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How to Make Beef Tallow

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Beef tallow requires only one ingredient-beef fat.  This is the white part that you see on a steak or roast.  Most butchers will give it away or only charge a nominal fee.  The best fat is from grass-fed beef but it's hard to find.  

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It usually takes about four hours of cooking on low for the beef fat to give up the tallow for straining.  I usually strain it twice, once with a fine mesh metal strainer and then with an ultra-fine strainer or cheesecloth,  You do not want ANY bits of beef fat left in your tallow.  

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I usually strain my tallow into a jar, cover and refrigerate.  But it can also be "canned" to keep it on a shelf.  In this case, you would heat up your clean jars in the oven at about 225°F.  You would then pour in your hot, strained tallow, leaving about an inch headspace.  Clean the rim of the jars, then put on the lids and rings.  

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The tallow will become opaque and will be a shade of white.  If you canned your tallow, after opening a jar it will need to be refrigerated.

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How to Make Beef Tallow

 

You will need a large cooking pot, preferably heavy duty.  A pot with a thin bottom will not work.

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Ingredients

• 2 to 4 lbs beef fat, trimmed of any red meat (2 lbs will make                        approximately 1 pint of tallow)

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Instructions

1.   Place the fat in the pot; turn heat to medium-low.  Allow the fat to           simmer (not boil); lower the heat to low, stirring every 10 minutes in         the beginning, often scraping the bottom of the pot.

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2.  After an hour, you can stir and scrape the bottom of the pot every           30 minutes, making sure there are no stuck bits that would burn.

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3.  Continue cooking the fat until the remaining pieces of fat are                    brown and some are crispy.  There will be no more light colored or          fatty pieces left.

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4.  Using a spider or slotted ladle, lift the pieces of fat and place                     them in a bowl (not plastic).  Strain again over a bowl or large                     measuring cup using an ultra-fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth or a         coffee filter set over a larger strainer.  This step can be repeated if           you're not satisfied. 

 

5.  Let the tallow set for a minutes before slowly pouring into a clean           jar. Tallow can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3 months.

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