Barding and larding

Barding and larding are techniques of adding fat to a lean piece of meat for roasting to increase its tenderness and moisture.

Barding consists of Laying strips of BaCon or other fats over a roast, typically a game bird.

Larding consists of inserting lardons, strips of pork fat, often seasoned, into a roast with a larding needle (also called a barding needle or lardoir). There are two basic kinds of larding needle, hollow and U-shaped. Hollow larding needles are AbOUT 5 mm in diameter with some sort of teeth or hook to keep the lard strip attached; they are passed completely through the meat. U-shaped larding needles, often called by the French name lardoir, are long needles with a "U" cross-section. The lard strips are pushed through, then as they are held on the far end, the needle is withdrawn.

• A traditional method of preparing filet mignon of beef is to wrap them in strips of bacon before cooking.