Lard is a cube of high-fat meat used to add flavor to dishes. Bacon is commonly used to make lardons, which are added to dishes such as stews and coq au vin. Larding, the process of inserting strips of meat into a larger cut, is now replaced by using cubes. The fat from lardons adds flavor to dishes when heated. Lardons are used in a variety of dishes, including stews, quiches, salads, and sauces.
A lard is a cube of meat that is usually high in fat and used to add flavor to many dishes. Generally, bacon is used to prepare lardons, but pork lardons in general are also common. Once cooked, a lard will decrease in size due to the fat melting. The juice from the lardons is used to add flavor to dishes such as coq au vin and some stews. Originally, lardons were pushed into cuts of meat so that the whole cut was flavored with fat.
Smoked or unsmoked bacon can be cut into lard. Any fatty cube of meat can be classified as a lard, but pork fat is generally used. The saltiness of the fat and the meat itself is what adds flavor to whatever dish is created. The French refer to any bacon that has been diced before being blanched or fried as a lard. Throughout the world, lardons are purchased pre-cut, but cubed bacon may be used instead, in keeping with the French usage of the term.
Originally, a lard was more of a matchstick-shaped strip of meat that was inserted into a larger cut of meat to add flavor. This process is referred to as larding and can be thought of as essentially adding more fat, or “lard,” to a cut of meat. The original concept of gibs is now somewhat secondary to the more modern use of cubes instead of strips. Lardon cubes are normally used as a base flavoring for dishes.
When fat is heated, it transforms from its original solidified form into a liquid. This liquid bears all the flavor of the original fat, but can be added to sauces much more easily. A lard adds flavor to a dish due to this reaction. Chefs who cook with lardons generally fry them along with the onions before adding chopped tomatoes or another sauce base. The fat seeps out and adds a salty, robust flavor to the sauce.
Many dishes can be enhanced by using one lard or several lards. For example, you can make a sausage and bacon stew that uses lardons as the base flavoring. The lardons are fried in olive oil until reduced and golden brown, at which point garlic and other flavors are added. Lardons can also be used in dishes such as quiches, salads, and sauces.
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