Rendering Tallow for Food and Fun

Fat that is rendered into tallow comes from cows, sheep, goats, deer, elk, and other ruminants.  (Lard is rendered from the fat of pigs; schmaltz is what we call rendered chicken fat.)

Now, the culinary uses of tallow will always trump the fun if oil and fat supplies are deemed insufficient for future needs.  Tallow is an excellent fat for sautéing vegetables, using as a butter substitute (definitely not my favorite), or making Yorkshire pudding.

However, if the tallow won’t be needed for food, other practical preparedness uses abound.  Candle making is one.  Keep in mind if you use your tallow for making candles, those candles have to be protected from rodents.  Colonials kept candles in a special container high on a wall to keep them from being eaten.  Soap making is another option. 

I loathe the idea of making candles or soap.  Both are so time-consuming to make (I get that some people enjoy the process, but I’m not one of them) and so cheap to buy and easy to store and won’t go bad even after 20 years. 

Some would put lotion in the same category as candles and soap.  Time-consuming.  Easy to buy.  Easy to store.  I’m with you there.  But…  I’ve had lotion go bad.  Sometimes it separates, gets a funky smell, I don’t know.  Something goes wrong and it just isn’t lotion.  So I like the idea of being able to make lotion bars.  I don’t need a container.  I don’t need preservatives, and they’re easy to make, as I posted about earlier this month.  I just need to render the fat and the rest is easy.  And fortunately, rendering the fat isn’t difficult, just a little time-consuming.  Even more fortunately, though time-consuming, it isn’t hands-on time. 

To render this fat:

·       Place the strips or chunks in a crockpot set on low.  (Alternatively, you can use a roaster pan in the oven set at 300°F.  This can also be done on a stove, but then you have to pay more attention to it.)

·       Add ½ cup water to keep the fat from sticking and burning before it starts melting.

·       Let the fat melt out.  This will take hours, and perhaps even overnight.

·       When the thermometer reaches 255°F, all the water will have been boiled off.  (The water must be completely removed, or else the tallow will spoil.)  Use a slotted spoon to remove the large bits—the cracklins*, and then strain the liquid through cheesecloth to remove all the little impurities.  (If you don’t have cheesecloth, use a fine wire mesh strainer.  Lacking either of those, the little bits will settle to the bottom where they can be scraped off later.)

·       For the longest shelf life, pour the boiling liquid into clean canning jars.  Wipe the rims and apply a lid and band.  The jars will seal as the tallow cools.  Alternatively, the tallow can also be kept in the refrigerator. 

*Any meaty bits can be saved and used as dog treats. 

When the tallow cools it should be nice and white.  If it is yellow, it’s because the fat got too hot and scorched.  It is still perfectly acceptable to use.   

Links to related posts:

DIY Lotion Bars  

Rendering Lard 

 2.15.24