How to Cook Fatback
Fatback is an indispensable ingredient in many global cuisines, adding both rich flavor and crisp texture.
Cooking fatback on the stove is simple and requires little prep work. Simply heat slices over medium heat in a pan or skillet until they darken and become crisp, and they should be ready for serving!
Fry
Fatback is a type of pork fat found on the back of pigs that can be cooked many ways, from frying and roasting to being used as an ingredient in soups and stews for flavoring purposes. Fatback adds both texture and flavor when used this way.
People all around the world enjoy eating fatback, and its name varies according to country. For instance, it may be known as lardo in Italy, salo in Russia and szalonna in Hungary. While often sold raw and uncured before cooking, fatback may also be cured with spices before sale and curing prolongs its shelf life and helps ensure maximum enjoyment from each piece of fatback eaten.
Fry chicken by cutting strips or cubes into strips or cubes before seasoning and frying in oil. After this step is completed, pieces are removed from the oil and placed on paper towels to absorb any extra grease before they can be eaten as snacks or added into other recipes.
Baking fatback is another popular method of preparation. You can bake it directly in a pan, or layer the pieces on baking paper containing a small amount of water and bake until golden-brown in color – great as snacks or to add flavor to other dishes!
Fatback can be baked and then flavored with herbs and spices to give a unique flavor when served, typically alongside beans or greens. Fatback may also be added to casseroles or meatloaves; while some chefs even like using it as an alternative for bacon in biscuits.
Fatback pork roast requires longer to bake due to its higher fat content; thus it should be evenly distributed across your baking dish for even baking and easier clean-up. Also use a meat thermometer when baking; its ideal minimum temperature for pork is 145 F.
Bake
Pork Fatback, harvested from the back of a pig and salted, can be used to produce lard, sausages and other foods. In many Southern dishes it adds both flavor and juiciness – it may be difficult to locate in supermarkets but specialty markets or gourmet stores often sell it. Plus it thickens sauces!
Fatback can add moisture and enhance the flavor of lean meats during baking by employing the “barding” technique, known as barding. By keeping them from drying out while also providing a tasty crust. Rendering fatback into light-flaky pastries using lard can make light pastries with an irresistibly flaky crust; or ground into ground into fat used to enhance barbecued meats’ flavors further. It is often added as part of forcemeat concoctions such as terrines rillettes pates; added into soups and stews; even deep-fried and salted to produce chicharones – pork cracklings!
As bacon features streaks of lean meat compared to fatback’s pure pork fat, it may not always be suitable for recipes calling for salty pork products. Depending on your dish’s requirements, however, you could substitute uncured or cured bacon/pancetta instead for the fatback in certain recipes; just remember if using cured fatback it needs blanching first so as to reduce saltiness!
Fatback may no longer be top of mind for many cooks due to decades of anti-fat indoctrination; however, it still plays an essential role in some cuisines. Fatback makes an excellent ingredient when making homemade sausage and can even provide the texture necessary for traditional tavern poutine! Furthermore, fatback adds moisture and flavor when added to ground meat recipes such as burgers and meatloaf without oversalting your meal; alternatively you could opt for caul fat, prosciutto or bacon to add flavor or moisture!
Grill
Fatback is often used to add both fat and flavor to dishes made with ground meat, such as sausages, meatballs, hamburgers or stuffing/meatloaf. When added too abundantly however it may lead to shrinkage which requires careful use as too much could lead to shrinkage.
Fatback can help enhance the consistency of meatloaf or other dishes made with ground meat by providing extra fat in its place, an ideal solution for meatloaf that has become dry or tough due to an insufficient supply.
Fatback can be easily prepared in several different ways, with frying being the most popular method. Cooking time varies according to thickness of slices; preferably though, an electric stove allows more precise temperature control for optimal results.
Fatback can be enjoyed with either its crispy texture and pork flavors intact or blanched for several minutes prior to frying in order to decrease some of its salty content.
Microwaving fatback can also be an easy and quick way to prepare it, although this technique may result in less crispy textures than its crispy counterparts. Microwaving could be useful when calling for fatback but does not necessitate that crispy texture.
Fatback and bacon both come from the back of a pig, though one contains streaks of lean meat within its fat strips while another does not. Though both can be used interchangeably in certain applications, bacon requires more processing and typically contains more salt and spices than raw fatback. Strips of fatback may be added into smaller sections of turkey breast or chicken breast meat to add flavor and juiciness – an approach known as “larding,” typically performed using an instrument known as a larding needle.
Roast
Fatback is a solid slab of pork fat resembling bacon but without meat. When baked in an oven like any other cut of pork, fatback makes an enticing side dish or main entree with its richly-flavored drippings used to create gravy or other sauces. Fatback can even be combined with meat such as pork loin or shoulder to create an unforgettable roast experience!
Slow roasting at low temperature over an extended period allows the juices to come together and create more tender meat, while simultaneously helping maintain moisture even when using an oven as the heat source.
To make sure a roast is done to perfection, insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part when placing in the oven and it must register at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent overcooking, start the meat in the oven at least 30 minutes early so it has time to “rest,” raising its internal temperature by five to 15 degrees and becoming more tender and juicy as a result.
Fatback can also be deep-fried for an irresistibly crispy treat, providing a tantalizing burst of salty porky flavors and making for an exquisite snack! Fried fatback can also be found in traditional blue-collar comfort dishes like chowder or collard greens dishes for extra indulgence.
Pork belly, another cut of fatty pork, can be an ideal replacement for fatback in most recipes. While more flavorful, this cut has less meat and is harder to find at grocery stores; additionally it may require cutting it into strips for dishes such as sandwiches and tacos. If pork belly can’t be found then beef gravy made with water, red wine or beef stock will still taste delicious; simply deglaze the pan by stirring a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in small amount of water into any drippings from pan drippings before deglazing your pan by deglazing it by stirring in some cornstarch dissolved into any drippings drippings from pan drippings to achieve flavorful gravy!