GREAVES

General and production

Greaves are a type of preserved pork (S. scrofa domesticus) characterized by a high energy intake due to the considerable lipid content. Greaves, in fact, are obtained from the remaining adipose tissue previously used in the extraction of lard.

"Clarification: pork lard can be obtained from different fat portions, at the discretion of the operator (butcher) that works the animal. In the case of heavy pigs (the one destined for the production of cured meats and typical of independent farmer breeding) the lard is mainly obtained from:

Perirenal fat which, pure and through a specific processing, becomes lard (essential for covering raw ham)

Hard back fat

while the other adipose parts undergo a typical processing aimed at itself (throat, lard, lard and bacon).
The pure suet lard is not among the most palatable and, in case it is used for the composition of the food lard, it MUST be mixed with that obtained from the subcutaneous tissue of the beast. Obviously, nothing prevents us from producing excellent quality lard using even the most valuable parts but, in the peasant tradition, this represents one of the last steps in the processing of parts that would otherwise be difficult to recover >>.

Greaves are therefore obtainable by extraction from the lard coming from the hard back or, possibly, from other fatty cuts (see above); histologically, the cracklings constitute the connective protein portion (instead scarce in the perirenal fat) present in the subcutaneous adipose tissue.
As anticipated, the preparation of greaves is (at least initially) similar to that of lard; it begins by separating the rind from the fat and cutting the latter into cubes. It is then necessary to proceed with cooking (long and sweet), which will eliminate the water from the fabric and dissolve the (mainly saturated) fats; these, in liquid form, will be drained into special cooled containers (lard). The remaining solid portion, further squeezed by hand, is then salted and flavored (to varying degrees), forming the cracklings. The last step is the pressing; always properly placed in a cloth, the greaves are placed in a press or, more traditionally, between two wooden or metal boards equipped with tie rods. At the end, the greaves will have acquired the shape of a single block that can be easily broken down by means of heat.
It is curious to learn which alternative methods the old butchers and farmers studied for the production of the driest cracklings. Some, unsatisfied with home pressing, used to put the planks on the ground and park the rear wheels of the tractor on top of them.