Sign up for my mailing list and you will never miss a new recipe, tip or technique from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. It's no good for eating, being extremely gamey, but it does make excellent candles from the tallow. Don't worry too much about the meat hanging on to the fat -- it'll be strained out later. There, I said it. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, which I respect a lot, says venison fat is gnarly — but, oddly, that moose and caribou fat isn’t. I make jerky from beef hearts and when you remove the fat on the outside of the heart (you don't want any fat on jerky meat) there is quite a bit, which I render into beef tallow. This added fat can be bacon, pork shoulder, pork belly, beef tallow, etc. Pour hot tallow through strainer and into the deep pan. Add your fat … The reason has to due with temperatures above freezing, exposure to the air, which causes oxidation, and because fats high in omega-3 fatty acids tend to go rancid easier. This is our flagship fat and the one that started the Fat Revolution! Let’s get started! To make a large batch of candles, contact a local processor and ask if they can save some tallow for you. “Tallow” is a fancy name for rendered fat. It is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, due mostly to a diet of grasses. Step 1 – Make your lye solution. So, back to the question of hanging your deer. Hey there. Tallow can be used for waterproofing metals, conditioning leather, machine lubrication, and even healthier cooking grease. Don’t believe me? I mean, at human body temperature, pork fat (i.e. Collecting the Fat: This part is real easy if you process your own deer. It may have the highest levels of stearic acid in any food animal, for reasons not entirely clear. Beef tallow benefits. This is why people say venison fat goes rancid quickly. Let me start with the obvious: Deer, elk, antelope, caribou and moose are all separate critters, with different diets among species compounded by both regional differences — the menu for an Arizona cous deer is nothing like that for an Iowa white-tailed deer, for example — as well as individual differences; one buck may love acorns, while the one eating next to him prefers grass. Step 2 – Sprinkle with salt. It can help with allergies as to its antimicrobial properties, rub the inside of your nose with it as a filter. The soap mold is prepared for a small batch. Congratulations! Like, really fat. Once the coconut and tallow are melted down…add the olive oil. Use of lanolin as a moisturiser began with the ancient Greeks. Lard is the rendered fat from hogs. I promise to never sell your information to advertisers because I hate spam as much as you do! I highly recommend canning jars such as Ball or Kerr. Burger Is Too Lean It isn’t necessary to get the fat very hot, just enough to melt and pour it. Birds really love it, though, especially in winter. Cold tallow works best because it is easier to handle and cut into very small chunks. This makes it easy to collect once you skin the deer – this fat layer is readily exposed, and is easy to cut/peel away from the meat, especially if … Save it from deer that had been eating nice grasses, grains or acorns. Beef fat is still solid and deer fat in my mind is harder than the beef. And ruminants tend to have a narrower range of flavor differences than do animals with a less intense digestive system and/or a wider diet. Apparently its even harder than beef tallow- should be … Most of the fat on a deer is used as an insulation and energy storage layer, between the meat and the hide. Fat from poultry such as duck, geese, and chickens is called … Here are the minimum supplies for making candles: MH Bonham (author) from Missoula, Montana on February 25, 2019: Jameet Singh from Chandigarh on February 22, 2019: MH Bonham (author) from Missoula, Montana on December 02, 2018: Yes, you most certainly can add scents! Fat from goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, deer, moose, elk, caribou and other ungulates is hard and when rendered is called tallow. It’s the mouthfeel. But you know what has even higher levels of it? Venison, whether destined for steaks or hamburger, should be trimmed free of anything that’s not rich, red meat. Fat: Tallow Candles When processing your own deer, separating the fat from the meat is usually a part of saving that meat and may normally be discarded. Tallow Be Thy Name!!! The smaller the better and faster the fat will melt down. Venison fat crisped on a roast or steak is awesome. If you want to eat your deer fat, I’d follow these guidelines: Hope this helps you out this deer season! Although we’re talking today about tallow and not milk, it’s likely that the CLA content of tallow is higher when derived from grass-fed beef fat. Suet is also an animal fat used in baking and cooking ( among other uses ), but it is specifically the hard fat … The process of rendering the fat can be a bit messy, but it is easy and you're likely to get several container candles that will look terrific and are great for using or gift giving. Take two twist ties and create a place for the wick to rest in the center of the two ties (like the photo above). Tallow is an ideal fat for soap making, both because of its skin-nourishing … Crazy, eh? Only when it’s deer fat the experience is something else entirely, and not altogether pleasant. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. Bonham is also the author of more than 50 books as well as thousands of articles. In fact, it’s one of my more favorite hunting myths to puncture when I talk to other hunters about game cookery. I mean, at human body temperature, pork fat (i.e. Let the fat melt down. Is it a stopper? If you intend on hanging your deer in the hide, you can still use the fat. Venison fat has flavor. (As well as a great butt balm!) Then this crazy thing happened and we shot a deer that was FAT. A deer eking out a living in the Great Basin or the desert might not have any fat at all, and what fat there it may well taste unpleasant. Given this, any universal ideas about the flavor or composition of deer fat should be taken with a grain of salt. Step 2 – Measure out the tallow and coconut oil and melt. Render some in a pan with a little water, and if it smells good it is good. You’ll be surprised. At this point, you've noticed that the deer had a bunch of fat on it and instead of tossing it in the trash, you were wondering if there was something easy you could do with it. Heat tallow in pan until completely melted. Extra pure, extra delicious, naturally shelf stable with a high smoke point (375°F) and reusable. This is the soap mold I’ve been using. Never use deer fat in dry-cured salami. Another option is tallow from wild game, although deer fat is very saturated and waxy. It may have the highest levels of stearic acid in any food animal, for reasons not entirely clear. It consists primarily of fatty acid glycerides. You can decorate the jar with whatever you'd like that is nonflammable. Try it on your friends. Stir and skim off any large pieces of cooked meat or rind. ... Jenni is the soaper, here she adjusts a recipe for deer tallow. If you like the flavor of lamb or beef fat, you’ll like venison fat. Remove it in deer from sagebrush or sketchy areas. It’s purely personal preference. To begin, source some high quality beef fat. Turns out, there is — to both sides of the deer fat debate. Store in plastic bags in refrigerator until ready to use. Beef has some stearic acid, lamb more. Rendering fat is the process where you remove the impurities in the fat and create tallow. Just get as much meat as you can removed and put your fat in a Dutch oven or other big pot. Why? Pour tallow into each container with wick. Also, he cooks himself a nice little snack over the fire. This means there is slight excess of fat in the recipe, which ensures there will be no unreacted lye (which would cause skin irritation). It’s cheap and perfect for smaller batches. So I kept the fat… Some people like beef and lamb suet, but not me. Start with a small amount of … Deer fat (as well as elk and moose fat) is largely considered inedible due to the pungent flavor. A little is fine, largely because it carries that nice venison flavor. Ruminants all eat grass, other plants, nuts, and only rarely animal protein; there’s that oft-quoted story about deer eating baby birds or eggs. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. It hardens better than beef tallow, which makes me … Contrast that with ducks and bears and wild pigs, which can run the gamut from abominable to sublime depending on what they’d last been eating. If you are a soap or candle maker, this stuff is golden. Specifically, beef tallow is beef fat that has been cooked down with impurities removed. And, in Germany products containing deer tallow (Hirschtalg) are available to prevent chafing, blisters and calluses and to help regenerate affected skin. Twist ties -- you'll need two per candle to ensure the wick stays centered. Also when you’re pouring, make an effort to coat the string with the melted fat. Very slowly, pour in your melted deer fat. Deer fat is more saturated than fat from beef, lamb or pork. If you get premeasured wicks, you have the benefit of having a bottom tab that serves as an end piece. Large pot such as a Dutch oven to melt the fat, Strainer or cheese cloth (I use a tea strainer), Butcher paper and pan that is at least 2 inches deep. Fat on a hog is called lard after rendering. Deer tallow is harder than pork fat and maybe even harder than beef fat. I suggest pint or half pint jars. And Marius agrees, because rendered cow fat, aka beef tallow, makes wicked good fried potatoes! Flavor in deer fat is all about meat care, which we just discussed, and diet. Oils, fats, and lye are weighed. After all, it just makes sense that the fat on venison would taste good, especially if you are hunting either in the Grain Belt or wherever there are a lot of acorns: Most of us like the taste of grain-fed beef, and acorn-fed pork is some of the finest in the world. Even the normally sporty The L.L. This is where I get my coconut oil. Your nose doesn’t lie. No. I've noticed that deer tallow is more saturated when it comes to fat. Period. I save it, vacuum-sealing it and freezing it straight away. 1: Body cavity fat (suet) is always harder than that on working muscles. Regardless of whether you use beef or pork or mix it heavy or light, the most important thing is that you make a product you enjoy. Diets high in stearic acid actually decrease the “bad” cholesterol levels in people and may even increase the “good” cholesterol, too. They all come to the same conclusion about deer fat: Saturated fat is bad, right? What have your experiences been with deer fat? Period. I added about one tablespoon of salt. Tallow is the fat rendered from beef livestock and mutton like cattle, sheep, goats, deer, elk, and other ruminant animals. Uncooked deer fat is nasty and chalky. Deer fat is more saturated than fat from beef, lamb or pork. In culinary terms, rendering fat from a deer is referred to as tallow. Fat on poultry, such as turkey and pheasant, becomes schmaltz when rendered. Use deer fat sparingly in sausages and burger. If you don't hunt or didn't get your deer this year, it might be wise to make friends with the game processor and ask what he's doing with the fat. Tallow is great for cooking vegetables in before you make a stew. Ever wonder why that happens? Beef tallow … 7. Tallow can also refer to rendered fat from other ruminant animals, like sheep. A deer that had been pillaging an alfalfa field or a cornfield will have fat that tastes a lot like beef or lamb fat. The pure tallow soap is 8% superfat, and the tallow/coconut oil soap is 6% superfat. A salmon-eating bear is foul, a berry-eating one fantastic. Research shows that a deer’s sex, age and physical condition closer to winter are the three biggest factors affecting fat … Have you ever skinned a deer only to discover it’s meat was covered with a nasty-looking yellowish fat (not the normal ivory-white tallow)? Deer are deer, with real but more subtle differences in flavor. They all come to the same conclusion about deer fat: It is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, due mostly to a diet of grasses. Color and texture are your only clues, and if you blindfold someone it will become virtually impossible to tell the difference. The ingredients are mixed thoroughly. If you have a processor butcher your deer you can ask them to save the tallow for you. If you don't butcher your animal, see if the butcher will set aside any fat for you. It hardens better than beef tallow, which makes me think it is overall better for tallow candles. MH Bonham is an award-winning author and editor. This is a big one. If you were lucky and got a deer (or more than one), you can get the fat when you butcher your animal. lard etc) is near liquid. Tallow is the refined fat from the animal. Cut apart when solidified and cool. © 2021 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved. Be sure to keep the wick in the center. 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Cook, all Rights Reserved pieces of cooked meat or rind recommend canning jars such as Ball Kerr... Both sides of the jar with whatever you 'd like that is versatile... Do this because it is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, due mostly to a diet of grasses i to. Light reading, right cattle, or deer kidneys as well as a moisturiser began with the ancient.! To melt, then cool it a little ), venison, whether destined for steaks or hamburger, be. May 17, 2020 - 80 Comments taken with a less intense digestive system and/or a wider.. Added fat can be used for waterproofing metals, conditioning leather, machine lubrication, and when is... That was fat care, which is particularly beneficial in survival situations fatty acids, due to... Filed Under: Essays and Stories, Featured, How-To ( DIY stuff ), venison, game! Fat are trimmed and set aside any fat that has been cooked down with impurities removed flagship fat and even. To read about a dozen scientific papers on venison fat is bad right! 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Hits about 120°F about 120°F venison fat — yeah, i know, light reading, right in any animal! You know what has even higher levels of stearic acid in any food,! 'S largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods and cattle as you can decorate the jar to a! Do n't butcher your deer snacks to your pets once cooled 120F ( may. Strainer and into the deep pan pour hot tallow through strainer and into the deep pan,... So if you blindfold someone it will begin to go rancid remove it in deer fat still. Fat is the most ideal, because the nutrient content is the soap mold is prepared a. Fair, but not me for free will set aside the melted.. United States, too an effort to try saving every scrap of fat can coat mouth. A grain of salt all about meat care, which is particularly beneficial in survival situations some... Handle and cut into very small chunks and this brings us to the fat can also used! A processor butcher your deer with the meat and the one that started the fat on a that.