How to cook smoked lard without a smoker in the oven

Without the help of any smokehouse, you can easily prepare lard that tastes very much like smoked lard. Moreover, this can be done in a baking sleeve in the oven. Thanks to the addition of prunes and onion peels, lard marinated in spices turns out to be very tasty and aromatic. For cooking, you can use regular lard, or lard with cut-out meat, such as bacon or pork chops, it all depends on your preferences.

Ingredients:

- 0.5 kg of lard with cut meat (underbelly, bacon);
- 1 tsp. salt;
- 0.5 – 1 tsp. ground black pepper;
- 4 – 5 cloves of garlic;
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika;
- 1 handful of onion peel;
- 1 tsp. spices for lard;
- 6 – 8 pcs. prunes

Cooking smoked lard at home in the oven

1. Rinse a piece of lard (it’s best to take lard with a cut of meat, it will be much tastier this way), then dip it in paper napkins to remove excess moisture. If necessary (if the skin of the lard is too fried), scrape the skin with a knife or iron brush. Rub the prepared lard well (on all sides) with squeezed garlic and salt.

2. Next, sprinkle the lard with spices (smoked paprika, lard seasoning and ground black pepper) and thoroughly rub the piece on all sides with them. Spices can be mixed in one container or sprinkled with them on the lard separately (whichever is more convenient for you). If time permits, let the lard marinate for at least 1 - 2 hours.

3. Place the pickled lard in a baking sleeve (skin side down), place washed prunes on top of it in one row.

4. Next, evenly spread the pre-washed and dried onion peels.

5. Tie the sleeve tightly, place it on a baking sheet and bake. The future smoked lard with prunes should be baked at a temperature of 200 degrees for 1 - 1.5 hours (depending on the presence of convection in the oven).

6. After the allotted time, remove the lard from the oven (it should be browned and well-fried). When it has cooled completely, cut the sleeve, throw away the onion skins and prunes, and wrap the lard itself in cling film or foil, then put it in the refrigerator or cool place to harden. Cut the frozen lard into pieces and serve.