Does your roast always come out tough and dry? Despite following the recipe step by step, is the meat still disappointing? Try larding. We're here to explain what it's for and how to do it.
Why larding matters
Nobody likes strands of fat in the meat, which are rubbery to eat and unpleasant in the mouth. This is why, when making a roast you usually select very lean and fine cut meats, which once cooked risk being tough and dry. If the sauce isn’t enough to resolve it, try adding lard to the meat. What’s larding? It’s an operation whereby you stud the chosen cut of meat by inserting the fat (usually cubes of lard) and seasoning to give the meat the tenderness it lacks.
How do you lard the meat?
A roast or braised meat for example, will be juicy and tender after larding. You only need to insert small pieces of lard, or bacon, between the meat fibers. Whilst it cooks the fat will melt and, as well as adding flavor to the meat, it will make it more tender. Before you start, put the lard in the freezer: hardened lard will be easier to insert in the meat! When larding it’s important to follow the muscular line. You’ll need a special tool: a larding needle, which you can find in household goods stores, it has a concave shape and allows you to place the lardons inside. At which point, the needle is injected into the various areas of the meat and the lard is inserted. If you don’t find this tool, you can make small holes in the meat with the tip of a knife and then insert the fat by hand.
For small cuts of meat
If we have so far referred exclusively to red meat, even chicken, turkey and loin can often become dry when cooked. In this case, instead of larding the meat, you can wrap the meat in thin slices of lard and bacon (it's called "harness"). A real treat!
A little extra advice
Traditionally roasts are seasoned with aromatic herbs for flavor: add them to the lard, too, "breading" them in chopped spices (for example rosemary and sage cut very thinly), or inserting garlic cloves directly into the meat. As well as getting tender meat, the roast will be even more delicious!