How to Render Beef Tallow

• Meat

  • 1 Beef, Quality grass fed

• Tools & Equipment

  • 1 Clean glass jars

• Other

  • Cheesecloth or improvised cheesecloth alternative
  • Large stock pot OR slow cooker

Found on theprairiehomestead.com

Description

Ingredients

• Quality grass fed beef fat (suet)- any beef fat can be rendered into tallow, but leaf fat, which lies around the kidneys, is best
• Large stock pot OR slow cooker
• Clean glass jars for storage (wide mouth)
• Cheesecloth or improvised cheesecloth alternative
• Time...

Directions

• If butchering animal yourself, find leaf fat in a big mass around kidneys-it has a cellophane-ish coating on it and feels kind of waxy
• Remove from carcass and put in a bucket to refrigerate until the next day because cold fat is MUCH easier to handle
• Dry rendering (no water) Beef Tallow:
• Trim beef fat
• Chop it into manageable chunks, then trim off bits of meat, blood, gristle, and whatever else you may find including the cellophane wrapping around the leaf fat
• Once trimmed, run fat through the food processor (MUCH easier when cold!) until its the consistency of ground meat (If you dont have a processor, just chop fat into small pieces)
• Dump shredded fat into a large stockpot or slow cooker for several hours and use very low heat to begin melting
• Check fat and stir occasionally to make sure its not burning
• As fat renders, it slowly melts allowingimpurities to rise to the top
• Its done where theres clear liquid at the bottom and crispy bits floating on top
• Strain tallow through a piece of cheesecloth or fabric to remove all the floaties (you may want to place your cheesecloth inside a colander to make straining easier)
• Pour into jars and allow to harden and cool at room temperature
• Tallow can stay at room temperature for a week or so, but refrigerate or freeze if storing longer (should last several months to a year in freezer)
• Use tallow for frying french fries, in pastries, and other recipes that call for shortening