Tallow
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Beef suet trimmed, ground and rendered slowly in a stockpot or slow cooker, then strained into jars.
Ingredients
- Quality beef fat (suet) amount not given
- Equipment: large stock pot or slow cooker; clean glass jars (wide mouth preferred); cheesecloth or substitute
Equipment
- food processor
- stockpot
- fine sieve
- mason jars
Directions
- Chill the fat in the refrigerator overnight so it is cold and easier to work with.
- Cut into chunks and trim off any meat, blood, gristle, or debris.
- Run the cold fat through a food processor until it looks like ground meat (or chop it into small pieces).
- Put it in a slow cooker or stock pot and melt it on the lowest setting (LOW, not WARM; high would scorch it).
- Render for several hours (5 to 6 hours in a 6-quart crockpot), stirring now and then and watching for burning.
- It is done when the liquid at the bottom is clear and crispy bits float on top.
- Pour through cheesecloth, fabric, or a fine mesh strainer (setting a cloth inside a colander helps).
- Pour into clean glass jars, or into pans lined with parchment or waxed paper, and let it harden fully. Fat from beef breeds hardens creamy white; fat from dairy breeds hardens bright yellow.
- If you used pans, cut into bars once it is hard.
Notes
Refrigerate or freeze; it can last well over a year. Airtight (e.g. a mason jar on the counter) away from light and heat, it is shelf stable up to a year. Safety: hot fat burns badly; keep the heat low and let it cool a little before pouring into glass.