess it’s a good thing they looked out for us that way.

Many supermarkets still carry a type of lard in their stores today all throughout the South. Lard took a bad wrap for many years as shortening and cooking oils became a favorite, but that trend has started moving back towards good old lard as of late with many claiming it to be much healthier than any of the other types of shortenings.  Leaf lard, as mentioned, is supposedly the most healthy and purest form of pork lard.

Finding pure lard now requires a bit of searching.  Finding rendered Leaf lard requires even more searching. I asked for it at a large pork processing facility that has its own store about a year ago and the guy behind the counter, an older man, had no idea what I was talking about.

A few weeks back, I saw where one of the vendors at an area Farmer’s Market would be selling Lard and Leaf Lard at his booth over the weekend. I made a special trip just to pick it up and was a bit surprised when I saw it was pieces of fat as opposed to rendered lard. Not to be outdone, I purchased it anyway and brought it home to render myself.

I paid $2.00 per pound for the Leaf fat, and bought just about 1 and a third pounds that had been wrapped in small packages. Leaf fat comes from right around the kidneys of a pig, so there isn’t much actual Leaf fat per pig. Again, it’s not the same as the fat from the back of a pig.

So, if you’re feeling a bit “pioneerish,” let’s give this rendering process a try.  We’re in hopes of creating some high quality Leaf Lard, and we will be looking for those cracklins as a special treat once we’re finished.  Ready to give it a try?  Alright then… Let’s Get Cooking!

How To Render Leaf Lard:  You’ll need about one pound of Pork Leaf Fat.

Although it’s labelled as Leaf Lard, it’s actually just Leaf Fat, but the term is freely used between both.  It’s not LARD until it gets rendered down.

Leaf Fat can be stored in the refrigerator, but it’s best if you pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes prior to slicing it up.  Because of that, I failed to actually get a photo of the pork fat outside of the packaging.  In other words, I just forgot.  Forgive me?

Hopefully, you’ll get an idea of what it might have looked like before I sliced it up. I had placed all four packages in my freezer, and was pulling them out one-at-a-time, as I used them.

Here, I’ve sliced it into several pieces, about 1/4 of an inch thick, maybe just a little larger.

After I sliced it, I sliced some of those pieces in half also. Then, all the longer slices were diced into small cubes. The smaller pieces are suppose to yield more fat as it renders down.

It didn’t take too long to cut it all up. Keeping it good and cold is the key to making the work go easy. It does get a bit slippery so be careful. And, you’ll certainly want to be using a good sharp knife.

You’ll need a good thick pot if you have one. A cast iron pot would be great if you have that. I decided not to try this in my cast iron skillet because I didn’t want to overfill the pan with all the fat.

Begin the rendering process by adding 1/2 cup of water for each pound of fat you’re planning to render. This is a “small batch,” so I’m adding half a cup. Place the pot over Medium heat on your stove top and let the water come up just to the boiling point. Adding the water will help prevent the fat from burning or scorching as it begins to heat up.

Once the water is hot, REDUCE the heat down to the lowest setting your stove provides.

Place the diced fat into the pot. You’ll want to use a wooden utensil to stir this with throughout the process. Just stir the fat around a bit and mix it in with the water.

You’ll need to stir this about every 20-30 minutes, just to keep it from sticking and scorching on the bottom.

This is how it looks about two hours after it’s been rendering over the lowest heat setting on my stove dial. The water will evaporate out, and you’ll have just liquid fat in the sauce pot. I set a timer on my computer to remind me to stir it every 20 minutes while I was working on another project.

I’m going to strain the liquid fat after it renders for about 30 more minutes. I want to get the best liquid out of the pot early, so it will be less likely to have any off flavor in it. To do this, I’m going to strain the oil and bits through three layers of cheesecloth. I’ll place the cheesecloth in the funnel, which I will then place in the top of this storage jar.

Even on super low heat, this stuff gets pretty hot, so be careful when working with it. I was able to pour most of the liquid straight into the funnel with the cheesecloth. After that, I spooned the remaining oil and fat pieces into the top of the funnel and let it strain and drain for just a minute or so.

As you can see, I got almost a full pint from the first straining. It looks yellow at this point, but it will cool down into some very white Leaf Lard eventually. This is after letting the fat pieces render at super-low heat for just under three full hours, stirring it about every 20 minutes.

Return the diced pieces of fat back to the sauce pot and place it back over the super-low heat on your stove top. We’ll let this continue to render for several more hours, until the pork pieces have given up as much of the fat as they intend to release. These pieces are on their way to becoming “Cracklins,” which we’ll use later to make Cracklin’ Bread.

I rendered the fat down for about 3 more hours, still stirring it every 20-30 minutes. I’ll strain it one more time at this point, mostly just to see the difference between what I strained off earlier and now that it’s been going for almost five hours.

There really wasn’t much more left in the fat at this point. This is about 1/2 cup, if that much. It looks a little bit darker than the first batch, but that could just be because of the container.

Please note that I did actually strain this through the cheesecloth, just like I did the first time around. After I had done that, I placed the pan with the shriveled up pieces of pork fat back on the stove top for about 30 more minutes. It really wasn’t necessary though, as it didn’t yield but a few more drops of oil.

This is what you’ll have when you finish.  These are called “Cracklins.” I placed them on a paper towel lined plate to drain off any excess oil that might be left in them.

Some folks like to sprinkle a little salt on these and eat them as they are. They’re very crunchy at this point with just a slight hint of oil left in them.

Our finished products.  I have about one cup of Cracklins’ on the left. The middle container holds the second straining of the oil, which did turn out a bit darker than what I strained off the first time, so that proved to be the best thing to do. As you can see, the almost full pint jar on the right has some lovely white Leaf Lard, just begging to be used in a homemade pie.

I’ll place tops on all of these and place them in the refrigerator now that they are cooled. It took several hours for the liquid fats to solidify to this point as it cooled. I plan to use the Cracklins right away to make some Cracklin Bread. The darker oil will be used, pretty much like bacon grease, for frying and seasoning. The pure white Leaf Lard, will be used to make pie crusts and for other baking purposes.

All total, I rendered out a full pint of lard from just about 1-1/3rd pounds of fat. I was very pleased with the overall yield from such a small amount. This will last several months for sure, and as mentioned, it’s considered the very BEST lard for making pie crusts. We’ll also see how that goes… real soon.

If you don’t think you’ll be using all of it within the next 4-6 months, it would be best to freeze part of the Leaf Lard. It should hold in the refrigerator for 4-6 months without any problems, but it will eventually get to tasting a bit rancid and that would be noticeable in any baking you might do with it. Freeze it, just to be on the safe side. All you’ll have to do is take it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator a day or so before you need it so it can thaw out.

Enjoy!

How To Render Bacon Fat

Don’t throw that bacon grease away. It’s a great Southern seasoning.

I hope you’re saving your bacon grease after you cook your bacon.

It’s one of a Southern cooks favorites for seasoning pots of beans, greens, or other such things. It’s great to fry eggs in, great to add in your cornbread, and great for just greasing up a pan before baking. It’s got flavor!

Unlike plain lard or other cooking oils, bacon grease contains some of the flavor of the bacon from which it was rendered. It makes things you use it to cook with just taste that much better.

Mama use to keep a metal container with a lid on her stove top all the time. When she cooked bacon, she’d pour the leftover grease into that container and just let it sit on the stove until she needed it.

I keep mine in a refrigerator, mainly because I’m not using it as often as she did. I don’t cook as much as she did. But, I still enjoy the flavor of it in the vegetables and other dishes that I cook.

It’s especially good when you don’t have a ham hock, hog jowl, or a piece of side meat to season your vegetables with. It’s convenient to keep the rendered fat in the fridge until you need it.

Now, you probably already know how to cook bacon, so why did I even go to the trouble to add this to Taste of Southern?  Mostly because there are some people that are still just doing away with that fat once they cook their bacon. I’d like to change your mind on that.

The most important thing to remember while rendering bacon down to get the fat, is to cook it low and slow. Set the heat to about Medium-Low, and let the bacon brown slowly and render out all of it’s fat. You’re melting down the white strips in the bacon that you’re cooking, and saving it for seasoning.

My late wife would generally cook a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and grits for the family every Saturday morning when we weren’t trying to rush out to work or school.

She always saved the bacon grease, and she always saved it in the little container that you’ll see pictured below. I still do the same and I’m sure that little container has been in my refrigerator for well over 25 years. Smile.

So, if you’re ready to cook up some bacon and save that fat, then let’s get in the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking.

Render and Save Bacon Fat:  You’ll need some bacon.

Just about any smoked bacon will do. Sometimes it seems the cheapest bacon will have more fat which yields more bacon grease once the bacon is cooked down.

You don’t have to, but I like to slice my pack in half. I can place the entire strip in the pan without the ends being folded up just so they will fit in the pan. Doesn’t matter which way you do it, just do what works best for you. Smile.

Start out with a warm pan.

I like to use my cast iron skillet. Start out by placing the skillet over Medium-Low heat and let the pan warm up before adding the bacon slices. If you start out with a cold skillet, the bacon will likely stick.

Let the bacon cook until the bottom and edges start to brown. Turn the bacon slices over and let them brown on that side as well.

You want to cook this slowly to render the fat out. If you try to cook it too fast, the grease may burn and have a bad taste.

This takes about 8-10 minutes, but depends more on the temperature of the pan than anything else. Just keep a close eye on it, turn as needed, and don’t let it burn.

Once it starts to cook and brown, it will also shrink up. Go ahead and add a couple of more slices. Remove the slices that have cooked, adding more bacon as you go. Keep the process going until you’ve cooked all of your bacon and rendered out the fat.

As you go, remove the slices that have cooked. Place them on a paper towel, or brown paper bag, to cool.

Just cook the bacon to the crispiness that you prefer. Some like it almost burned, the rest of us don’t like it quite that browned. Smile.

When the bacon is cooked, carefully pour the remaining grease into a wide mouth container.

Mason jars are good for this, or a thicker plastic. The hot grease could melt a thinner plastic, so be sure it will hold the hot grease.

As mentioned, this container has been in use for saving bacon grease in my refrigerator for over 25 years. So far so good. Smile.

You can store it, covered, in the refrigerator for a couple of months.

Some folks like to strain the little bacon bits out of it, but I don’t worry about those. However, if you do strain them out, the grease will store for up to a year in your fridge without going rancid tasting.

Let it cool a bit before covering it with a secure top and placing in the refrigerator for storage.

Enjoy!

Grab a couple of slices of bread and use the cooked bacon to make yourself a great Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich. Just don’t forget the Duke’s Mayonnaise. Smile.

I don’t have a printable recipe for this. It’s pretty simple on it’s own and super easy to do.

You’ll love the added flavor it adds to your recipes and you’ll see it used in many of the recipes that I’ve already posted here on Taste of Southern.