Meal
Ingredient
Occasion
Total Time
4-10 hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
4-10 hours
Rating
Beef tallow is a natural cooking fat and an incredible source of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K which support bone health and the immune system. Learn how to make tallow using all of the fat trimmings from meat, which would normally be thrown away, so you don’t have to rely on the store and spend unnecessary money. The process is quite simple!
Beef tallow is a natural cooking fat and an incredible source of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K which support bone health and the immune system. Learn how to make tallow using all of the fat trimmings from meat, which would normally be thrown away, so you don’t have to rely on the store and spend unnecessary money. The process is quite simple!
Directions
Step 1
Add fat trimmings (frozen is fine too) to a pot. If you have a lot of fat, you’ll need a large stockpot, but if you have a smaller amount, you can use a medium sized pot. Cover the fat with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Allow to simmer for hours, while keeping an eye.
Step 2
As water cooks off, you’ll need to add more water. Bring back to a boil and turn down temperature to low simmer again and allow to cook more. When the fat begins to turn brown and look crisp, it’s done. Depending on how much fat you have, this time will vary greatly. If the fat still looks fatty, it will need more time, so it’s important that you can an eye on the pot.
Step 3
If it becomes late in the evening and the fat still needs more time, turn the heat off, cover the pot and continue in the morning. When you wake up, bring to a boil, then turn back down to a simmer repeating the process from step 2.
Step 4
Once the fat has turned into crispy brown pieces and the water has cooked off, turn the heat off and allow to cool for a brief period. Take a large and tall stainless steel bowl, place a fine mesh strainer overtop, and then a fine dishcloth over the strainer. Pour the liquid tallow into the strainer to separate the liquid from the fat pieces. Pour the liquid tallow into a glass jar and allow to fully cool before placing in the refrigerator.
Tip #1
Save fat trimmings in a Ziplock bag each time you have them and freeze. Each time you have fat trimmings, just add them to the same bag and place back into the freezer. When you have an entire bag or 2, it’s time to make tallow!
Tip #2
Tallow will turn to an off-white color when it hardens in the fridge. The tallow can be stored at room temperature, although we prefer to store ours in the fridge and use for all of our cooking needs.
Tip #3
There is no exact time for how long it will take to make tallow, it’s really dependent on how much fat you have and how often you add more water. For us, it will take more than 1 day of cooking on the stove, although we use quite a bit of fat when we make our tallow.
Notes
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