Anyone make beef tallow?

[RustyHaines]

I was watching a homesteader's YouTube channel and they rendered fat to make tallow. In their case it was moose fat but the same methods apply to beef tallow. I used tri-tip trimmings and heated it in an uncovered skillet over very low heat for about 5 hours then strained. Result was about one cup of crystal clear, rendered fat that when cooled made a beautiful cream colored tallow. I have since used it for "lubricant" for frying eggs, cooking pancakes, french toast, etc. I do not bake but I imagine it makes a great pie crust. Critical steps in the process are cutting the fat up very small and not ever letting the heat brown the fat.

Was curious to know if others make their own beef tallow and its uses.

[Texas Larry]

I rendered some brisket flat similarly to your method. Came out beautifully. Poured some of it into Ice cube trays and froze them. Very handy to toss on the griddle.

[Steve B]

+1 on the ice cube trays. Makes perfect portions.

[58limited]

Yes, I either freeze to use in sausage or ground meat or I render it; pork fat too - love good lard for baking. A local BBQ joint gave me a quart of smoked brisket tallow, potent but good in small doses.

[RustyHaines]

Oh my, a quart jar ! Holy smokes (pun intended)

[RustyHaines]

Texas Larry i assume frozen it will last almost forever, same with canned. I like the ice cube tray idea. Should have thought of that as my wife uses that method with her favorite cocktail juices. Perfect portions.

[58limited]

I do the ice cube trays for home made bouillon too. Just toss one or two in some soup or beans - Yum!

[scottranda]

I put all the fat trimmings into a crockpot for like 8-10 hours on low. Then strain into ice cube trays. I typically use it for searing steaks or high heat stir fry veggies.

[Mr. Bones]

Yup, I save an freeze excess beef fat, an acquire even more when I buy hangin beef, render it down, make me some tallow, an utilize it in my cookin, same as I do bacon grease / hog squeezins... ...

[Huskee]

Same. I use brisket trimmings, since packers typically have a LOT of trimmings. Fill ice cube trays, then put them in a ziploc in the freezer.

[Joetee]

I've been making it fresh every time I do a brisket. Just put all the fat in a foil pan and place it in the pit while smoking a brisket. After about 4 or 5 hours remove the pan. I have in the past strained and filleted and put in a jar.
I add some tallow to the brisket when wrapping.

[Rocinante]

I just made my first batch of tallow from a 15lb brisket a couple weeks back. Apparently, I have been missing out big time with this throughout the years.....

[Mr. Bones]

How have ya used it so far? I'm delighted to follow along, as ya explore this new territory...

'tis Good Stuff, been eatin it alla my life, an I'm still here, lol!!!

[Rocinante]

So far, I used it in the wrap for my brisket and for some home fries that were fantastic. I'm wondering how it would do in an omelette? Any ideas from ya would be much appreciated.

[Mr. Bones]

Like an omelette in any of a multitude of cooking / olive oils, crisco, shortenin, lard, bacon grease, etc... it'll jus be a different means of doin th same same, with it's own yummy taste.

[IowaGirl]

I render tallow as well as lard. Some tips for either --

Without getting super obsessive, it's good to trim out the worst of the bloody or meaty bits before rendering, so the rendered fat has the least possible odor. If you want, render the meaty/bloody bits separately and feed the scraps to your pups.

If you want the highest yield of tallow or lard, grind the raw fat, not just dice it up.

If you can smell a fatty smell after rendering, the fat has been heated too long or too hot.

Strain the tallow to remove every trace of not-fat impurities before the tallow is stored. If you don't, these impurities will allow mold to grow.

I use tallow and lard in cooking, but a far larger portion goes into my soap making hobby. Right now I'm making soap with about 10% tallow and 50% lard, but I'll use up to 20% tallow.

Tallow (and to a lesser extent lard) is also very nice for skin care products. I have added it to general-purpose body lotion and "working hands" balm. The key is to use tallow with low odor.

[JimLinebarger]

I take the scraps from NY Strip, ribeye, chuck roll and clod (if not grinding for burger) when I break them down for steaks, roasts and whatever. If needed, save some for burger but the rest goes for tallow. We have a mason jar of it next to the stove for sautéing veggies and/or for cooking leaner beef cuts. Also use it in my cast iron when cooking on my Weber or gasser.

[Canadiansmokesman]

I save all brisket/beef trimmings for tallow
.... Love it

[TheQuietOne]

We buy leaf lard from our farmer and save pork fat to render. I don't really buy large cuts of beef that need to be trimmed to make it worth saving so I buy beef tallow. If you want crispy fried potatoes, nothing works better than beef tallow.

[SheilaAnn]

IowaGirl great minds think alike! I also use tallow for body products. I have developed a face moisturizer and lip balm. Sometimes, the fat would be “too beefy” and I would have to wash it a couple times. I add essential oils to beef up (pun not intended, or maybe so LOL) the moisturizing components of the products. I have not tried soap yet.

[58limited]

Any time I trim meat - be it a steak, pork chop, roast, whatever - if I only get a small amount I go ahead and toss it into a cast iron skillet and turn the stove to the simmer setting. The rendered fat goes into the can by the stove with the bacon fat and the cracklins go to the dogs - the only human food they get. I want to get some kidney, pelvic, heart (KPH) beef fat to make suet, can't get any of the butcher shops here to get me any. When I ask for some they don't know what I mean.

I here Panhead John makes beet tallow.