Now you might be thinking, “What is Tallow?” Tallow is an amazing alternative to oils that is made from rendered down fat. Tallow is naturally rich in Vitamins A, D, E and K. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and also helps you to absorb the nutrients from your food better.
Finding good Tallow at the store, you will easily pay 25-40 dollars based on how good of Tallow you are buying. In our house we like to make our own since we often buy Brisket and other cuts of meat that need lots of fat trimming.
The process is very simple and it can save you lots of money, as well as aid in better health. Let’s get started.
The Process:
First, you will need to trim off the fat from the Brisket. You can also go to your local butchers shop and purchase bags of fat that they have already trimmed.
Next, you will want to cut the fat into small enough pieces that they can easily render. No large chucks, approximately 1 inch “cubes” is best.
Now you can either render these in a smoker or the oven. We did ours in our smoker. Make sure the temp of either one is at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This is important because you don’t want to cook the fat, you just want to extract the Tallow out. Leave in the smoker or oven for 4-5 hours. You will know that it is done when the fat pieces are crisp with lots of liquid Tallow around them.
Remove from oven or smoker and strain. We did a double strain to get the impurities out of our tallow. First through a strainer and second through a paper towel. Cheesecloth works better then paper towels, but that is all we had at the time.
Let the Tallow cool and then place in your fridge. Your Tallow is now complete!
Tallow will last 12 months at room temperature, up to 18 months in the refrigerator and at least 2 years in the freezer. We love to cook large cuts of meat so we will make Tallow at least once a month and keep it in our food storage.
Use it to cook your meals, condition your cast iron, you can even use it to make candles! The list is endless! Give this a try and your body and wallet will thank you!
Cheers!