Recently had the opportunity to purchase a couple of prime ribeyes. I cut into steaks and trimmed. I have a fair amount of beef fat I’d like to render for later uses and wondering best way to accomplish this and store it when I’m done. Instapot, stove top, other?
Thus far, I jus break it down to smaller chunks, an sorta low simmer it, cracked lid, on th stovetop...mmmmmm, smells so good!
Ain't tried doin it in my IP, yet...
Got some (~10-ish lbs.) tallow from my last Angus purchase, might haveta give th IP a try, see how that goes...
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I use a crockpot. I've done the low simmer on the stovetop and burned it, I guess I'm not as talented as Mr. Bones . With the crockpot on low I've never had it burn, comes out pure white every time.
Ha ha! Yes, forgot to do the temp translation. Either way, it's real easy, no mess, but you still get that wonderful beef love flavor lingering in your house. Good times!
I render lard and tallow mostly for soap making, but it is fine for cooking too.
If you want the highest yield, the fat must be ground to really break up the fat structure. Otherwise, mince or chop the fat as finely as your patience and knife skills will allow.
The least hassle and lowest odor method is to render in a crock pot at 180 F / 80 C, but stovetop and oven also work. Stovetop is the easiest way to screw up if you don't stick with it 100%, so I stick to the oven for large quantities or the crock pot for smaller amounts. If you overheat the fat, it will discolor and develop an odor, so it's best to keep the temperature as low as is reasonable if you want the highest quality rendered fat.
Skim off the liquid fat as it accumulates, so it's exposed to heat for as short a time as possible.
Strain the fat to remove any specks of non-fat material -- collagen, blood flecks, etc. Otherwise nasty moldy bits may develop.
There's water naturally present in fat, so I leave the lid off the pot during rendering so water can evaporate. Also it's important to remove all traces of water from the fat, especially for long-term storage. Some people will reheat the rendered fat so it gets above boiling temp (212 F / 100 C) and wait until the crackling sounds disappear. The sounds are created as traces of water turns into steam. Other people will let the fat solidify in a container that has tapered sides, remove the solidified fat from its container, and scrape off any odd bits on the bottom that will be the water and water-based contaminants.
I sometimes put the hot fat in clean canning jars and seal with regular canning jar lids. I normally store rendered fat in the fridge or freezer, but some people store the jars at room temperature. An alternative to jars is to use small plastic buckets with snap lids and tapered sides -- buckets that will hold 4-5 lb / 1.8-2.3 kg of fat. It's easier to remove large quantities of fats from buckets like this.
If you want to store rendered fat at room temperature for a long time, put the fat in a canning jar when the fat is 180 F / 80 C or hotter, seal the jar, and turn the jar upside down for several minutes to sanitize the headspace and lid. Turn the hot jar rightside up and let cool. Do not open the jar until the time you are ready to use the fat.
Another option for long term storage is to add an antioxidant, such as rosemary oleoresin (ROE). I use ROE at 0.05% of the total fat weight. Not everyone does this, but it can help to extend the shelf life.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
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I slow simmer in the skillet. Takes about 30-45 min on low heat. Feed the crispy bits to the animals and pour the liquid into ice cube trays. Then once they set up, into a ziploc they go!
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