Dont throw out your beef trimmings from that brisket or prime rib, turn it into beef tallow otherwise known as liquid gold.
Every time you trim a large cut of beef you are left with those big hunks of hard white fat. Silly people might just throw that in the trash but you know better…Right?
Take that fat and render it down into natures perfect cooking companion, Beef Tallow.
All you need is a pot with some water, salt, beef trimmings and a bit of patience and you will never have to buy that overpriced tallow from specialty stores again.
Beef tallow has been the fat of choice for thousands of years, perfect for searing steaks, making omelets or frying the best French fries the world has ever tasted.
BONUS: Tallow is made with just 3 ingredients and it is super easy to make!
Looking for recipes you can make with beef tallow, check out some of my favorites like BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders, Pellet Grill Smoked Chicken Legs, and Smoked Corned Beef: Pellet Grill Recipe.
Before Making Beef Tallow – What exactly is it?
Tallow is the rendered fat of an animal, most commonly from cow fat. To make Beef Tallow, you have to gently render the fat as it rests in a pot over low heat.
Tallow is very similar to lard in terms of texture, although it is very different in terms of flavor and appearance.
The following Beef Tallow recipe is a perfect introduction to this age-old way of making good use of some of the leftovers from cooking meat.
It is actually really easy to make Beef Tallow at home. You just need to follow these simple steps, wait a couple of hours, and enjoy a healthy, old-fashioned form of fat made with only one main ingredient!
Benefits of Making Beef Tallow at home
Beef Tallow is a highly nutrient-dense fat that contains a whole range of vitamins and minerals including,
- Vitamins A, B1, D, E and K
- Selenium and Choline
Beef Tallow is known to reduce inflammation in the body, as well as being full of essential fatty acids which are great for brain function.
Ingredients you’ll need to make Beef Tallow
Beef Fat Trimmings: To make beef tallow, you will need 2.5 Pounds of Beef Fat Trimmings.
You can ask your Butcher to select the fat trimmings that they have removed from various cuts of beef, for example from a roast.
Or, you can use your own leftover trimmings after cooking a roast dinner or a large quantity of meat.
You will need to cut the fat trimmings into small pieces or cubes, about one inch in size.
Water: ½ Cup of Water
Salt: 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
How to Make Beef Tallow
Prepare the Beef Trimmings
The first thing you will want to do is place the small cubes of beef trimmings into a food mixer or processor. Use the pulse setting to finely chop the trimmings, before transferring over into a Cast Iron pot on the stove or Dutch oven.
Repeat the process until all of the Beef Trimmings have been chopped. You can also do this yourself using a knife, or alternatively, ask your Butcher to chop the trimmings for you.
Transferring the Beef Trimmings to Cook
Begin to bring ½ pot of water to simmer over medium heat, stirring every few minutes.
After 10-15 minutes, the meat trimmings will start to appear gray. Continue to stir. The temperature to render the trimmings into tallow is crucial. Ensure that the trimmings don´t stick to the bottom of the pan.
After 30-45, minutes, the beef trimmings will now be a dark brown color and the water should have all evaporated. Once the beef has turned a dark brown color, use a slotted spoon to scoop out all of the beef and spread it out onto a paper towel. Season with Kosher salt.
You can now pour the remaining yellow fat liquid through a strainer and then through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. It is important that the fat should be completely clear.
Storing the Tallow Mixture
Pour your Yellow Tallow mixture into a Sanitised Mason Jar. Refrigerate.
Tallow will keep in the refrigerator for a long time. Up to a year! Ideally, you can freeze the tallow to be used at a later date.
How to use after Rendering Beef Tallow
Beef Tallow is excellent for cooking at high temperatures as the smoking point of tallow is 420 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some of the best ways to use Tallow are:
- Deep frying, for example fried chicken or french fries
- Coating raw vegetables and potatoes before roasting in an oven dish
- Yorkshire puddings
- Pan cooking vegetables
Beef Tallow is incredibly versatile in a range of dishes as well. Use as a substitute for cooking oil.
Is Beef Tallow Healthier than Butter?
Beef Tallow is reported to have many health benefits and is therefore superior to butter in this regard.
As mentioned above, Tallow provides many essential vitamins and minerals as well as saturated and monounsaturated fats.
Tallow contains about 40% to 50% monounsaturated fats, which are the most heart-healthy fats in our diets.
How to store rendered Beef Tallow
How long does Beef Tallow last?
Beef Tallow will keep for a long time if properly stored. You can keep Tallow in the refrigerator for up to one year.
The best way to store tallow is to keep it in the freezer and use it as you require.
If your Beef Tallow starts to develop an unpleasant smell, you should discard it.
More Recipes You Will Love
Rendering Beef Tallow at Home
Equipment
- cast iron pot
- Food Processor
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds Beef Fat Trimmings
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In batches take cold bee trimmings and place them in a food processor. Pulse until chopped into small even pieces then transfer to cast Iron pot or dutch oven. Repeat until all the beef trimmings are chopped. If you don't have a food processor you can do this with a knife
- Once all the trimmings are chopped and in the pot add about a ½ cup of water and begin to simmer over medium heat stirring every few minutes.
- after about 10-15 minutes the meat will begin to look gray. Continue stirring and making sure the trimmings don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- After about 30-45 minutes the beef trimmings should be dark brown and all of the water should be evaporated. You should see fewer and fewer bubbles as the beef darkens.
- Once the beef is dark but not burned use a slotted spoon to scoop out all the beef bits and spread them out on a paper towel. season with kosher salt.
- Pour the remaining fat through a fine-mesh strainer and then through a cheesecloth or coffee filter so that the oil is completely clear. Pour into a sanitized mason jar with a lid and and refridgerate.
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