Salt-Cured Pork Fat with Pepper and Garlic
Simple way to make a delicious snack! It’s impossible to resist the aroma of tender pork fat with garlic and pepper. It disappears fast with boiled potatoes, a bowl of borscht, or just crusty bread. Everyone has their own secrets - here are mine!
Updated : 09 February, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
1 kilograms
Fatback
300 grams
Salt
1 tablespoon
Ground black pepper
1 teaspoon
Ground pepper mix
1 tablespoon
Cilantro, coriander
8
Garlic
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you salt-cure pork fat? Prepare the ingredients. Choose the pork fat to your taste. I like curing fat with almost no meat - then it cures evenly. If there are thick meat layers, they often become too salty: the fat won’t absorb excess salt, but the meat will. For curing, it’s best to cut the fat into smaller pieces, about 200-300 g (7-11 oz) each.
Step 2
Peel the garlic and chop it. You can press it through a garlic press or, like me, finely chop it with a knife. I usually smash the cloves with the flat side of the knife first, then mince them.
Step 3
Put the minced garlic into a large bowl and add the salt. Then add the spices. For curing pork fat, coarse salt works best. Mix everything well.
Step 4
Rub the pork fat pieces generously on all sides with the mixture.
Step 5
You can leave the pork fat in the same bowl, just cover it with plastic wrap or a lid. Or place it in a bag or jar and seal tightly. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. During this time it will cure well and be ready to eat.
Step 6
You can scrape off some of the spices with a sharp knife - by now the fat has absorbed the aromas. Slice thinly and enjoy. Bon appétit!
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