Fat is considered a true Ukrainian product, but today not only Ukrainians know a huge number of recipes for salting it, sometimes even quite unusual. In this article we will look at the options for cooking this product in onion peel in order to show step by step all the necessary steps for a good and tasty result.
What fat is better to take for pickling
The key to successful cooking is the right choice of raw product. Therefore, acquiring it must be considered following recommendations:
- choose only pieces with skin, with the most useful options with 2.5-4 cm of fat under it;
- The selected product must be uniform, elastic and fairly dense, and to be sure of all these characteristics, it is enough to pierce it with a sharp knife (if there is a slight resistance, but there is no need to jerk - then you really have a quality piece);
- Give preference to the fat of females, rather than males, because the latter often have an unpleasant smell and specific taste;
- the color of the good product in the section should be a rich white or pinkish hue, so yellowed and soft specimens should be avoided.
If there are meat streaks on the selected piece, then it is better to boil it or smoke it, since with ordinary salting such a product will turn out to be tough and can quickly deteriorate in the refrigerator.
Read also about the processes of slaughter and butchering pigs, arrangement of hot smoked smokehouse from improvised means.
Recipe 1
To cook tasty salted bacon in onion skins, you will need very few simple ingredients.
Kitchen appliances and utensils
All that is required for salting according to the recipe below is likely to be found in any kitchen, because the necessary inventory includes only a two-liter pan, a sharp knife and a press for chopping garlic.
Ingredient list
For this recipe, in addition to the fat itself (0.5 kg), you need to prepare a few additional components:
- onion peel - 15 g;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- bay leaf - 6 pcs .;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- seasoning "mixture of peppers" - 2 tsp;
- water - 1.5 l.
Learn more about the beneficial properties and dangers of garlic, as well as methods of harvesting garlic for the winter (in particular, about the properties and preparation of dried garlic).
Cooking process
The process of cooking includes the following steps:
- Put a pot of water on the fire and bring to a boil.
- In a boiling liquid, throw the husk, pour out salt and add bay leaves.
- After mixing the above ingredients, add the fat to them, placing it in the skin to the top.
- When the liquid boils, reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and boil its contents for 30-40 minutes.
- After the specified time, you need to get and cool the product so that you can then rub it with garlic (crushed with a press) and prepared seasonings.
The finished and fragrant dish can be divided into small pieces and, laid out in individual bags, sent into the freezer for further use as needed.
Video recipe of cooking bacon in onion peel
Did you know? For salting, 4 cm thick fat is considered ideal, although a product from 2.5 to 5 cm in thickness will be suitable for this. Smaller or larger values already indicate that the purchased product is best used for other recipes.
Recipe 2 (in the multicooker)
The slow cooker is a versatile device that can be used for any culinary purposes, and cooking salted bacon in onion peel is no exception.
Kitchen appliances and utensils
To make salted lard according to this recipe, you will need several kitchen tools and certain equipment:
- multicooker;
- garlic mincer;
- sharp knife;
- parchment paper and freeze bags if you are going to leave the finished dish in the fridge.
Ingredient list
- flaky lard (with meat streaks) - 1.5 kg;
- salt - 150 g;
- water - 1.2 l;
- onion peel - about 100-150 g;
- garlic - 10-15 medium cloves;
- a mixture of peppers - 50-100 g;
- bay leaf - 5 pcs. + 20 g of chalk for rubbing.
It is interesting to read about the beneficial properties and the use of black pepper, chili pepper, bay leaf, onion peel and its use in the garden.
Cooking process
Preparation of tasty and fragrant salty bacon in a slow cooker takes place in the following order:
- Onion peel washed in water, changing the liquid several times.
- Place half of the onion peelings on the bottom of the bowl of the multicooker, and place the pieces of bacon on top of them.
- Sprinkle the product with pepper on top, lay out bay leaves and sprinkle salt.
- "Hide" the fat under the remaining husks and pour out the water. When pressing the husk with a spoon, the liquid should show through to it, and if this does not happen, you can pour some more water.
- Close the multicooker lid and set the Cooking mode.
- After the water boils, it is necessary to boil everything for 20 minutes (not longer), turn off the device and leave everything as it is for a day (without opening the lid).
- After 24 hours, open the multicooker lid, remove the top layer of onion peel and take out the fat, laying it on a plate.
- Sprinkle all the pieces with pepper, ground bay leaf and rub with suppressed garlic, well rubbing it all into the surface.
- We wrap the prepared pieces in parchment paper, put them in a regular plastic bag and send them for storage in the freezer.
In the freezer, the fat should lie down for at least a day, but if you wish, you can freeze it and take out as needed.
Video recipe of cooking bacon in a slow cooker
Important! It does not matter exactly when you decide to remove the product from the refrigerator, in any case, before cutting it is desirable that it just lay for 10-15 minutes.
Where and how much can be stored
The ideal place to store cooked bacon (no matter which recipe you used for this) will be the freezer. In such conditions, the product is well stored throughout the winter, and you can get it as needed. Do not worry that he will freeze too much - you need only wait 10-15 minutes before serving. Of course, if you have prepared a little, then you can do with a regular refrigerator, where such lard may well be for several weeks, without taste loss.
We advise you to familiarize yourself with the recipes for salting salo at home.
What to eat and serve
Ideal for serving to the table would be a combination with borscht and onions, but it can also be used simply with bread, mashed potatoes, or even as a standalone product. In addition, cutting with his participation will certainly be a great addition to any festive table, it will look good on a plate with baked meat.
Did you know? On August 27, the Day of Sala is celebrated in Ukraine, and in Lviv there is even a museum dedicated to this product.
In short, all the described recipes are worth using them on weekdays and holidays, and even if you didn’t really like lard before, then, cooked in onion peel, it will not leave you indifferent.