My husband and I just rendered fat from a butchered pig - very easy to do and excited to try it for our holiday pie crusts. Like many have mentioned, I miss my grandmother's pies.. this will be like going back to my childhood!

For years, I made pie crusts that were never as good as my Grandma's using Crisco or store-bought lard. I was beginning to think those childhood memories of an amazingly delicious, flaky pie crust were something my mind had idealized. But last month, I bought some ground pork fat from a local farm, rendered it in my crock-pot (easy!) and used this crust recipe to bake the best apple pie my family has ever had! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

I can get a package of pork fat from a local place that raises their own cows for butcher. It is super easy to render it yourself on the stove. If you go slow with the heat, it does not have a pronounced pork flavor. Then you can keep it in the fridge if you have room. Some people just leave it in the pantry in a mason jar. I do the same with beef fat, whuch is excellent for any deep frying. I usw lard and coconut oil the most. I also use butter. I melt it first if recipe calls for a liquid oil. The only thing to consider is it wont work in baked good like cake the same way. Since i rarely make cakes, i just use sunflower or similar for those. It is ok to intake omega 6 once in a while if you arent eating any processed packaged foods. If you do eat packaged foods, then you are already overloaded on omega 6. Now . all that being said, this crust recipe is wonderful. I was looking for a simple recipe that didnt have a million ingredients and didnt use butter because butter is far more expensive than lard in my case. Wonderful, thanks for the simple old fashioned recipe.

Yep, it's true, seed oils are horrible for you. Lard is where it's at It's best to use leaf lard for that extra extra awesome. It's getting easier to find too with the whole Paleo thing and people embracing real lard. The best is the Pure Lard and Leaf Lard from an awesome company called Fatworks. Tedergrass Farms also makes lard for a bit less. If you have never tried tallow in place of lard you should. A good tallow will make a moister crust and if it's good quality it will not taste beefy at all. Thanks for the recipe.

Love this recipe, found I needed a bit more water, but it's probably the best crust I have ever made! Thanks for sharing!

My mother always used lard for her pies and it was great, mom will be 90 very soon and would love to have another pie she made.

I just rendered my first batch of leaf lard. I went to an organic meat farmer down the road and bought the fat. I heated it in the crock pot on high for about 5 hours. I strained it into Ball jars and stored it in the refrigerator. I too was unable to find lard in the grocery store that was not hydrogenated. I plan to try making the pie crust. Thanks for the recipe.

This is the same recipe that is on the box of Morrell Snow Cap Lard. I'm looking forward to testing this recipe. My mom made pie crust this way and at age 53, I thought that it's about time I got back to the basics of homemade cooking. I bake from scratch often, even my bread. Years ago I tried making my own pie crust and it didn't come out too good so I used store bought. Now I'm ready to try again for a sense of pride in my baking.

My Grandmother and Grandfather lived to be well over 100. He was a grocer and butcher from before 1900 until his death from old age, she outlived him. They were both healthy to the end. All the 13 children were born at home and they never saw a doctor (because they never felt the need). I'm no expert, but I can't help but notice that Heinrich Shutz lived until he was 96, although he had to be cared for by his 85 year old sister and that was in the 17th Century (1696 I think). Pig fat, kidneys, topinambur, acorn flour, and all these things are not bad, nor is butter, ghee, etc. Live long and prosper. Dine at table with your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and it will add years to your life. That's just my opinion, of course. Now for a small glass of French Red Wine.

(Once I worked out the conversion) :) I forgot how good pastry was with all lard. Yum!!!

Heart disease was not the number one killer of humans until the early 1900's when a large marketing campaign began to tell consumers that shortening and oils were more healthy than animal fats (lard). Free cookbooks were given to consumers with recipes on how to use the new and supposedly healthier fats.If you do some research with the World Health Organization (WHO), you will find out that after releasing the new fats people began to get heart disease at a greater rate and heart disease became number one and has kept that place through the rest of history. Before the early 1900's heart disease did not even place in the top ten reasons for death.

Best pie crust since my grandmother's. Tender and flakey. Make sure you have good quality lard. I get mine fresh from a farm with pasture raised animals. It makes a difference in the flavor. Good quality lard does not have an aftertaste, if you are making a fruit pie that is important. Studies show that pasture raised animals have Omega 3's instead of the Omega 6's that you get from grain/by product fed animals.

Marvellous recipe, same flavour, texture as my grandmas pastry. She substituted 1/2 butter when making sweet pastries, maybe you could try that if you find it too lardy for fruit pies. I was brought up on this flavour so I use it for any pie.

Absolutely agree that animal fats are fine to eat. The problem with our food today is that everything is tampered with prior to consumption! Whether its chemicals and steroids or preservatives its hard to find real, affordable food! Our grandparents did thrive on animal fats, my dad ate a fried breakfast every day of his 87 years, and was never ill for a day! However, remember that our grandfathers often did hard physical labour and used up those fat calories. Even people at more sedentary jobs walked to work and generally moved about more than we do today, so be careful but enjoy!

I am new to baking having recently retired. I enjoy making pies but could someone please tell me the best way to roll crust without using a lot of flour? I have tried waxed paper parchment paper and a pastry cloth also a rolling pin cover but I am still having trouble.

I use vodka instead of water. Makes for easier time with the moisture content. The alcohol burns off. BTW, agree that lard is better for you than vegetable shortening. Those who don't believe that, were sold a bill of goods.