Smalec

Ingredients

Fat

• 1 kgpork back fat or fatty pork belly, diced small
• 200 gsmoked bacon, diced

Flavourings

• 2onions, finely chopped
• 2apples, peeled and diced
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 2 tspdried marjoram
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 2bay leaves
• 4juniper berries, crushed
• salt

Optional

• 1 tspcaraway seed
• a splash of vodka

To serve

• dark rye bread
• pickled cucumbers, ogórki kiszone
• raw onion
• a cold vodka

Directions

1. Dice the pork fat as small as you can, into pieces of about 1 cm. Cut it small and evenly. Put the diced fat in a heavy pan with a splash of water. That splash of water stops the fat catching before it has begun to render its own, and it evaporates within minutes.
2. Take the crackling out before it goes dark. Over-rendered skwarki are hard and bitter, and they should be golden and crisp rather than brown. Add the diced bacon and cook it in the fat for 10 minutes until it colours. Cook them gently in the fat until soft and pale gold, about 15 minutes. Do not brown the onions hard, which makes the whole thing taste scorched once it sets.
3. Add the apple and cook another 10 minutes until it collapses. Add the garlic, marjoram, bay, juniper, pepper and caraway and cook 5 minutes. Marjoram is the Polish signature herb here and it should be clearly present.
4. Take it off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and stir in the reserved crackling. Season it well with salt while it is hot. Taste it while it is still liquid and season generously, because fat mutes salt considerably once it is cold and set.
5. Add a splash of vodka if you like, which is traditional in some households. Stir it as it cools so the solids stay distributed rather than sinking to the bottom in a layer.
6. Let it set at room temperature first, then refrigerate. It will set to a firm, pale, spreadable fat with pieces suspended through it. Take it out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving. It is too hard to spread straight from the fridge and it tastes of far more at room temperature.
7. Spread it thickly on dark rye bread, sprinkle with salt, and eat it with a pickled cucumber. It keeps a month refrigerated under a sealed lid.

Technique

• Skwarki, the crackling, is the part everyone looks for and it should be generous.
• Goose fat versions, smalec gęsi, are made in some regions and are richer.
• Similar spread lards exist across central Europe.

Substitutions

• Fatty pork belly if back fat is unavailable.
• Goose or duck fat for part of the pork fat.

Variations

• Made with goose fat.
• With prunes instead of apple.
• With more garlic and chilli, which some modern bars serve.

History

Rendered lard with crackling, apple and marjoram, spread on bread and served with pickled cucumber in Polish bars.

Frequently asked questions

What is Smalec?

Smalec is a sauce & condiment from Poland: seasoned lard with crackling spread on bread, with pickle. Rendered lard with crackling, apple and marjoram, spread on bread and served with pickled cucumber in Polish bars.

How long does Smalec take to make?

Smalec takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 700 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Smalec?

Yes, within limits. Fatty pork belly if back fat is unavailable. Goose or duck fat for part of the pork fat.

What is the most important thing to get right in Smalec?

Take the crackling out before it goes dark. Over-rendered skwarki are hard and bitter, and they should be golden and crisp rather than brown. Add the diced bacon and cook it in the fat for 10 minutes until it colours. Cook them gently in the fat until soft and pale gold, about 15 minutes. Do not brown the onions hard, which makes the whole thing taste scorched once it sets.