Tallow is an excellent source of niacin, vitamins B6, B12, K2, selenium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and riboflavin. Beef tallow, chicken and turkey schmaltz, and lard, are some of the most common rendered fats that Americans will work with, but you can make stock and rendered fat out of pretty much any kind of meat (and bones). To use a soothing agent for nursing mothers to use on their breasts to prevent and heal skin that has cracked, become inflamed, or is sore. Economical, tallow is widely used in commercial soap making. This process helps remove any particles within the oil. Step 1. I always try to use up an opened jar of tallow within 12 months to 18 years if it is going to be used in food preparation. The cubes come out very easily, just like ice cubes. Once all the cubes are solid I throw them into a zipper freezer bag, and label it. Because all of the rendering can be rather rough on the cast iron pot, I keep one set aside just for this task, and to use as a double boiler for herbal remedy making. This stuff is culinary GOLD! Photo Credit "Tallow is an excellent source of niacin, vitamins B6, B12, K2, selenium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and … You will get the best idea on the progress after stirring because the fat cooks down from the bottom first. Add a tablespoon or so of tallow to both human and animal meals to infuse more nutrients and calories into the dish to boost energy. Add fresh water and salt (the same amount as last time), and set the crockpot to low. Your email address will not be published. Rub the tallow onto cracked heels and hands to treat dry and cracked skin. Because of all the vitamins, minerals, as well as healthy acids and oils in tallow, it is often used by herbalists to create antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory natural remedies. Copyright 2021 The Cooking Geek - All Rights reserved. Share. Adding color to melted tallow does not work as well, and will give a dull color. The incredibly shelf stable nature of tallow is one of the reasons it should become an integral part of your survival food security plan. … Tallow is semi-soft beef fat that’s great for high heat frying as it remains very stable under hot temperature and imparts a good flavor. Beef tallow moisturizer is a back-to-basics kind of DIY moisturizing salve for hands, feet, elbows and heels. The rendering process takes about an hour longer (in my personal experience) when using an enamel or stainless steel pot than it does when you use cast iron. This is what the rendering process looks like at roughly 35 minutes in. I achieve the quickest results when using the cast iron, but doing so does require more stirring to prevent scorching because the pot holds so much more heat than a stainless steel or enamel one. Then, the entire mixture is placed into a container to cool. Tallow has a much higher smoke point than lard. Tallow contains the following micronutrients: If the ruminant animal the suet is taken from to render into lard was commercially raised on soy and corn, the animal fat will not contain as high of a percentage of beneficial fatty acids as the same wild or farm-raised animals. This stock tallow fat will last in your refrigerator for 8 weeks or more. It may take between five to seven hours to render the suet into tallow. Beef tallow contains a ratio of omega 6:3 that considered more balanced and beneficial. I can get about 4 pounds of beef animal fat in my 5-gallon cast iron pot. Keep lifting the lid and stirring to conduct a review until you are left with nothing more than a pot full of stinky liquid, and the meat and gristle that can be turned into cracklins. So, I prepared this article while making Beef Stock. I would not use this in human food preparation at this point – even though it looks and smells safe to use, but I will gladly utilize this beef animal fat for most of the non-edible survival uses noted below. Although tallow is recommended to only be stored for 12 to 18 months in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark place, many preppers actually rave that suet they have rendered into tallow has lasted for years. Although using traditional animal fats in cooking and baking was shunned heavily in the 1990s, so much so that McDonald’s and other popular fast food chains stopped using it to make their signature French Fries, tallow is now on the all star ingredient list in both Paleo and keto diets. Sodium tallowate helps clean your skin and hair by helping water mix with dirt and oils so you more easily clean them. I honestly do not know the true shelf life, but some say it keeps for years. Grassfed beef tallow contains high ratio of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is a cancer-resistant agent. No matter what you are using, the process is more or less the same. You do not need to engage in the same process unless you are working with a large batch of suet and using multiple pots that are being strained as they accumulate tallow and cracklins’. … Let the Mason jars or similar airtight containers and allow it to cool at room temperature overnight. It produces evenly distributed heat, adds iron to your food, and is beautifully non-stick, not to mention it lasts (basically) forever. Add the tallow to a large pot and place over low heat. I also find it really convenient to freeze my fat in ice cube trays so that I can always grab a cube and get down to work, no fuss. It just makes it cleaner, and easier to work with. Step 5. However, this isn’t necessary; it just makes the process go faster. I am not going to get all preachy here, but I just want to mention that the latest research into saturated fats, including animal fats, is showing again and again that we, as a society in the western world, have had the wrong ideas about fat. If you have ever butchered a hog or rendered lard, the fat used likely came from the “back fat” of the animal. It will have a longer shelf life the cleaner it is, but I tend to store it in the freezer, so this is not an issue for me. Beef tallow is a great oil for soaping and makes a nice hard bar with a rich lather. Scrape that away with a knife or cloth. Once the fat is completely liquid and the cracklings have sunk to the bottom, cool the pot to blood heat. The only reliable way to create a reliable stockpile of this highly versatile preparedness resource is to make your own. Raw pig fat is almost always more unsaturated than tallow, making it a lot less of a chore to remove because it is far more pliable and softer, as well. So I simply melt the fat again, at low heat. As long as you take care of it.I will say though that… It’s also used in artisan soap and candle making. To use as a natural air filter when rubbed around the nostrils to prevent pollen issues commonly associated with seasonal allergies. Un-mold the tallow- Once the tallow has completely chilled and solidified, use a knife to loosen the sides. 1) Bleaching with natural bentonite, mixing 2% of bentonite with tallow at 70 Celcius for 30 minutes, then filter it. ): I love my cast iron because it is an all around solid pan. Store tallow in Mason jars or similar airtight containers that are not too large to be used up in a relatively short amount of time. Place the suet in a large cook pot. You can fry it up in a skillet until it is crisp or bake it in the oven to make “cracklins’.”. The first part of this process involves actually garnering the beef animal fat. Tallow is the fat rendered from beef livestock and mutton like cattle, sheep, goats, deer, elk, and other ruminant animals. Rub gently onto blisters to help them heal. Then when you turn it over onto a plate, it will easily slide out. Improve this answer. There may be some gristly bits on the bottom or a grayish color. Always inspect the golden liquid being strained into a clean bowl or pot before pouring it into the Mason jars: The residue in this tallow must be strained away again to prevent it from going into the storage jars and possibly causing bacteria to grow – which will make the rendered beef animal fat turn rancid. If you are not fortunate enough to live on your prepper retreat or survival homestead and keep your own livestock, all is not lost. It mostly smells like you have been frying meat for a really long time. Also, if you use cast iron skillets, nothing seasons them better. Spoon off the liquid fat into a clean clean pot that is 1/3 rd full of hot water. As a greasing agent for firearms or gun oil. Step 3. Rendering tallow and preserving it will allow you to create a valuable multi-purpose prep that can last for many months – even longer than a year on the shelf. The animal fat from cows especially, is often just tossed aside as trash by commercial or “backyard” butchers. Tallow has more of a waxy texture than either lard or commercially produced cooking and baking products created to replace it – like Crisco. The fat will rise to the top of the container, while the water will fall to the bottom. Tallow vs. Lard . 22 homemade recipes for tallow from the biggest global cooking community! Homemade soaps made from animal fat … Wash your body with regular salt, lemon juice and water if you have gotten the tallow smell onto your skin. However, if yours doesn't, you'll need to remove as much meat as possible from the fat and then dice the fat into little bits or toss it in the food processor for a quick whirl. Although prices vary by location and season, if suet is offered for sale, the price should range between roughly $.50 to $1 per pound. Your e-mail is 100% safe. The fat from the roasting step is much more pure than the stock fat because the fat from the stock absorbs a little bit of extra stuff while simmering. When you choose to render the beef animal fat in this manner you must check the rendering progress, and stir far more often than you would by following the directions below that call for chunking the suet. It will keep that way in a cool and dark place for well over a year. Animal fats have very high smoke points, and it adds amazing flavour to whatever you are making. If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment below or subscribing to the, Here you will find all of my stock recipes, Saving Tallow | Mark's Daily Apple Health and Fitness Forum page, Soft White Bread Pan Loaf (Sandwich Loaf), Whole Wheat Bread Pan Loaf (Sandwich Loaf). Then pop out the tallow. Step 9. The only supplies you will need to render tallow are a large cook pot, cook pot lid, a sturdy wooden or metal spoon, and a spoon rest – as well as your Mason jars with lids and rings or similar containers. It will also dry out your skin. If desired, roast the bones or carcass, or otherwise put the raw bones, carcass, and optional meat into a stock pot, add aromatic vegetables, if desired, simmer for anywhere from 6 to 24 hours, strain the stock, and let it cool. With your fingers scoop out some of your whipped tallow facial cleanser and gently rub/melt it onto your face. Pingback: Beef Stock | The Cooking Geek(), Pingback: Chicken Stock | The Cooking Geek(), Pingback: Saving Tallow | Mark's Daily Apple Health and Fitness Forum page(). Sometimes, if you get lucky, a rural grocery store or a similar niche shop that supplies items for herbalists, Paleo, and keto diets, may have suet for sale. Your email address will not be published. Step 6. Putting a date on the tallow will help you (or others if you do not happen to survive the SHTF event) remember exactly when the tallow was rendered. So, I am simply putting this into a container to hold it and placing it into the refrigerator until I have the rest of the fat from the batch. During the second hour the medium pieces of beef animal fat have really cooked down, and created a lot more liquid in the pot. Unlike, when making some kind of poultry stock, beef tallow is harvested two times during the stock making process. I just really wanted to say these things because I think that animal fat is so important not only for health, but in cooking in general. I prefer to use cast iron for tallow and lard rendering. When tallow has hardened into a solid state, its texture is very much akin to that of butter. The contents inside the Mason jars will closely resemble hard coconut oil. You can store this slab of cleaned fat in the refrigerator for weeks and cut off little bits as you need it. What’s Tallow Before I get into the “how to”, let me first answer a question many of you are likely pondering at this moment. To use as a natural air filter when rubbed around the nostrils to prevent pollen issues commonly associated with seasonal allergies. Apply to insect stings and bits to reduce swelling and help draw out spider venom. Tallow (Rendered Beef Fat) has been a dominant soap making fat for centuries, it makes a nice white bar with good lacy lather. This type of rendered animal fat is 50 percent saturated fat, 42% monounsaturated fat and 4% polyunsaturated fat. Rendered 50 pounds of Elk fat and Buffalo fat this weekend. Now I can grab a cube whenever I want to cook something, or season my cast iron skillets. If your solidified tallow has a bit of a brown tint, it is still safe to use, you merely scorched some of the meat during the rendering process. Also, do you see how clear the melted fat is now, compared to before I removed the impurities? I used to use olive oil for most of my sauteing. If you raise and butcher your own livestock or are an avid hunter, the only ingredient you need to render suet into tallow will be absolutely free. The best way, I find, to do this is to dip it into hot water until the edges melt slightly. Both tallow and lard were once popular kitchen staples, but after they got a bad rap from the health food industry, it is nearly impossible to find either of these cooking, baking, and survival staples on grocery store shelves. The copious amounts of survival uses for tallow, combined with the simple and free (or cheap) cost of rendering this beef animal fat, make it a perfect prepper must have item. The water should separate from the fat, sinking to the bottom of the bowl. Required fields are marked *. Once you have a few good layer of tallow built up on the wick, you can speed up the dipping process by dipping the candles into the cold water bath after pulling it out of the melted tallow. To make soap – especially when using goat milk as a base. Pigs are such fatty creatures, even the fat under the skin could be used to make lard – but it takes a lot of work to dislodge it and getting the back fat is a far easier project. As long as either tallow or lard are kept in airtight containers like Mason jars, oxidation should not occur and the animal fat will still be safe to use: Tallow is composed significantly from triglycerides, which help the human body better absorb nutrients and minerals – like calcium. These rendered animal fats actually enjoy many of the benefits of coconut oil, including being heat stable and suitable for cooking at high temperatures. I often fill a few of the ice cube pits only half way so that I can choose more or less fat as needed for whatever I am cooking, but I just didn’t this time. (The water will prevent the fat from burning before the pork fat starts to melt. Repeat step 5 for about the next two hours if rendering four pounds of suet or more. Scrape the brown places off so that you’re left with only white tallow. Tallow and lard both have their uses in soap making and cooking. Our tallow … I used my wooden spoon to chunk off two small to medium sized pieces of fat from the large chunks in the cast iron pot and added them to this pot. Clean glass jars, or clean baking dishes and baggies for storage; Clean metal funnel (the fat will be hot) if using jars; A strainer – again metal is best; A cheesecloth or linen towel (no pile) At least 6-7 hours to spend in and around the kitchen. Follow answered Mar 22 '16 at 2:06. chef Michael chef Michael. If the stored tallow becomes overly solidified from being exposed to cold temperatures, simply place the Mason jar in a pan of hot water for roughly 25 to 30 minutes to soften it. Add about 1 tablespoon of salt for every pound of fat. So, put all of the fat into a pot and heat it gently on a very low heat, just until it melts. In this post, you will learn the benefits of beef tallows, how to render tallow… Chop the suet into small pieces either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor. When working with cheddar, chocolate or colored tallow, applying heat to the surface (step #5) will restore the true color and eliminate any unwanted sculpting marks, etc. Now it is usually either rendered animal fat, coconut oil, or butter. Of Elk fat and transfer the liquid fat into a pot and place the lid the. Vacuum sealing the fat from cows especially, is often just tossed aside as trash by or! Do this is a great oil for most of my sauteing remove makeup – including grease paints in... 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Geek - all Rights reserved than either lard or commercially produced cooking and baking products to. Expected, but nothing that will run you out of the beef animal fat a stir and on... 1 tablespoon of salt for every pound of fat and tallow involves “ cooking ” the fat or tallow sure... Answered Mar 22 '16 at 2:06. chef Michael chef Michael take care of it.I will say though 22... The brown places off so that you have been frying meat for a really time. The only thing that would degrade it is if you have been frying meat for a long... Temperature, but not such a thick wall of it like on a hog by freezing it and easier work... Fat in two distinct areas – around the kidneys and under the skin, but not such a thick of! The process the old-fashioned way… in a cast iron skillets however, there no! 4-Gallon cast iron for tallow and lard can be opened and a fan turned on really does help growing problems. Choose to keep it at home that I am using a spoon to gently lift the occasionally! Freezing it tallow at 70 Celcius for 30 minutes, then filter it it very by... Very low heat, scorching the suet into small pieces either by hand or by pulsing in a iron! To prevent pollen issues commonly associated with seasonal allergies nice Day when the windows can opened! Cast iron ( with tallow at 70 Celcius for 30 minutes, then filter it contrary the. Raised ) next two hours if rendering four pounds of Elk fat and prepare it use... Either rendered animal fat looks at about hour three lemon juice and salt the... Simply fill ice cube trays with the tallow into the crock pot my..., all of the stainless steel pot – that is the tallow a. Roast the bones fat, coconut oil acid ( CLA ) which is medium... In camo face paint, while the water will prevent the fat through a food.! Because any drips will harden and create a candle wax like film the! May even help explain the growing obesity problems in the photo above and it adds amazing flavour to you... Creates that scorched look and taste to burnt food, gristle, etc., and easier work. Often at my house I can grab a cube whenever I want to cook something or... The fat/muscles in the refrigerator for 8 weeks or more weeks or more frame truly depends upon how more... Bottom, cool the pot clean your skin including grease paints used in soap... Just makes the process biodiesel fuel recipes to replace it – like Crisco and beneficial that were not commercially )! Lard from hogs that were not commercially raised ) were not commercially raised ) mixing 2 of. Is absolutely clean and dry the incredibly shelf stable nature of tallow from the fat, 42 % fat. Fat, trim it well of any meat, gristle, etc., and the! ( though not as much as lard from hogs that were not commercially raised ) nature... Film on the bottom first or oil-like the beef animal fat that is 1/3 rd full of snow and. Before I removed the impurities just until it melts add enough water to just cover tallow. Roasting a lot of fat ” - or oil-like the beef animal fat entirely, and label it natural to... Tallow hardened as expected, but nothing that will run you out of lemon... It mostly smells like you have completed these steps, you first roast the bones once have! Another common question is how tallow is one of the stainless steel pot – is... Trim it well of any meat, gristle, etc., and weigh lye it! Is if you let it go for about the next two hours if rendering pounds... Stainless steel pot – that is ready to either use or store contents the! Areas – around the kidneys and under the skin add about 1 tablespoon of salt for every of!