How To Render Lard & Tallow
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If you read my blog with any regularity, you know I’m a big fan of lard and tallow. I use them for pie crusts, making chicken nuggets and fried chicken, onion rings and French fries, and plan to try my hand at doughnuts and potato chips. Oh, and let’s not forget about buttermilk biscuits… I’ll be making those soon.
Did you know lard was the traditional fat used in China and Japan and in Mexico and throughout Central and South America? Mmm… won tons, egg rolls, fried rice, tempura, refried beans, tamales. There are so many delicious things to make with lard and tallow.
McDonald’s actually used beef tallow for their French fries up until 1983, when they finally succumbed to soybean oil. Tallow (horse and beef) is the traditional fat used for French fries in France.
Foods made with these fats are not only yummy, they’re also very healthy.
The idea of rendering lard or tallow at home may sound intimidating, but trust me, rendering fat is the easiest thing in the world. And once you’ve tasted pastry made with lard or French fries cooked in tallow, you’ll be hooked.
What Is Lard? What Is Tallow?
Lard is the rendered fat from pigs. Tallow is the rendered fat from cows, sheep and bison. These fats are extremely stable. They will last a long time in the fridge. They have a high smoke point so they are wonderful for frying, even deep frying.
Soybean, corn, cottonseed and canola oil are all oils with a high smoke point. They’re also very cheap to manufacture, and a convenient way of using up industrial waste. Of course this is why they are so ubiquitous in our food supply. Most processed foods use these oils, and restaurants use them for frying.
However, soybean, corn, cottonseed and canola oil are not good for you for a number of reasons. For one thing, they lack the fat soluble vitamins that are available in lard and tallow. They are also typically rancid even before they are used for cooking. Not to mention the fact that these oils are almost always made with genetically modified crops.
Health Benefits of Lard & Tallow
One hundred years ago, lard and tallow were used for cooking in every American home and restaurant. They were the most commonplace cooking oils. And heart disease was unheard of. Now it’s our number one killer.
According to Sally Fallon Morell, the first recorded heart attack in America was in 1921 (Source: Local Forage). Just 10 years after Crisco (hydrogenated cottonseed oil) and 50 years after margarine (clarified vegetable fat) were introduced to the American people. Hmm… coincidence?
To read more about the history of cooking oil and disease in America, you can read The Oiling of America online.
There are many health benefits associated with eating lard and tallow. Too many to list here. To summarize very briefly, saturated fats like lard and tallow:
- Enhance the immune system
- Build and strengthen bones and teeth (preventing cavities and osteoporosis)
- Provide energy and structural integrity to the cells
- Protect the liver
- Enhance the body’s use of essential fatty acids
- Do not become rancid easily
- Do not call upon the body’s reserves of antioxidants
- Do not initiate cancer
- Do not irritate the artery walls
Source: The Oiling of America
Why Render Your Own Lard & Tallow?
Maybe you’ve seen lard on the supermarket shelf. Couldn’t you just pick up a container of that? I don’t recommend it. Why? Because it’s partially hydrogenated, which means it’s full of trans fats, which are known to cause heart disease and cancer. Exactly what we are trying to avoid.
It’s also important to use the fat from animals on pasture — that lard at the supermarket is made from animals in confinement.
So look for fat, or suet, from animals that have been “grass-fed”, and buy suet from pigs who have been raised humanely outdoors. Remember, if the animals are not eating well and soaking up sunshine, they’re not going to have those valuable fat soluble vitamins stored in their fat. Which means you won’t get the health benefits listed above.
Where To Buy Grass-Fed Suet
I don’t currently have a source for pig fat. Visit my new Resources page for a source for beef suet and for rendered tallow.
How To Render Lard & Tallow
There are three ways to do this. All of them work well. I happen to like the crock pot method the best. No open flame on the stove, and it’s nice on a hot day when you don’t want to heat up your house by running the oven. Best of all, you can set it and forget it.
How long does it take to render the fat? It depends on how big of a batch you are making. For about a pound of fat, it should take anywhere from 1-2 hours.
When you strain the fat, the liquid will be golden at first, but it will harden and the change to white (for lard) to a cream color (for tallow)
Equipment:
Cast iron or enamel pan or stockpot, or crockpot
Metal strainer
Coffee filter, paper towel or cheesecloth
Wide-mouth mason jars (make sure you use wide-mouth for tallow — it’s hard to get the tallow out of narrow jars)
Ingredients:
Grass-fed beef, lamb, bison or pork fat — also called suet, ground (I use a food processor to grind mine — you can use larger chunks of fat cut up by hand but it will take longer; sometimes the farmer will sell it to you pre-ground — for sources of grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and pork fat, see my resources page)
Water (1/2 cup per pound — optional)
Method 1: Stovetop
1. Place the pan on the stove.
2. Add the ground fat.
3. Add the water (optional).
4. Set the heat on the lowest possible setting. Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally.
5. Cook until you’re left with mostly clear or golden liquid with bits of hardened stuff on top.
6. Remove from heat and strain into a mason jar through a metal strainer lined with a coffee filter, paper towel or cheesecloth.
Method 2: Oven
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place the fat into the pan.
3. Add the water (optional).
4. Cook until you’re left with mostly clear or golden liquid with bits of hardened stuff on top.
5. Remove from heat and strain into a mason jar through a metal strainer lined with a coffee filter, paper towel or cheesecloth.
Method 3: Crockpot
1. Place the fat into the crockpot.
2. Add the water (optional).
3. Set the crock pot on low heat.
4. Cook until you’re left with mostly clear or golden liquid with bits of hardened stuff on top.
5. Remove from heat and strain into a mason jar through a metal strainer lined with a coffee filter, paper towel or cheesecloth.
This post is a part of Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade.
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09/07/2009 at 3:00 pm Permalink
If you do not want the rendering smell in your house, method number 4 is to cook it down in a stockpot on a grill outside.
09/07/2009 at 3:29 pm Permalink
I just have big junks of fat and was just thinking of sticking it into the crock and see what happens. I will have to cut it up into much smaller pieces after seeing your pictures.
Also, I was wondering if the water would evaporate during the cooking process or if it would have to be drained off after the lard has hardened?
Thanks so much for this post.
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09/07/2009 at 4:11 pm Permalink
Thank you, I was wondering how to do this, now I know. I just want to add one thing about crock pots, some brands add lead into their porcelain glaze, so I recommend doing a google search to find out if your crock pot is safe. I do know that Hamilton Beach has been cleared, some Corel is lead-free, Rival has lead..these are just the ones I know. Some say lead-free, so you just have to check and see…thought you would like to know.
09/07/2009 at 5:22 pm Permalink
Thanks for this! I asked for all the fat off our 1/2 grass-fed beef we just bought. I have never used tallow before, but am excited to use it in food and add to my homemade soap, too. It is great to read all the benefits of tallow or lard. I admit to having thought poorly of them all my life. Not so anymore!
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09/07/2009 at 5:26 pm Permalink
Thanks for this post, Anne Marie. I make (pork) bacon and then use the grease to cook veggies, sear meat etc. Two questions:
1. Do I need to render the pig fat or is it just a matter of looks? Are the health risks/benefits associated with leaving it/rendering it?
2. This might seem weird, but when you say to use the fat from pastured animals, does that mean I can save the bits of fat from my pastured beef and cook it up when I get enough? Or are you referring to some different kind of fat you have to buy?
Thanks!
Megan’s last blog post..See You in July!
09/07/2009 at 6:42 pm Permalink
Thanks, AnnMarie! I am glad it is so simple.
10/07/2009 at 10:10 am Permalink
I used to throw away all that good fat before I realized it was so good for the body. Now I use it regularly. The french fries are fabulous. The place where we get our grass-fed beef butchered gives away tubs of lard for free because most people don’t want it. Great post!
Mindy’s last blog post..Zucchini Harvest
10/07/2009 at 12:40 pm Permalink
that’s funny, i made lard and tallow just the other day! I actually ate most of the lard by the spoonful (shhh don’t tell anyone!). As for the beef tallow, I made pemmican with that by mixing it with dried beef that i processed in a blender till it was a powdery consistency (and the beef was dried at a low temp so was technically raw). first time i ever made pemmican, and i thought it was really tasty!
10/07/2009 at 2:50 pm Permalink
I was wondering the same thing as Megan. (Her second question.)
10/07/2009 at 3:09 pm Permalink
Kathy – I’ve never had any problem with a “rendering smell”
10/07/2009 at 3:11 pm Permalink
Catherine -
I’m not sure — I think the water does cook down
10/07/2009 at 3:12 pm Permalink
Melanie – Good point about the crockpot. I have the Hamilton Beach which is supposed to be lead-free.
10/07/2009 at 7:12 pm Permalink
Thank you so much for this! I just subscribed to this blog and I love reading stuff you have on here! I am hoping to render some tallow and lard soon!
I don’t mean to hijack these comments, but I don’t know where to post this. Since this post is about fats, I am wondering if some of you wonderful moms can give me some advice?
I have a 9-month-old baby named Amelia. She seems to be almost hyper-alert. She doesn’t want to miss anything. I hate to admit it, but I am envious of moms with babies who are calm, peaceful, and serene. Amelia is nothing like that! She is either happy or angry. And when she’s angry, she screams LOUDLY. It makes me feel like I am doing something really wrong or like I could do something to help her.
She never breastfed well. After a month of working with a LC, I pumped for 7 months. Then I had weight loss surgery and had to stop. So she is getting formula. I just found a source of raw milk, so I am going to gather all the supplies to make her homemade formula soon. I have tried to give her cod liver oil and she spits it at me. I have tried mixing it in food and by itself, to no avail. Do you think I can mix it in some raw cream and give it to her?
I have read that a lot of you have babies with temper or crankiness issues when they don’t get enough fat. How do I get more fat into her? She is a very chubby baby and my doctor has me afraid that she’s going to end up being as big as I am (to require surgery).
I know food with fat doesn’t create fat; he just has me a bit worried.
Do any of you have suggestions about what to feed her? I am not giving her grains yet. Just pastured egg yolks, chicken, beef, and bison, sweet potatoes w/ butter, homemade yogurt w/ extra cream, other “finger foods” like green beans, watermelon, bananas, avocado. She still doesn’t want much to do with food other than yogurt!
The girl can eat yogurt like crazy.
Also, she doesn’t like cooked egg yolk (so I cook just the yolk a bit on each side and mash it up still runny). She eats it, but she likes just the runny yolk best. Can I put the raw yolk in something for her? Is it safe if they’re from pastured, free-range chickens?
Okay, I just wanted to ask you all for advice. I didn’t know where to post this. I guess I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed. She has had homeopathic medicines from a holistic pediatrician (an MD), but the change in her behavior wasn’t as much as I hoped for.
One more thing: I wanted to try fermented cod liver oil. Should I get a flavor of it or unflavored? And how the heck do I get her to take it?
Thank you so much.
Shannon
11/07/2009 at 6:08 am Permalink
“Do you think I can mix it in some raw cream and give it to her?”
Yes, or just add it to her formula. I still mix it in to my 2-year-old’s bottle of raw milk.
“I have read that a lot of you have babies with temper or crankiness issues when they don’t get enough fat. How do I get more fat into her? She is a very chubby baby and my doctor has me afraid that she’s going to end up being as big as I am (to require surgery).
I know food with fat doesn’t create fat; he just has me a bit worried.”
Fat doesn’t make you fat. I gave my daughter pureed fruits, veggies and meats mixed with butter, cream or coconut oil.
“Do any of you have suggestions about what to feed her? I am not giving her grains yet. Just pastured egg yolks, chicken, beef, and bison, sweet potatoes w/ butter, homemade yogurt w/ extra cream, other “finger foods” like green beans, watermelon, bananas, avocado. She still doesn’t want much to do with food other than yogurt!
The girl can eat yogurt like crazy.”
That all sounds good. You can cook the meats and veggies in butter or bacon grease or coconut oil. I’d also add liver to her diet. I gave my daughter liver pretty much every day from 6 mos – 1 year. You can do liver pate, sauteed chicken or duck livers, or a small amount of beef liver. You can also put a little ground beef liver in with ground beef.
“Also, she doesn’t like cooked egg yolk (so I cook just the yolk a bit on each side and mash it up still runny). She eats it, but she likes just the runny yolk best. Can I put the raw yolk in something for her? Is it safe if they’re from pastured, free-range chickens?”
Yes it is safe. I gave my daughter pastured egg yolks — runny — from the time she was 6 mos until about a year, when I started giving her the whole egg. She got eggs once or twice a day. Now she gets them about every other day.
By the way, my daughter is very healthy and big for her age. She’s 2 and she weighs 30 lbs. And I have definitely noticed that she gets a lot crankier when she doesn’t get enough fat. Her moods are great when I’m making sure she gets enough butter, cream, etc.
The other thing you might look into for mood issues is sleep. My daughter sleeps 12-13 hours a night and she takes one 2-3 hour nap per day — which is 14-16 hours of sleep per day. Most babies don’t get that much — but I think they need it. A book I recommend is “Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child”. That changed our life. Her mood greatly improved once I read that book and started working to get her more sleep.
“One more thing: I wanted to try fermented cod liver oil. Should I get a flavor of it or unflavored? And how the heck do I get her to take it?”
You could try both flavored and unflavored and see what she likes. If she refuses the flavored, use the unflavored. You can also just add it to her formula.
11/07/2009 at 7:35 am Permalink
I have the same question as Megan. Does bacon fat have to be rendered to be healthy? I fill a mason jar with bacon fat and use it whenever needed.
11/07/2009 at 7:50 am Permalink
I should mention that I cool the bacon fat a bit and strain it in a coffee filter. Not sure if that makes a difference.
11/07/2009 at 10:18 am Permalink
i stumbled on your blog from the purplefoodie!
im so glad i did. loved the post!! incredibly informative!
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11/07/2009 at 10:50 am Permalink
I made beef stock from some meaty, fatty bones. It simmered 36 hours or so. When cooled, it had a 1/2 inch of bright yellow fat on top. Pardon the ignorance …. is that already tallow, or do I need to put it through the process you describe? (Or neither?) Thanks!
11/07/2009 at 1:14 pm Permalink
Bacon fat does not need to be rendered. Or, more accurately, it already is rendered.
To render simply means to cook down or melt. When you fry bacon, you are rendering the fat — because the fat from the bacon melts. I keep bacon grease in a bowl or jar next to my stove as well, and I use it for lots of things.
I do the same thing when I roast a duck. After roasting, I pour the duck fat into a jar and store it in the fridge. Duck fat fries are delicious! I also like to use duck fat to cook eggs and for making pate.
11/07/2009 at 1:22 pm Permalink
Megan -
Regarding your second question, sure you can save hunks of fat from pastured meat.
However, I like to leave the fat on the meat when I cook it. I don’t think lean meat is that good for you — the vitamins are in the fat. So I don’t recommend removing the fat and skin from chickens and other animals before cooking.
For the same reason I don’t strain the cream off of my whole milk — I drink the milk with the cream in it.
You can just buy the fat (also called “suet”) from the farmer. Many farmers will grind it and sell it pre-ground.
If they don’t grind it for you, just cut it up into large chunks and then throw it in your food processor.
11/07/2009 at 2:33 pm Permalink
Jill – That is rendered fat. You can warm it and strain it and store it in a jar. You can do the same thing with the chicken fat that ends up at the top of chicken broth.
11/07/2009 at 4:00 pm Permalink
Thanks Ann Marie
I feel really stupid that I didn’t understand what tallow and lard were (exactly) and how easy it was to make them. That I didn’t realize bacon fat was already rendered once cooked makes me feel more like an idiot. I’ll get pass it.
I’ve been buying vegetarian fed bacon and pork chops at my local health food store at ridiculously high prices. I thought I was doing a great thing for my family. I was even a bit smug about it. Imagine now how I feel with knowledge that my meat was from a SOY fed pig! It never occurred to me until very recently that farm factory animals are fed this crap or how bad soy is for our bodies. I thought I just had to worry about farm factory animals eating downed cows. I feel like an idiot.
I contacted a pig farmer. I will get a whole pastured pig in December. I doubt I’ll be able to eat pork until then since it’s nearly impossible to find pastured pork in stores.
11/07/2009 at 5:40 pm Permalink
How timely. I’ve got a bunch of pork fat sitting in my refrigerator right now waiting to be rendered. I’ve been meaning to search for how to render it & I happened to check your site. The farmer actually gave me a discount because the pork shoulder was so fatty that she was having trouble selling it. I’ll be breaking out the crock pot tonight. Thanks for the post.
11/07/2009 at 5:48 pm Permalink
Hi, Tina,
Please don’t feel bad! Most people don’t know what tallow is. I had no idea what it was until a year and a half ago.
Also, don’t feel too bad about buying vegetarian-fed bacon and pork. That’s better than the stuff at the regular store. From what I have read, they can only feed the animals a limited amount of soy (there’s a max amount of soy you can feed — otherwise the animals will get sick and die — what does that tell you?!). Even if you’re eating grocery store pork, that’s still better than not eating pork at all in my opinion.
So I say, don’t worry so much. Just do the best you can.
I’m getting a whole pig from a local farm at the end of this month. I’m very excited about it!
11/07/2009 at 6:28 pm Permalink
I’m so excited – I’m glad you addressed in the comments about the fat at the top of stocks being tallow. I had some from my beef broth (left some in, took some out) and froze it thinking, “I’m pretty sure I should keep this because it’s healthy fat, but I’m not sure what to do with it!” Now I know I can sautee in it, make french fries, or even — really??? — use it in a pie crust! This is good info. Thanks!
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12/07/2009 at 5:57 am Permalink
Hey Tina–what I really love about this “vegetarian-fed” trend in mainstream grocery stores is the eggs they sell from hens so fed. When did we forget that chickens eat bugs too? It took me a while to wise up to that one and then I felt very, very silly. I think they meant the chickens weren’t fed other chickens, but that wasn’t a good way to convey it. “Fed a natural diet” or “fed a species-appropriate diet” would have been better, but I get the feeling they couldn’t have legally said either, if nothing else because of laws against deceptive advertising. Dunno.
12/07/2009 at 10:44 am Permalink
Thank you, Ann Marie. I also have Weissbluth’s book and have read it, and it has helped tremendously. She sleeps about 12-12.5 hours at night and 2 naps during the day (about 3 hours of naps total usually). So, a total of 15-15.5 hours of sleep a day. Big difference! I still haven’t let her CIO, but she usually sleeps pretty well. But she still seems “on edge” all the time. Like one little thing can set her off. That’s why I’m wondering about nutrition. Thank you for all the insight. It is really, really helpful.
12/07/2009 at 5:29 pm Permalink
I need to use the crock pot method next time to render my lard. I used water last time and did not break up into small chunks and ended up with lard and some kind of gel substance I had to wash off. I can’t make tallow because my rancher’s processing plant won’t save the fat for him. Grrr. And I’m out of duck fat. Oh, well.
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13/07/2009 at 12:56 pm Permalink
This weekend I found a local place to buy lard. This is a step in the right direction!
14/07/2009 at 10:54 pm Permalink
That’s so funny, JUST today I decided to try rendering my tallow int the crock pot, and so I just dumped the whole mess of fat in there just to see what would happen (I get it for $0.50/lb from my butcher, all 100% grassfed!) and low and behold I have a whole 6 quarts of bubbling tallow! I didn’t even know you could do it in a CP, and so it was encouraging to see that you’ve done it this way too!
Thanks, AM!
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15/07/2009 at 4:21 pm Permalink
I want to mention the delicious bits left in your strainer after making lard should NOT be tossed out!!!! In Italy we used them in focaccia, on top of salads, in piadina Romagnola…..and these heavenly bits are called ciccoli- you can google and find lots of recipes for their many uses.
Heres what you do once you have strained them from you lard:
Spoon out the ciccioli and let the liquid filter through to be collected and added to the other lard.
Lìberally salt the cubes/ bits and close the pieces inside a cheese cloth or dish linen. Squeeze to remove more of the liquid lard.
Fasten it to such an extent that the cicicoli are closed very firmly. This will ensure that they loose their remaining fatty elements. Allow to dry overnight.
They are now ready to eat , and if you can stop yourself from devouring them you can store them in the fridge.
15/07/2009 at 6:18 pm Permalink
Thank you so much for this post! I finally rendered the fat in my freezer…but after putting the tallow in glass jars in the fridge, it is solid as a rock. Is it best to leave tallow out on the counter or in the fridge? Thanks again!
16/07/2009 at 9:00 am Permalink
Erin –
It depends on when you are planning to use it. You can leave the tallow in a cupboard if your kitchen is not too hot. But if you are not planning to use it for a while, store it in the fridge. If you want to keep it for a very long time (months or years), store it in the freezer.
I usually keep mine in the fridge, unless I’m planning to leave in the next few days or week, then I set it out.
If you take it out of the fridge and it’s cold/hard and you want to use it right away, set it in a cup or bowl of hot water. It will melt that way.
16/07/2009 at 9:24 am Permalink
Thanks for the info! I noticed the Balthazar recipe for french fries uses a thermometer to check the peanut oil…is it necessary to use a thermometer when frying the fries with tallow? I know it has a high smoke point, but should the tallow be boiling? Thank you!
16/07/2009 at 11:33 am Permalink
Yes you want to use a thermometer. The temp fluctuates a lot as you add fries and take them out. I’ll post my French fry recipe one of these days and share how I do it.
03/08/2009 at 12:24 pm Permalink
Hi Ann Marie,
I’m making beef tallow right now for the first time. Does beef tallow contain vitamin K like the bison tallow? I assume I can store the beef tallow in the fridge like I do lard. Is that correct?
Thanks!
03/08/2009 at 12:35 pm Permalink
Yes, beef tallow does contain vitamin K if the animals are on pasture (grass-fed). Yes, you can store it in the fridge. If you want to keep it for longer periods of time, you can freeze it.
I usually leave mine on the counter if I’m planning on using it within a few days. Because it gets very hard in the fridge and takes longer to melt.
26/09/2009 at 10:14 am Permalink
when rendering your own fats, add a couple of bay leaves. that will enhance the aroma.
Chiken skins: agreat treat! 20# of skins gives you about 5# of fried skins and 15# of fat. when making green bean casserole, try the fried chiken skins instead of the fried onions!
01/11/2009 at 2:16 pm Permalink
Hi~ I love your site! I am trying my hand at rendering grass fed tallow. I’ve actually done it a couple times now. One thing I am not sure about is how hot the tallow needs to get and how long does it need to remain at that temperature after it’s all melted to be safe? I cook it in a big crockpot on low until it’s all melted (about 4 hrs or so for 2.5 lbs.) If it’s all melted, can I just assume it’s safe? At low setting, after it was all melted, I could barely see the start of some little bubbling- does the fat need get just at the bubbling stage to know for sure it’s done? Not a rolling boil- but just very slight.
I got the grass fed pure kidney fat (they even ground it for me- soooo much easier to work with!) and made sure to render it within a couple of days. As there’s no preservatives, I know it’s important to not let it sit in the fridge long before rendering. Also, the butcher said maybe up to 3 months tops in the fridge rendered and do not leave it sitting out on the counter at all. I left it out once for several hours because the tallow was so hard, I thought I’d soften it up, but then I felt wierd about it and threw it out to be safe. By the way, setting it out didn’t actually soften it up that much! Must run warm water over the jar to get it out next time. Yes, it is quite difficult to get the tallow out and I used quart sized big mouth canning jars. I must find some shallower big mouths- I think they’ll work better- I just don’t know where to find them.
01/11/2009 at 9:34 pm Permalink
Here’s an odd idea I haven’t tried yet- instead of using canning jars for beef tallow (since it’s so hard to get out) -after straining into a heat proof glass measuring cup, maybe try filling ice-cube trays up half way with the rendered tallow.Then pop them out into freezer safe baggies after they cool? Maybe they’ll almost be the right size chunks for making pie too. I have next to no experience with this-just throwing it out there! If someone finds this works, let me know!
09/11/2009 at 6:02 pm Permalink
I’m so glad I found this posting! I’m rendering lard as I write, from “pork fat” purchased at a local ethnic market. I would have been trying to melt down the solid hunks if your directions hadn’t set me right. Now there seems to be a lot of “lean” in the melting fat, more like diced meat than cracklings. It’s going to be interesting to see how this ends up.
22/12/2009 at 2:24 am Permalink
I just looked up rendering lard and found your site. I had just made a big 10 lb canning pot of it on the stove and it stuck and burned on the bottom, and gosh does it ever stink up the house. Maybe a little l lb bit in a crock pot doesnt, but a big lot sure does. I cooked it for about 4 hours till most was melted, if I had cooked it down to cracklins it would have taken longer and had a even stronger smell. I did it a couple times before. Once I did a batch with water in the bottom to keep it from sticking and burning, but then as it got hot and bubbled the water started spitting, like when you drop water in hot fat. So I looked up this site now to see how the old timers did it? Havent found that yet, but the crock pot sounds good for a small batch and what about a smaller pan set in a larger pan of boiling water so it will melt but not burn.? My husband about left the house,it smelled so much and it was fresh fat from the butcher shop same day.Should it not come to a boil?
23/12/2009 at 11:45 am Permalink
Annie, I’ve read over your note several times, and I have three thoughts. First, you describe a 10 lb. “canning pot.” hmmm . . . Canning pots that I’m familiar with are fairly lightweight metal, designed for the water baths necessary in canning. It’s very possible that caused your problem with burning and sticking – a canning pot just isn’t heavy enough for hours of cooking. You may have better results if you use a heavier pot, or at least a pot with a good sturdy bottom, like a stock pot or a cast iron dutch oven, which is what I use.
A second possibility might be setting too high a heat. The fat doesn’t need to boil furiously, but it doesn’t need to be kept on “warm,” either. I use a medium low setting, just above a simmer, so the occasional bubble rises to the top. Again, a heavy pot is important.
The third possibility isn’t very nice, but although you got “fresh” fat trimmings from your butcher and rendered them the same day, it’s entirely possible that the shop had these scraps lying around for some time. Maybe they weren’t as fresh as you though. ick. That would explain the nasty smell, which is not at all typical of rendering. If anything, rendering produces a delicious meaty aroma.
Hope this helps – starrskitchen.com
Starr´s last blog ..Happy Healthy Holiday: Fat-Free Honey Spice Cookies
13/02/2010 at 11:34 pm Permalink
I did it! I just rendered my own tallow! All my friends think I’m officially crazy now! ha! I’m so excited to use it! How easy it was in the crockpot!
I got the suet for free, when we got a cow that we split with some friends. No one else wanted it, so lucky me! 
Thank you so much!
Kari´s last blog ..Too Young to Date?
14/02/2010 at 1:15 am Permalink
Yay Kari!
Good for you! Isn’t it liberating and fun?!
I agree, it is SO easy in the crockpot.
18/02/2010 at 7:41 pm Permalink
Been rendering fats for many years and it’s easier than getting up at night for a baby!
There shouldn’t be a bad smell, unless you have scraps of meat attached that have spoiled while you were saving to have enough for a full rendering.
Love the crockpot way of doing it. Used to render fats in a cast iron pot hanging on a tripod over a hardwood fire, switched up to a charcoal grill and, since, have dedicated both a garage sale crockpot and solar oven for my rendering. I feel less guilty with the solar oven because it doesn’t use up fossil fuels.
Nothing beats lard in piecrusts for flakiness and just plain yumminess! Nothing.
And, if you save all the fats from all the meats you eat, you can make candles and an Ivory-type soap with the hardness of French milled.
SharleneT´s last blog ..A Winter-Hearty Cabbage Soup with Braunsweiger Dumplings
13/03/2010 at 12:25 pm Permalink
Hi…this is so interesting to me. I rendered tallow yesterday; it turned out beautifully. Can anyone tell me how long it will keep? I want specifics, like 1 year, 6 months, 20 years, etc. A few websites that I found said “1 month in a cool place”, but I don’t believe the storage time is so short. Mostly, I find general info on shelf life, like “a long time”. Can anyone help?? Thanks.
PS I posted this on another website also…just trying to find someone who can answer this question!!
14/03/2010 at 8:14 pm Permalink
re. Debra, “Can anyone tell me how long it will keep? I want specifics, like 1 year, 6 months, 20 years, etc. . . . ”
I suspect you’re looking for an answer that isn’t out there. My research also turns up answers like, “indefinitely,” so it probably depends on the type and quality of the tallow, contaminants, container type, temperatures, maybe even the health of the animal and butchering methods! The main factor is that tallow will keep longer than other solid (natural) fats, and it will keep longer at cooler temperatures than at warmer temperatures. It is safe to use until it becomes rancid, and you’ll know it’s rancid by the smell.
Sorry this answer is not more specific, but some things in life just don’t accommodate our measurements. …starrskitchen.com
Starr´s last blog ..Someone Else’s Kitchen
15/03/2010 at 9:44 am Permalink
Thanks, Starr…yep…the answer probably isn’t out there. Like many of you, I have run into this so many times. With the internet, one has to have a lot of disernment; you can always find an answer but not necessarily a correct answer!!
Another question: I used tallow to pop popcorn and though it tasted great, it left a very definite greasy film in our mouths (not a big hit with the family). If it leaves such a film in our mouth, what about our insides? Doesn’t that cause a problem?
And one more question: What is the difference between tallow and suet? I read different definitions.
Thanks again
Debra
15/03/2010 at 1:15 pm Permalink
re. difference between tallow and suet: briefly, suet is raw whereas tallow has been rendered. Suet is raw hard fat from beef (cattle) or mutton (sheep.) The fat from different areas of the carcass has different qualities, and suet is the harder, whiter fat. Softer, darker colored fat goes rancid more quickly than suet. When ground or chopped fine, suet is used in baking. For example, old recipes for mincemeat call for suet. Interestingly, suet is also set out with seeds in wild bird feeders. . . . starrskitchen.com
Starr´s last blog ..Someone Else’s Kitchen
15/03/2010 at 1:20 pm Permalink
re. using tallow on popcorn, with a residual greasy mouth feel. ” If it leaves such a film in our mouth, what about our insides?”
I don’t think you need to worry about any greasy film from tallow on your insides. The digestive acids in our stomachs (much stronger than those in saliva) are more than sufficient to break down greasy tallow.
Having said that, I agree that tallow is too heavy and greasy to be palatable on popcorn. As long as you aren’t worried about saturated fat or lactose intolerance, I’d recommend good ol’ butter. … starrskitchen.com
Starr´s last blog ..Someone Else’s Kitchen
24/03/2010 at 12:58 pm Permalink
Help! I did my first batch of tallow and was so proud, then I used some. I used it to scramble some eggs and there was a very strong flavor that I did not enjoy. It tasted just like the house smelled while making the stuff! I thought I’d read somewhere that it wouldn’t have an overwhelming flavor…did I just mess up the batch? I did start it in my crock pot in large chunks because they were frozen. Then after about a day I chopped it up with scissors and let it continue on low till I thought it looked done. It’s been a while so I don’t remember any other details, I was nervous about using it…:) I’m worried that I’ll use it to fry something and it’ll make that taste funny too, I don’t like wasting food. Thanks for any help you can offer!
07/05/2010 at 1:42 pm Permalink
Dear Cheese Slave,
Thanks very much for this usefull information,I was experimenting to come close to Mcdonald’s fries, I already got hold of making them crispy, it took me about a week in the trial and error process, My French fries have got the looks but lack in taste as Mcdonald’s fires, after googling I found out that Mcdonald’s were using beef tallow as mentioned in your bolg, so I ended up here. This info is such a relief, because before I read this article of yours I was feeling guilty for poisoning people with fat with my recipe. I am from Pakistan , not sure if you know anyone from here,all the cattle are grass fed am I luck or what
,,just a question , How much tallow a pound of beef can yield, please answer , I appreciate.
Regards.
Muneer.
03/08/2010 at 5:49 pm Permalink
Woohoo! So glad to find this – now my family will officially think I’m nuts, but who cares!?! I’m gonna have the best tasting pies and fries in the world. We’re getting a side of grass-fed beef this weekend, and the butcher is throwing in the suet for free, since they would just throw it out anyway – bonus!
Sara´s last blog ..Putting Up
10/08/2010 at 7:34 pm Permalink
I used the oven method for beef tallow, but needed a temp. of 225. It helped at the beginning to half-freeze the suet & then pulse big chunks of it in the Cuisinart to break it up into fine pieces. To make it easy to access in the fridge once done I poured it in a shallow rectangular glass pyrex dish w/ cover. I also worried about how its thick greasiness would affect the bloodstream and am relieved to know it is healthy. Lastly, I added a wick to some tallow I poured into a small mason jar as it set up to test its viability as a candle, added some lavender oil, and after it hardened, I was very happy with how cleanly it burned.
18/08/2010 at 1:15 pm Permalink
Thanks for this tutorial, Ann Marie! I had the same question as Jill above, so thanks for answering her. I just made beef stock for the first time this week. I simmered it for about 30 hours, and followed the NT recipe. I am excited to start using it in soups and stews. I was wondering what I should do with the tallow and if it should be strained. Surprisingly, NT says to make pemmican with it or feed it to the birds!
Your blog has a wealth of information, and I find that when I have questions with NT, I can come here and someone has usually posted the answer somewhere. Thanks!