Many cuts of beef have large, obvious fat caps, usually around the edge, even though they are not as fatty as pork. These thick trimmings are especially common on cuts of roast like brisket. Many individuals view these as waste that must be “dealt with” when preparing a meal, either by cutting it off in advance or by making sure the drippings and fat come off after cooking and are thrown away.
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When a customer inquired about it, which I had been wanting to do for some time, I decided to go ahead and make it a Sunday project. Even though it sounds fancy and really like something a pioneer woman would do, rendering tallow was very simple.
Beef tallow is stable at high temperatures (420F smoke point), making it safer for frying, less likely to burn, and more flavorful than vegetable oils, which oxidize at high temperatures and release free radicals that contribute to the breakdown of cells and tissues in our bodies.
Tallow has a variety of uses besides cooking, including skin salve, making candles and soap, conditioning leather, and baking pies, cakes, and pastries.
You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to make tallow, no matter how you decide to use it. Enjoy!.
Raw Beef Fat, cut into 1/4″ chunks for easier processing/blending.
Pulverized fat in the slow cooker
Melted fat after about 6 hours in the slow cooker.
Straining tallow into a bowl
Golden Tallow and my thumb.
- 2-3lbs High Quality Beef Fat (get it here)
- Slow cooker or large stock pot
- An item resembling cheesecloth, such as muslin, a tea towel, or even a pillowcase
- Food processor or blender
- Mason jars or another container to store tallow
- Prior to preparation, allow fat to soften for about an hour in the refrigerator or at room temperature. This will make it easier to handle.
- If any meat or vessels on fat, trim it off. Cut fat into 1/4″ pieces. A cellophane-like wrapping can be seen at the seams and around the fat. Get as much of this off as you can.
- Put fat in a food processor or blender and blend until it resembles ground beef. I discovered that it was simpler to pulverize in small batches of 1/2 cup when using a blender.
- Place over VERY low heat in a slow cooker, Dutch oven, or stock pot to prevent burning. When I was certain there was no chance of it burning, I put mine in a slow cooker on the Warm setting and then increased the heat to the Low setting.
- In your cooker, let the fat melt until the impurities float to the top and there is a lot of golden liquid. The impurities will look like little golden chunks. This will probably take 5-7 hours.
- Spoon the fat mixture through cheesecloth into a bowl or directly into a glass storage container, taking great care because the fat will be extremely hot. To ensure that all of the tallow is removed from the impurities, let the impurities sit on top and drain for a few minutes. **Strain into a flat storage container so that it can be cut into bars once it has cooled if you prefer your tallow to be in block form like sticks of butter.
- Let the tallow cool to room temperature. It will turn a creamy white as it cools.
- Tallow can be kept at room temperature for a few weeks, but I’m keeping mine in the fridge so I can use it right away, and the other jar is in the freezer so I can keep it for a while.
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INCREDIBLE Homemade Beef Tallow!! || Stop Wasting your Trimmings!
FAQ
Can you eat beef fat trimmings?
You can consume it, render it down, or just use pieces of suet to melt on a pan to give your favorite ingredients a grass-fed beef flavor. Additionally, it can be used to add flavor and depth to soups and stews.