HOW TO PURIFY LARD WITH ONLY A COMMON RENDERING KETTLE. (Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden.)
Reading edition
After the Lard has been rendered as above, treat as follows: The kettle must not be too full of Lard; it should not be more than three-fourths full when being treated with the Purifier.
Put a thermometer into the Lard to test the temperature. If the temperature of the Lard is below 200 degrees Fahrenheit, add to every 100 lbs. of Lard 3 ounces of B. Heller & Co.’s Lard Purifier, dissolved in one quart of water. For example, if the kettle contains 400 lbs. of rendered Lard, add 12 ounces of Lard Purifier dissolved in one gallon of water.
Should the temperature of the Lard be over 200 degrees F., do not add the Lard Purifier and water, but let the Lard stand for half an hour or so, until the temperature comes below 200 degrees.
If the Lard Purifier and water are added to the Lard when it is as high as 212 degrees F., the water will at once be converted into steam as soon as it gets into the Lard, because water is converted into steam at that temperature. When the Lard Purifier and water are added to Lard that is too hot, the Lard will foam up and boil over; but, when the Lard is below 200 degrees F. and the Lard Purifier and water are added, it will not boil up.
After adding the Lard Purifier and water, take a paddle and stir the Lard thoroughly, so the Lard Purifier is mixed thoroughly with every part of the Lard; then turn on the steam or build up the fire slowly, as the case may be, and heat the Lard up to 212 degrees F. The minute 212 degrees is reached the Lard will begin to foam. When the Lard gets to this point, it should not be left for a moment, because if it gets too hot it will boil over the top of the kettle; but if one stays right with it when it begins to foam, and checks the fire, it will not boil over but will foam a little and most of the impurities will rise to the top of the Lard. Now stop the fire and skim off all the impurities on the top of the Lard and allow the Lard to settle for about two hours, when all the water and the smaller impurities that did not rise to the top will have separated from the Lard and will be at the bottom, and one will be surprised at the amount of impurities that will thus be separated from the Lard.
If the kettle has a faucet at the bottom, draw off the water and the impurities which have settled and then run off the Lard. Should the kettle not have an opening at the bottom, dip out the Lard from the top, being careful not to dip out any of the water which will be at the bottom. When most of the Lard has been taken out, that remaining, which is near the water, can be dipped out together with the water, and put in a bucket or tub and allowed to harden.
The lard will float on the top and when hard can easily be taken off from the top of the water, and should be kept until the next Lard is rendered, when it should be re-melted with the next batch of Lard.
Before running the Lard into buckets, it is always well to run it through a piece of cheese cloth, so as to remove any small pieces of detached cracklings. It is advisable to put the Lard into the ice box as soon as it is run into buckets, so as to set it, which will prevent the separation of the oil from the Stearin.