Beef tallow is a versatile, nutrient-rich fat used for generations in cooking and even skincare. Made from rendered beef fat, tallow has a high smoke point, rich flavor, and offers unique benefits that make it ideal for everything from frying to DIY personal care.
In this guide, we’ll take you through the steps of making beef tallow at home so you can enjoy its many uses, but we will focus on its cooking uses. Tallow is not hard to make, but it can be a better ingredient in the kitchen.
What is Beef Tallow?
“Tallow” is a fancy word for rendered fat. Beef tallow is beef fat that has been cooked, rendered, and its impurities removed. Often the process of making tallow is as simple as rendering fat over heat and filtering the fat oiled ( rendered) through some sort of filter to remove anything not “liquid”.
Tallow is liquid when hot and hardens much like butter when cold. This is why it is so versatile and can be used as both cooking oil and butter replacement in some recipes.
Beef tallow is rendered fat obtained from the suet of cattle, primarily from the fat around the kidneys and loins. Historically, it was commonly used in kitchens for its stable properties, delicious flavor, and long shelf life. Today, beef tallow is gaining popularity again as people have become more aware of the ingredients used in food, especially in traditional cooking, paleo, and keto diets.
Compared to other oils, beef tallow is more stable at high temperatures, making it perfect for frying and sautéing. It’s also packed with fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K2, which can support overall health when consumed and are beneficial for skincare applications. With its versatility and nutrient profile, beef tallow has become a natural and popular choice for cooking and beyond.
Making Beef Tallow
To make beef tallow we are going to gather beef fat into a pod, heat it until rendered, and then filter the rendered fat liquid ending with a clean oil, or “tallow”.
Making beef tallow is relatively simple. You are probably throwing away the main ingredients needed. Every time you trim a ribeye steak or trim a brisket, those trimmings can be used to make beef tallow.
What You’ll Need to Make Beef Tallow
- Quality Beef Fat: The most important ingredient is quality beef fat. Look for grass-fed beef fat, also known as suet, which can often be found at butcher shops or farmers’ markets. Grass-fed suet is considered the best choice due to its high nutritional value and cleaner flavor.
- Alternatively, you can use beef fat trimming you’ve saved from ribeyes and briskets.
- Equipment:
- Slow cooker, heavy-bottomed pot, or a cast iron skillet
- Sharp knife for trimming and cutting
- 100 % cotton Cheesecloth
- fine strainer for filtering impurities
- Clean glass jars with lids for storage
How to Make Beef Tallow at Home: The Steps
Step 1: Prepare the Beef Fat
- Trim Excess Meat: Begin by trimming any small bits of meat or connective tissue from the beef fat. This will help produce a cleaner, whiter tallow.
- Cut the Fat into Small Pieces: Using a sharp knife, cut the beef fat into small chunks to make the rendering process faster. For easier cutting, consider placing the fat in the freezer for 15-20 minutes beforehand.
Step 2: Render the Fat Slowly
Rendering is the process of melting the fat down to separate the pure tallow from any impurities. Here’s how to do it:
- Stovetop Method: Place the beef fat in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat or even hi-simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, but avoid turning up the heat, as this can burn the fat.
- Slow Cooker Method: If you prefer a hands-off approach, add the beef fat to a slow cooker, set it to the lowest setting, and cook for several hours until the fat fully melts. This method can take 5-8 hours but results in a cleaner tallow and less babysitting.
- Oven Method: Place the fat in an oven-safe dish and bake at 250°F (120°C) for 3-4 hours, checking occasionally.
Pro Tip: The key to making a high-quality beef tallow is patience. Keeping the temperature low helps achieve a pure, clean tallow without burning or discoloration.
Step 3: Strain and Store Your Beef Tallow
- Strain for Purity: Once the fat has fully melted and the cracklings (solid bits) have sunk to the bottom, carefully pour the liquid through a cheesecloth or fine strainer into a clean bowl. This removes any remaining impurities, leaving you with pure, golden tallow. You can even use coffee filters to get the cleanest liquid possible.
- Storage Tips: Pour the strained tallow into glass jars while it’s still liquid. At this point, the tallow is ready to be used. Once cooled, it will solidify and turn a creamy white. For extended storage, refrigerate or freeze your tallow.
Uses for Homemade Beef Tallow
Beef tallow is a fantastic multipurpose product. Here are some popular ways to use it:
- Cooking and Frying: With a high smoke point, tallow is ideal for deep frying, sautéing, or roasting. It adds a rich flavor that enhances many dishes. You can use beef tallow to make delicious recipes like Beef Bulgogi and roasted potatoes.
- Baking: Substitute it for butter or shortening in recipes to add a deeper flavor.
Benefits of Using Beef Tallow
Beef tallow is not just flavorful; it also offers some health benefits. Here are a few:
- Nutrient-Rich: Beef tallow is high in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, which support immune health, bone health, and skin rejuvenation.
- High Smoke Point: Perfect for high-heat cooking, tallow is less likely to oxidize than vegetable oils, making it a cleaner option.
- Combine beef tallow with natural, chemical-free seasonings from Stella On Fire Co. and you end up with tasteful, healthy, wholesome meals.
Conclusion
Making your own beef tallow at home is a rewarding process that provides a high-quality, versatile product you can use in countless ways. From high-heat cooking to skincare, beef tallow is a timeless fat with a wide array of uses. With a few simple steps, you can create a sustainable, natural fat source that will last for months and elevate your cooking and DIY projects. Give it a try and discover why beef tallow has been a beloved staple for generations!
