Fat - Tallow or Lard 

Beef fat! Beautifully rendered into a shelf stable semi-solid. And Pig fat even more precious.

~Process the fat through my meat grinder with single blade knife (not the double blade knife like a plus sign). This really speeds up the process and you get MUCH more fat from the pieces.

~Then I just heat it until the very small pieces are golden brown. I think the less you heat it, the less it will smell like meat.

~If you can't pour from a big pan:
When fat has rendered, put strainer into the melted fat and ladle the finished fat from inside the strainer into another pan.

~If you can just pour from your pan, pour through a strainer into another pan. Warm to 200-250* or a gentle simmer to drive off water and further clarify. It will likely be cloudy and become clear as it warms.

~Stir with a stainless steel flat bottomed turner often to prevent surface tension from building up and getting a splutter.

~Warm and simmer until no more bubbles come to the surface. And all noises cease. Then you have your cleanest tallow or lard.

~Warm jars in oven.

Scoop hot fat from the larger pot with stainless steel frothing pitcher. (Or pour if possible) Strain through a fine strainer into small pan. Warm again, 200-250* so jars will seal reliably and to ensure that all the water is driven off.

*Optionally you can do a final strain through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or diaper gauze type fabric. You may do this as you get to the bottom of the larger pan where there will be more solids.

Pour from this small pan through stainless steel jar funnel to keep all fat off the rim of the jar. Still wipe rim with hot rag and lid with warm lid. Screw ring just until jar turns when you hold lid with two fingers. You can call this 'finger tight'.

~I have not found the beef cracklins very tasty but I like pork cracklins.

~When making tallow from fat which has hardened on the top of beef broth bring to a simmer to boil out all the liquid. You will know it is gone when no more bubbles form.

~Ham fat trimmed from the ham, so folks won't throw it away, made really good yummy cooking fat! It melted very white and the cracklins were also very good in eggs.

Cookbook Home | About | Search