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You are here: Home / Leaf Lard / Where to Get Leaf Lard

Where to Get Leaf Lard

03/29/2015 By Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie 45 Comments

Where to Get Leaf Lard

It’s been a while since I’ve written about leaf lard so it’s time to rectify that. I think leaf lard just might be the magic elixir of pie making. It can take a really good pie crust recipe and make it world class exceptional. Pie makers have prized it for centuries and for good reason. I’ve been using it now for over ten years and I find that crusts I make with it are tender, flakey, and easy to roll out as well as being delicious. Where to get leaf lard is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive. So here are a few sources as of this writing that you might check into.

FANNIE AND FLO: These are of very high quality, well packed and ready for pie making with then arrive. Fannie and Flo say, “We use only leaf for everything from cooking, baking, frying, squeaky hinges and sticky window frames to removing rouge from our cheeks and stains from our clothes!”untitled-6760-2THE LARDIST: Douglas Hoover introduced me to his products just before the November 2014 Pie Camp. I took the different lards he offers with me and made pies. It was an incredible opportunity to compare and contrast their flavor and quality. All of them were most definitely pie worth!

20140515_pie_camp_may_2014_2178-2DIETRICH’S MEATS AND COUNTRY STORE: Dietrich’s is old school. They do not accept credit cards so you will need to call them, place your order, and send a check. As soon as they receive it they will ship it right to you.

Leaf Lard

Lard can be shipped directly to you but be sure to check in with your local artisan butchers and vendors at farmers markets to see if there is any offered close to your home so you can support local and sustainable farmers whenever possible, too.

Other lard vendors: 

  • PRATHER RANCH San Francisco Ferry Plaza and Farmers Markets 415-391-0420 www.prmeatco.com
  • BICHELMEYER MEATS 704 Cheyenne Avenue Kansas City, Kansas 66105 913-342-5945 http://bichelmeyermeatskc.com
  • WAGSHAL’S 4845 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington DC 20016 202-363-5698 https://www.wagshals.com/market/

For full disclosure, I did not pay for either Douglas’ or Fannie’s lards as both of them contacted me separately to ask if I would be interested in trying out their product.

You can have too much of a good thing. An all leaf lard pie is just too lardy in my book so in a pie dough substitute it for any fat and with the addition of butter you will never turn back. A ratio of 50/50 works for me. Here’s a picture of us tasting and testing at Pie Camp.

untitled-6967-3

Filed Under: Leaf Lard Tagged With: ingredients, leaf lard, pie dough

45 Thoughts on Where to Get Leaf Lard
    Jenice
    1 Apr 2015
    8:19pm

    What is the difference between leaf lard and lard you buy in grocery store?

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      1 Apr 2015
      8:53pm

      The lard you buy off the shelf in a box at the grocery store contains lard, hydrogenated lard, BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid. Leaf lard is the fat that surrounds the pigs kidneys and has nothing else in it. Leaf lard is a saturated fat. Bottom line for me is if you don’t have to refrigerate it, don’t buy it.

      Reply
        Tom Cornell
        10 Jan 2018
        5:15pm

        “Bottom line for me is if you don’t have to refrigerate it, don’t buy it.”

        If this is true then how do the shops you mention get away with shipping pure leaf lard? How can they guarantee that it remains cold enough during transit?

        Reply
          Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
          10 Jan 2018
          5:54pm

          Hi Tom- The providers I buy from have assured me that even though it takes one week for it to be shipped to me ground, the leaf lard is fine. If you have specific questions, you might contact them directly. It is the lard with additives (hydrogenated lard, BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid) usually found on the shelf that I don’t use.

          Reply
      Jacqueline Church
      11 May 2018
      6:38am

      Jenice – one of the other key differences between lard one finds in the store is that much of that (like the lard one sees in Latin grocers) is NOT from leafy, snowy white shards of fat around the kidneys. It can be taken from any part of the pig and often is strongly redolent of pork. Think of bacon grease our moms used to cook with …that’s not going to give you the slightly savory, but flaky-tender results you want in most pies. Leaf lard and butter (or in my case Earthbalance, because dairy allergic) is the way to go for me. Hope you don’t mind me jumping in here, Kate!

      Reply
        Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
        11 May 2018
        7:26am

        Jump in anytime Jacqueline! All good info. 🙂 Kate

        Reply
    Bree
    5 Apr 2015
    12:54am

    Marvellous and delicious info….

    Reply
    Ben
    1 Aug 2015
    3:29pm

    I was very please to see your recipes. I was searching for an apricot pie recipe and found a link to you and your site. I am a 56 year old man (quite a bit on the woodsy side)who took up the craft of pie baking with my mother years ago. Your gooseberry article was great (we have the small wild purple versions growing wild here in Illinois). As far as your crust recipe goes…it nearly mirrors mine but I have never used leaf lard. I use a 50/50 mix of butter and lard that I get from the Amish. I will try the leaf lard soon. But I have to tell you….there is one fat that is better than anything I have ever seen (by far…and kid, my pies are famous around here) that I use on the occasion that I can get it. And it comes from a wild game animal. Nothing but organic! Do some research and see which one it is….hint; it has been used to study weather patterns because of the reactions from the barometric pressure sensitivity. I read about it for years and couldn’t find the nerve to try it. When I did..wow. thanks again

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      1 Aug 2015
      5:47pm

      Oh I bet I might know what it is, Ben. It’s fat from a big furry bear! Yes? I have three sources who swear that this year they will get me some for pie making. I’ve always heard that it is the absolute best. Am I right?

      Reply
        Adel
        19 Mar 2018
        6:42pm

        Where can I buy leaf lard that is not turn into a lard? I need the actual leaf lard fresh not process onto the lard yet.

        Reply
          Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
          22 Mar 2018
          12:06pm

          Adel- I would check in with artisan butchers and farmers who raise pigs in your area. Ask them if they can provide you with some unrendered leaf lard.

          Reply
      Angel Smith
      26 Nov 2018
      4:11pm

      Oh, please give me that info. I’m 65 and have never made a good pie crust. Found out that the store bought lard us nasty poison! I’m determined to get it right before I die!
      Angel

      Reply
        Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
        26 Nov 2018
        4:13pm

        Hi Angel- There are links for all the providers in the post. Happy Pie Making!

        Reply
    Katy Chaney
    28 Dec 2016
    12:33pm

    If you are looking for leaf lard in Seattle, Dot’s Butcher Shop in the Pike Place Market has it for sale in pint containers. They say they have it all the time and render it themselves.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      31 Dec 2016
      9:04am

      Great to know, Katy. Thanks!

      Reply
    Sheila
    19 May 2017
    8:59pm

    Well, I just ordered 10 lbs. of Leaf Lard from Fannie and Flo, and I can’t thank you enough for the information about where to find it. I have searched high and low for it, and all were way outside my limit, because I need so much of it. Bless you for sharing with us, Sheila

    Reply
    Anne Clark
    9 Sep 2018
    4:57pm

    How long does it last in the frig?

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      9 Sep 2018
      4:59pm

      6 months in the fridge/1 year in the freezer. That info plus more in this blog post I wrote about it.

      Reply
    Cindy
    7 Nov 2018
    7:28am

    An all leaf lard pie is just too lardy in my book so in a pie dough substitute it for any fat and with the addition of butter you will never turn back. A ratio of 50/50 works for me.
    What does this mean ? 50/50 I’m new at this baking

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      8 Nov 2018
      2:08pm

      Hello Cindy- 50/50 means two different fats…using equal parts of each .

      Reply
    Allison
    18 Dec 2018
    1:52pm

    My mother-in-law said they used chicken fat during the depression. So back in the day when we were dirt poor (early 1980’s) and I used to buy chicken thighs in quantity when they were on sale for 39 cents/lb, I would skin and defat all that chicken freezing the chicken in meal size portions. Then I would gently cook down the skins and fat till it was all rendered, strain out the crispy skins and chill the fat in jars. That made for delicious pie crust. No it did not taste chickeny, but definitely a richer flavor than the solid “vegetable ” shortening that everyone else was using in those days. Chicken fat does however have a fairly low melting point, unlike lard. We are still always trying different fats because butter is off limits for us.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      18 Dec 2018
      2:46pm

      I have some duck fat in the fridge that I will be experimenting with too. Thanks for sharing your story today. It’s all part of the pie!

      Reply
    Patti Sutherland
    4 Oct 2019
    3:53pm

    Cn u give me ingredient for cherryy pie pls
    sutherland981@gmail.com

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      7 Oct 2019
      8:38pm

      Patti, Please look at the recipe page.

      Reply
    Amy Wallen
    4 Nov 2019
    11:37am

    Kate, I just ordered some leaf lard from Fannie & Flo. Thanks for the info. I asked my butcher here in San Diego and he didn’t know what I was talking about. :0 I have a question though–we have such great hispanic markets down here, and I have made a pie crust from just lard that I bought in a tub at their deli. Just straight up rendered lard that was probably from their butcher, not the packaged kind. The pie crust was so flaky, but a bit bacony, as you said. Probably the flakiest crust I’ve ever made. Still, I wonder if you think it might make a difference to use a 50/50 combo with the bacony one for a savory pie? It just sounds so delicious to me. But I’m a pork fiend and I really love a good savory pie. I ask because I wonder if there is really anything wrong with using the fresh rendered lard vs the packaged kind with all the preservatives vs the leaf lard. What’s your opinion and experience?

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      10 Nov 2019
      10:24am

      Thanks for checking in and it’s great to see you making pies and posting them on social media.

      As to if it is wrong…I really can’t answer. I prefer to use freshly rendered leaf lard.

      Reply
    Jo A Ryal
    10 Nov 2019
    5:40am

    Thank you, I’m so glad to find leaf lard again. Pie crusts are just not the same without it. A friend asked about the saturated fat, I told her, you don’t eat pie every day and probably not the whole pie in one sitting.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      10 Nov 2019
      10:32am

      Tell her also that:

    • “lard has less saturated fat, more unsaturated fat and less cholesterol than an equal amount of butter by weight.” Reference: Ockerman, Herbert W. (1991). Source book for food scientists (Second Edition). Westport, CN: AVI Publishing Company.
    • 20 percent less saturated fat than butter; it’s higher in monounsaturated fats which are said to lower LDL cholesterol; and it has none of the trans fat that shortening does.
    • Reply
    Ginny
    1 Dec 2019
    9:14am

    How long will leaf lard stay useable when properly stored in the refrigerator?

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      1 Dec 2019
      11:37am

      Hi Ginny, I do address storage times in this post. I’ve pasted it here for you, too:
      If you buy it already rendered, you can store it in your freezer for one year and at least six months in the fridge.

      Reply
    Linden
    23 Jul 2020
    10:42pm

    Years ago I worked at a bakery that used lard for their super light and fluffy icing! We were forbidden from ever letting customers know this secret ingredient and the owner always kept the packaging out of site. He’s since passed away but I’d love to know what type of lard he possibly used? Nothing I’ve tried over the years has turned out as delicious! Thanks!

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      24 Jul 2020
      5:49pm

      When you find out, I’d love to know, too.

      Reply
    Cheryl
    3 Aug 2020
    2:30pm

    If you’ve had leaf lard stored in the refrigerator longer than 1year, will it be unusable?

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      3 Aug 2020
      5:36pm

      I would probably give it a go, especially if it hasn’t been opened before.

      Reply
    Tammy
    23 Sep 2020
    1:12pm

    Anyone know what leaf lard is called in France, Germany or Switzerland? I am currently living in Switzerland, but could cross the border to shop. I’ve googled it but have not found the exact translations.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      23 Sep 2020
      1:20pm

      Hi Tammy, I have messaged a friend who is a French butcher in Gascony and will let you know what I hear back.

      Reply
        Tammy
        23 Sep 2020
        1:36pm

        I see a German brand LARU online which lists “pork lard” as it’s only ingredient, but they also write that it “adds a hearty taste to traditional dishes” so I’m guessing it’s not the leaf lard. So, thank you very much for your help.

        Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      23 Sep 2020
      1:43pm

      My friend in Gascony says that it is called ‘panne’ or pannes. This is what you would ask your French butcher for.

      Reply
        Tammy
        23 Sep 2020
        1:45pm

        Thank you so much. I’ll be able to buy it tomorrow. So, just to be clear, I should not buy it from the supermarket ever?

        Reply
          Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
          23 Sep 2020
          1:47pm

          When I have taught in France, I have only used leaf fat from an artisan butcher. I can’t advise you as to if you would be able to find a brand in a store. Perhaps call around to some butchers if possible?

          Reply
            Tammy
            26 Sep 2020
            12:43pm

            I did not have any luck at the butchers (I think maybe it has to be preordered?) but found “astra” and another brand that mentioned “patisserie” so I stocked up and will soon have a go at mastering my Maine Blueberry pie recipe. Thanks again for your help.

            Reply
    RK
    16 Dec 2020
    4:25pm

    You stated that an all leaf lard pie is too much. What can I use instead of butter? I am lactose intolerant so butter is not an option.

    Also can I use leaf lard in cookies, cakes, etc.?

    In addition I’m intolerant of dyes in foods.

    Years ago I made a whole wheat pie crust with oil. It came out flaky. Cannot find that recipe unfortunately.

    I ordered and received some leaf lard with many thanks to you for this great website.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      16 Dec 2020
      10:00pm

      I would suggest something like Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks or Spectrum Shortening. I think there are recipes out there that use lard of cookies but I don’t know about other baking.

      Reply
        RK
        18 Dec 2020
        5:00am

        Earth Balance has dye in it, Annatto.

        What about using coconut oil instead of Spectrum Shortening?

        Thank you for the Spectrum Shortening suggestion. It is hard to find online where the packaging doesn’t burst open during shipping.

        Reply
          Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
          18 Dec 2020
          7:59am

          I find it gets too soft and melty when working with it in the way I do with butter, lard, etc. I know there are folks who use coconut oil, so perhaps you might do a search to find one of their recipes, see how that goes for you, and report back. 😊

          Reply

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