How to Render Beef Tallow
Tallow is great to use for cooking, skin care and more. It has many health benefits and is rich in healthy fats and fat soluble vitamins.
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Equipment
- Large Stock Pot
- Crock Pot
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- 100% Cheesecloth Optional
- Mason Jars
Ingredients
- Beef fat trimmings
Instructions
- Trim all fat off of meat. Take care in removing as much as possible. It may be impossible to remove every bit of meat. Not to worry, it will be strained out later!
- Cut into 1 inch cubes. Cutting evenly ensures evenly rendering down.
- For Stock Pot: Place in stock pot. Depending on how big your batch is, it's best to only fill halfway. Place on medium-low and stir every 5-10 minutes. Low and Slow! Cubes should melt in approximately 30 mins to an hour, depending on how large of a batch you are preparing. Make sure to scrapy bottom with wooden spoon to prevent burning. Watch for any signs of boiling. We're going for a light simmer! Reduce heat if needed.
- For Crock Pot: Low and Slow! Toss the cubes into your crock pot on low and let it do its thing for 6-8 hours. Check in on it periodically and stir if needed.
- When is it done? There will be a crackling noise from the fat rendering down. Allow it to continue cooking until the crackling has all but stopped. You will notice crisp, lightly browned bits remaining and all white pieces should have reduced to yellow liquid gold. (Note: Allowing it to continue cooking after completely rendering could cause the tallow to burn.)
- Allow to cool slightly. Strain rendered fat. Prepare a bowl with course strainer on top of fine filter such as cheesecloth, coffee filter, or paper towel. Carefully pour through strainer into bowl, removing any crispy bits and impurities.
- Rendered Tallow can be used immediately for cooking or making other items, such as Whipped Body Butter. It can also be stored in sealed glass jar for later use. Cooled tallow will solidify and become a beautiful creamy white color.
- Storing your tallow is easy! It can be stored at room temperature, lasting over a year. You can also store in the fridge for longer shelf life or indefinitely in the freezer.