The best part of making strutto at home is the ciccioli, all those bits of meat that were stuck to the lard are now crispy fried bits of deliciousness! Some call it cracklings even thought there is no skin, we call it ciccioli & it's porky goodness!
How to Make Strutto & Ciccioli at least how our neighbors taught us!
The Grind
The fat must be ground, similar to grinding pork shoulder for sausages. Each person has their own preference for the size of the grind - this will affect the time it takes for the fat to melt.
The courser the grind the larger the pieces of “ciccioli" or fried bites you will have.
In a large pot, melt down a little bit of already made strutto on the bottom of the pot to get it started so the fat does not stick and nothing burns. Add in your ground lard a bit at a time, stirring to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Once everything is in - allow the lard to completely melt and start to boil. Lower the heat and allow the fat to simmer until the little pieces of “ciccioli" can be mushed apart when pressed with a spoon upon the side of the pot. Once the ciccioli are golden & ready, strain them from the fat and toss with bay or laurel leaves and salt.
Extracting the Strutto
There are a number of different ways to press the fat out of the ciccioli - from homemade strainer to two pieces of wood as a press (as in the photos).
Allow the liquid strutto to cool slightly, then funnel into whatever mode you like: long plastic sleeves, empty water bottles, etc - then you can freeze it or hang in your cellar and use as needed. In the rustic Italian countryside this is considered a beautiful gift - an old plastic water bottled filled with rendered pork fat, just cut the bottle away as you use it!
Listen to our latest episode of ‘Podcast from Italy for more details too!
