How to Render Lard in the Slow Cooker

Rendering lard at home has never been easier when you use your crock pot!

Take your pig fat and either cut it up nice and small (aim for 1 inch sized pieces), or run it through a meat grinder. I highly suggest using a meat grinder if you have one.
Place your fat into the crock pot. Pour the 3 tbsp of water in with it. Put your crockpot on as low as it will go.
Continue to cook on low for a few hours, stirring and checking on it frequently. You want to prevent sticking on the bottom and the sides. I used a rubber spatula to help get the fat off the sides of the crockpot.
Your lard is done cooking and ready to be strained when you see little pieces called "cracklings" float to the top of the liquid. You want your lard to be a nice yellow color, not a deep brown color. If you render it too long it develops a "porky" flavor. That's fine for cooking, but you probably won't want to use that lard in baking if that happens. The time it will take to finish rendering will depend on how hot your slow cooker runs.
strain your lard through cheesecloth and a mesh sieve over a mixing bowl.
Transfer your lard into mason jars. Put the lids on and let cool.
Store in the fridge. Rendered lard will last for months in the fridge.

Slow cookers vary in how hot they run, so be sure to use this recipe has a guide only, but make adjustments for how hot your slow cooker is.
Cut up your lard in small pieces. Big pieces will not make it easy to render. If you have a meat grinder you can use that.
If your lard comes out with a tan or brown color you rendered it too long. However, don't toss it out! While you won't want to use it for baking due to the strong porky flavor, it's still good for cooking and frying.