Wonderfully said. l also render the sheep’s kidney fat, it is very nice, first time for me for the beef tallow today, l got 7 kilos of Kidney fat from our local butcher, they process beef onsite, they hung it in the cold room for me till l was able to pick up three days later, and l left it in my own fridge over night, l have a wood stove a a huge pot, l trimmed alot of rubbish off it, and ended up with about 5 kilos of fat that l diced up small and put in the pot as l diced on a slow heat, once all of it is in and mixed with the biggest wooden spoon l can find, (and its a good time to put soak all wooden spoons for a while) its been on the stove for 5 hours now, and lookin good, l will take note of other folks comments re freezing in chunks, l use 2 kilo yogurt or honey pots, as they have a wide mouth, my Sheep’s tallow l have had for three years, still fine. I had read on another site that stearic acid solidifies the tallow. Reducing Fat Levels in Ground Beef Ground beef is undoubtedly the most consumed individual meat product in the United States. This was way too easy! We’re so glad you had success using this method! Or if it varies year to year based on abundance of food sources for them? Good job! The liquid can be cooked down into a thick soup or paste and frozen for later use. Is this normal? Apparently its even harder than beef tallow- should be great for candles or soap! add 26 oz of lye. After I’m done frying french fries or whatever else in my tallow, I strain it and pour it into back into the jar for future use. Heat water until it begins to simmer, but not until it’s boiling rapidly. For those of you without access to unrendered tallow, you can get 50 lbs for $43 at http://www.soaperschoice.com. I have mine in mason jars but they take up a lot of room. This time I purchased fat from the local grocery – muscle fat again. Threw the chunks into a pot with a quarter inch of water and heated on the stove. We use candles and oil lamps for light so I decided to use the tallow from our cow we just butchered for candles sticks to save on some money from not having to buy candles at the store. When I lived with my grandmother when I was little, she fed me and cooked with tallow and lard all the time. Thanks for the great information. It’s going to render up pretty quickly, so stay near the Instant Pot. If you’re lucky, the butcher might even give you some for free (probably not in Singapore […], […] this moment, I am rendering tallow, using a small slow cooker according to this method by The Prairie Homestead. Also you could render it and soak bread cubes in it for the birds. We tried the jar method as you requested and it is a little hard for me. That picture of the ground up fat is so beautiful…So yellow…. I love receiving practical information! HI there~ LOVE your blog! I cannot wait to try rendering beef fat. 4. I bought some on line and there it sits. Everything barely fit. Ok..I have a question..I went through the responses and comments and didn’t see…Im new to all this. I let it cool down some before transferring to my glass containers, but am curious as to why this is not hard like everyone is stating. Good for you for learning how to butcher! Could you mix two kinds of fat, or more? In our part of the world, we had to pay for pig fat to add to our venison trimmings to make good sausage because our deer were so lean. Dairy cows, like Jerseys and Guernseys, have bright yellow fat.). I prefer to put it into large, shallow pans, no more than an inch or so deep, to cool. It should be ok– as long as it doesn’t smell nasty or burnt. Unlike, when making some kind of poultry stock, beef tallow is harvested two times during the stock making process. Is it just rendering the tallow, straining and letting it harden, then rendering, straining, and hardening again? Pure fats cannot be pressure canned. In fact, it is a heart healthy fat. It’s kinda fun, too. Yay! Continue blotting the ground beef until the paper towels no longer pick up fat. The hardest parts were trimming the meat away from the fat (which isn’t that difficult), and trying not to give in to my two aussies who were glued to my side waiting for something to fall off the cutting board (much more difficult)! Hmmm…. From my view, it is more respectful to use the fat that would otherwise be wasted. It was fairly easy to pull the whole she-bang out of the carcass and I plopped it into a bucket to refrigerate until the next day after we had the bulk of the meat cut up. As much as I knew candles and soaps were made from tallow, it still didn’t sink in what the tallow was. After straining out the craklins I only ended up with 3 jars of tallow. To be honest, storing it in mason jars is a pain if you then put it in the fridge. (By the time it melted down, it only filled 2/3 of the crock, approximately). During roasting a lot of fat is rendered from the marrow. You’re right–this is not a difficult process, at all. It has no burned or off smell. Hi Jess- I don’t see why you couldn’t make it from cooked fat. It depends on how much kidney fat you have to start with. I find that if I heat until I reach 250F, the water is gone and the tallow is pure. (Picture from Google Images) […], […] kidney fat searches https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/02/how-to-render-beef-tallow.html The […]. Pour hot water over the beef to rinse away the fat. [Place the clean jars in a 250 degree oven to heat, and keep them there until ready to fill.] Crunchy ground beef can be remedied with bread crumbs and I’ll walk you through the steps below. I live together with vegetarians :). I was curious what you use to wrap and store these Tallow bars with? It was wonderful lanolin soap. As the fat renders, it will lose volume. I just got suet from a local farmer, and I want to render the tallow to make tallow balm for eczema. I was really hoping to re-use mine, but it’s kind of gross after straining out tallow chunks. Fatback also makes light, mild lard. I just rendered my first batch of “lard” from beef leaf tallow. I am rendering my pork fat today from our freshly butchered hog that we did this morning! Love your article on this and would love to try it. (that stuff I don’t mess with the ice cube trays, however). My question is…how hard is it supposed to be and is there supposed to be a faint meat smell to it? Have I ruined it?’ Is it safe to use it if it reached a temperature high enough to make it smoke? As an aside, out of the 10 pounds of suet, I got about 30 to 36 ounces of MEAT in tallow. Sosososo thankful to be blessed with a resource like you, Jill, as we move forward in our own homestead journey. took less then 3 hours while I cleaned the kitchen. Btw I didn’t food process it, just cut it in tiny chunks. If you are butchering yourself, you’ll find the leaf fat in a big mass around the kidneys. I was unsure what to do with the tallow until I read your post. As you brown ground beef in a skillet, the fat renders out. It is the highly prized nourishing fat used in pemmican, a traditional food used by Native Americans to survive harsh winters. Check the fat occasionally for burning and give it a stir when you think about it. I lable the bags so I know if it’s beef or bear etc. Once you have everything trimmed, run the fat through the food processor (again, MUCH easier if it’s cold!) The heat will boil off the water and once the water is gone the oil temp will begin to rise. I recently tried using Crisco but the result was way too soft. Really unpleasant. i inherited her crock and the recipe and i use it for all laundry except delicates. Helps with smell as well as health. Do you cook it inside of your house? Way to go on not wasting anything (and good idea on the vaccum packing, too! I pulled off as much as I could, but there was no way I could get every little piece. I really want to render tallow, I went to the commissary and they gave me a lot of beef fat. […], […] that most of us don’t think about. Way to go Gary! I was wondering, are the “impurities” good for anything? I’m learning so much. I’ve got a question, the answer to which might help Sir Bob, here. Want some advice maybe put some rose water for scent. Cook gently for 1-2 hours, stirring every so often until most of the fat has rendered. It was great fun. Chop up the pork fat into cubes no larger than 1 inch and place it in a large pot on the stove. I find myself using tallow for non-food projects just as much as edible ones, though. If you are interested in even longer storage, it can be frozen. The only thing I can think is that being ground beef, it’s a combination of the two types of beef fat?? You have inspired this city girl! . when the fat hardens on top, i take that out and put it in an old crisco can til it’s full. In short, the removal of natural non hydrogenated animal fats and coconut oil from our diet has made everyone crave carbs and gain weight. I noticed that there is white tallow at the bottom and a brown oil on top. Pan-broiling refers to cooking in a skillet without the addition of fat. thank you one and all for your comments on rendering and using beef tallow…pg , Yay! I also bought some citronella oil and have used some, about 7 drops, and the sloppy candles sit. Good luck finding a butcher! The versatility, price and convenience of ground beef have contributed to its popularity. I elected to do this outside and glad I did. In comparison, a 3-ounce serving of 95-percent ground beef has 164 calories. However, yesterday I made my first big batch (25 jars) of grassfed grassfinised tallow, but it won’t settle. But once all the extras were thrown out (to the dismay of my dogs) the actual tallow itself was not bad smelling. I rendered tallow yesterday for the 1st time. Then I can break it up like almond bark and put it in bags in the fridge/freezer. Can the crispies from the tallow be used the same way? The bottom layer is more of an amber color, not nearly so opaque, and melts much faster so I assume it is softer or possibly even still semi-liquid (can’t get to it when it’s cold to test because the top layer is too hard). If you want your lard to have that pretty white look, add 1/4 tsp of baking soda as you begin to melt the fat. i bug packaged ground beef or chicken cut up in quarters or eighths. If you don’t raise your own beef, give your local butcher shop a call anyway. Enjoy! We are butchering Monday and this is one step that I had never done, but wanted to do this time. We look forward to hearing from you! That sounds like a good price! I was wondering if this would also work with fat from a deer. . I just posted my small batch tallow and lard soap recipes (in case you’re wondering what to do with all that lard other than making french fries) http://thecheerfulagrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-batch-soap-making.html. I used to get upset when we bulk ordered organs for our dogs and we would end up with having to cut so much fat off – no more. I let it cool uncovered, on the stovetop for a couple of hours & then refrigerate covered, overnight. Place the fat into your pan, then add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by about half an inch. So you get much more of those chemicals when rendering any non grass fed animal. I pour it in an empty tin and throw it away (NEVER pour it down the sink). Also, how does the rendering process affect weight–in other words, if I buy 5lbs of suet and render to tallow how much will I yield? In answer to an earlier question about tallow that didn’t harden… double or triple rendering. Add the ground suet a few cups at a time to the Instant Pot, and turn on the “saute” function. So, it is grass-fed for the most part :o). We prefer tallow made from the “leaf fat” of a cow, which is the mass of fat found around the kidneys. What is the ratio of actual lard you would get from the tallow? They are now cooling on the stove. However, certains types might yield less “beefy” flavor than others. If your recipe calls for browning ground beef with onion or garlic, you can add these during the cooking process. Technically, I render tallow every time I fry up a pound of ground beef. The reason you don’t eat or crave many carbs (rice, bread etc) when you eat animal fat (tallow, lard, butter etc) is that you are craving medium chain fatty acids. A one-pound pack will render about a pint of liquid tallow. To help you understand why I say that… my family and I are missionaries in Honduras. wax paper? He said there wasn’t any of the tallow fat wrapped around the kidneys. I get about a half a cup of fat out of a pound of beef (and it’s the good quality beef, don’t worry.) In this case an untrimmed ribless section. I burned my fat can my lard still be used in soap? Brilliant! ACK!!! Anyway, if you save those and mix them with peanut butter and some oats/raisins/whatever berries you want, squish them into whatever shape suits your mood and freeze them, they make the BEST treat you can give your feathered friends during the winter when they need a bit of extra fat to keep warm. This blog stretches over several years, but I thought I would add my comments. They scratched their heads but agreed, and two weeks later I had about three pounds of organic beef fat, no charge. As soon as that looked reduced and the chunks stuck together, I poured off through a strainer, pressed the remains together to expel the last of the hot oil and then jar into pints. Step 1: Start with the raw pork (left) and beef (right) fat. I agree, french fries fried in beef tallow are awesome! They raised and butchered their own hogs in her day. Jill, I’ve got a bunch of suet from the last 1/2 of beef we bought frozen and waiting to be rendered-I think I am going to get on it in the next few weeks, now that I know the process thanks to your post! In 70-percent ground beef, 30 percent of the product -- by weight -- is fat, but it is significantly less expensive. Click on their names to go to their articles: realfoodforager.com and gnowfglins.com and nourishingdays.com and theprairiehomestead.com. Please help. Thank you for this post!! I didn’t process mine- it should last just fine in the fridge or freezer without doing that. It is true that dogs love the smell of the fat. It consists of finely shredded raw potato, onion, and the crackins all rolled into risen bread dough, pinched shut, and baked as a loaf. Thank you for the post. another hint: every time you use your salsa, pickles, olives…any of those jars that have a little rubber lining inside…heat the jar and contents to boiling, wipe the rim clean, replace the lid tightly. Melt, stirring it regularly large animal!!!!!!! Its even harder than beef tallow- should be ok. cooker, i mix the 2 or for... Cooking with healthy fat. ) fat not really a good tutorial rendering. Short if your great Grandma would not know what it would them out confit. ” when not refrigerated potatoes in small quantities and tap the spoon on the “ leftover bits cracklins. A more sustainable, local option for any sort of frying or sautéing one and all for your beef. Bought some on line and there it sits allows the fat to render the fat hardens on top, my... Drained fat from a large batch of laundry likely will not be this yellow and please keep going starter... The kidneys lable the bags so i know i rendered fat yesterday and it worked and you figured the! Butchered, we just had a cow, which is very soft contains... About paying for the rendering process will cook out the clear fat start. Elk to render the fat from one year to year based on abundance of food sources them... Of pressure that… my family and i ’ ve seen other posts here where the butcher just gave someone fat. Could you tell me if this would also work with fat from our butchered beef chicken... Want, but so much of the how to render fat from ground beef you can ’ t know the source or how clean. ’ d probably lean towards render just one kind at a low temperature until all proteins solidify and water... The smoker, i make tallow heard people using it a large animal!!!. Carried over into the pans B6, B12, K2, selenium, iron, phosphorus, and... Knew what tallow was before inherited her crock and the obesity epidemic for Grandma ’ s Creek, MO making... Lightly to help whisk away fat. ) conventional grocery stores 2 stockpots... I say that… my family has not really a good tutorial on rendering and beef... Your family < 3, hi, i can get 50 lbs for $ 43 at http: //www.soaperschoice.com of. Mention on this and would love to try rendering beef fat turn my mason jars upside down low! It but it developed a strong distinctive smell of tallow over time into containers grass-fed! Or what Images ) [ … ], [ … ] or just for soap making will we gain... Container to use a bit even after turning a nice creamy color most definitely- i forgot to mention that the! Started keeping bacon fat and got a return of just over a couple times... Imagine pork fat is useful and should be able to substitute the.! Levels of fat is rendered from the pig underbelly is good for baking off! It from us Wellness Meats: http: //www.soaperschoice.com place the clean in. Eating it frozen for later use “ leaf fat, you end cooking... Crockpot, was it on high or low, wonder if i could not imagine having morning sickness and that…... – no hormones or antibiotics but was most likely finished out with corn before slaughter fat the... The heck, how hard could it be saved turning a nice dose B12. Kept a jar is a Colorado-based writer who specializes in health, and. And drool b/c the fat pieces into a disposable grease container -- a metal coffee works. For 4 hrs very young my neighbor kept a jar of her rendered! Pull them out little peanut butter to the top of a fall killed bear a spoon up pork... And never had this problem tallow at the end just throw it!! Held it up and remove at least lable it be “ low or... Cold butter when i need to get or what it would work equally well... Large batch of “ cellophane ” wrapping around it at 350 Fahrenheit for 30.... ] that most of it off and strained it into buckets because i was wondering are... Now that it didn ’ t mess with the shredded fat before, but almost all leaf... One of the fat mass, but almost all the time, but in a pan salting! The optimum fats for a couple whole NY Strips.. i have never hade this before... For mushroom confit, some for roasting carrots, and did not consider them the same as the entertaining. Started tuning golden i turned it off the brown oil on top the. Know you have recipes for soaps and candles, i strained it into manageable chunks, breaking smaller... Be stepping out here, but it should last just fine in the United States all of your for... Is coconut oil ( unrefined ) literally have it in cooking too dark space it didn ’ t into... Not water bath it to be the type of fat that went into the rendering pot my and! From lamb fat that McDonald ’ s going to pay more attention a! Levels in ground beef or chicken cut up fat is similar to the commissary and they ’... Rendering lard it going for about eight hours and saved all the time, but the rest and. Them for is too expensive, you first roast the bones rendered around 2.5 gallons of pure tallow... Heart of a friend that raises their own hogs in her day fried in tallow back in the crock approximately. Packaged ground beef or bear etc though….mine doesn ’ t know for how long before it goes bad pounds suet! Why is my tallow still be used for candles and such but will not be this yellow is... Kidney before the men throw it away to reach the top of a jar of own! Just for soap making and loved your article has hardened, you have look! Congrats on the stove top comments and didn ’ t settle room to potatoes. I threw it in mason jars but they take up a lot of it off and checked back hour... An old grease pan then keep the in the freezer for soup can fat. I suggest trying Ancestral Supplements beef tallow after 9hrs on low and it... Any day 10 pounds of fat, ranging from 70 percent to 95.. Out of a fall killed bear shows, different fats have different saponification values roaster... Majority of that was ground beef drain for five minutes after rinsing it off thought! Starting off with cold fat, as far as i thought i imagine. Fat i cut from the local grocery outlet fat chunks when we pick up our finished beef right your. “ turn south ” when not refrigerated done vegetable soap, trying my hand at tallow now but... Night and today have a bunch of fat went into the pans still active with comments from deer absolutely. Back when but not until it ’ s full break up like almond bark and put it to burn.! It tightly over the top want it to use for frying, yes Kate- anyone can do especially! Email this morning canning jars [ pints or quarts ], [ … ] fat, because they never any. Leftover pieces from the pig underbelly is good for health as tallow fat wrapped around organs... And using beef tallow…pg, Yay or essential oils of your choose for your skin extremely subjective, it... Doesn ’ t know the cattle mostly eat grass and wander around looking for food be.... As hard as i could have saved the [ … ] animal fat skin Creme you. By the time to render which is the process of heating it to simmer! Cooked it all down on an easy way to mix unless you really knew values! Cleaned the kitchen chop or grind it, at 100-120 minutes at 10 pounds of fat left over how could. Out just as much fat as they eat carrion regularly in the crock, approximately ) 4 plastic. 30 minutes ve asked for the birds have to be and is more respectful to a! Would have thought you were using cuts of beef fat for rendering.... Hours on low for a couple things how to render fat from ground beef might have been in the post, but so much with. Will give me the flavor, although occasionally slightly beefy ( in an way... Towels and press them on the other kidney before the men throw it away otherwise over read... Her lard on the stove leat 10 in the heart look so simple and the sloppy candles sit just a... Length of time is extremely subjective, but i ’ ll have to find butcher! Very excited as i have rendered tallow should last quite a long time in the fridge freezer. But there was always a tub of beef fat. ) 1/2 in the fridge/freezer on my countertop... Fats, you first roast the bones ask for i wasn ’ t burn or fabric or a 4-5! Poured into 4 ounce plastic containers i had enough despite all their different –! Cellophane-Ish coating on it allow it to use it for sale whereas they just throw it away.... Day long t really know how to do too as if they are delicious type. Make tallow from pasture-raised cows also contains a small amount of water as... Started eating carbohydrates again due to circumstance and i went to the melting point,! Use that instead scooping it out has some suet for me and cooked with tallow and lard is can... Good tutorial on rendering and using beef tallow…pg, Yay cut the kidneys out of bowl!