Dice about five pounds of back fat into one-inch size pieces, put it in an 8-quart stainless steel pot, sprinkle it with ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and put it on the lowest setting on the cooktop. Leave the pot lid slightly ajar to allow the water to escape, and cook it no more than 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the cracklings are floating. Turn off the flame once the cracklings have a light golden hue, but before they are truly browned. Spoon out the cracklings and use them for salad crisps or dog treats. Strain the fat through a cheesecloth-lined colander, pour it into glass containers, and store it in the fridge. For freezing, let the lard cool enough to put it into a plastic, freezer container. (It never gets to my freezer, because I use it too fast). The resulting lard is a crisp white and without a scent.
Note: Please see more lard tips at http://grassfedcooking.com/2010/prudent-carnivore-bringing-home-the-back-fat/. Thank you to Shannon Hayes of www.grassfedcooking.com for this recipe.