Tallow: Minimize Waste & Maximize Flavor

Tallow has been rising in popularity in recent years, not just as something to cook with, but also for candles and skincare products. While the latter two uses are neat ways to utilize it, here at The Sweet & Savory Classroom, we use it to cook with and build bolder flavors in our dishes in ways that complement, rather than overpower, the food with beef flavor.

Hello, it's Chef Ted with The Sweet & Savory Classroom. I hope some of you have been able to try making stocks since our last time together here. This time, I am back with another way to minimize waste and save you some money on your ingredients. Stock saved some of those veggie scraps, but now let's talk about meat, and more specifically, its fat.

So what is tallow? It is the rendering of the beef fat to melt it down. Impurities are removed, and then the product is cooled and stored, ready to be used for whatever purpose you have in mind. Now, if you do this with pork, you would have lard, and if done with chicken, you would have made schmaltz. The technique to make these are the same, but from here on out, I will just be using the term tallow and talking about beef fat. I'm glad on my last batch I took a bunch of pictures I can share with you all!

Now, the first thing we need is the fat. You can get it by cutting it off larger cuts or loins of beef, or by trimming steaks that have a larger fat cap and storing the trimmings in the freezer until you have enough to make a large batch. We break down whole loins here at the classroom, so when we purchase a beef tenderloin, we trim out the chain (an area of fat with some meat next to the main part of tenderloin) and keep the fat from that. From the strip loin, we keep some of the excess fat cap as well. While the cut is an investment up front, you can customize your steak sizes and almost always come out cheaper than buying pre-cut steaks. (Keep an eye out for some of our butchery classes to learn how to break down meats and take some goodies home!) You can also check with your butcher and see if they will sell you fat scraps and trimmings, and if you are really lucky, they may give them to you for free.

Once you have your desired amount of fat, the next thing is to find some time. Maybe when you make your next batch of stock, you can do this at the same time. Cut the fat into 1"–2" chunks to speed up the process. You should also pat the fat dry if it has a lot of condensation on it to minimize water, as it may cause your rendered fat to pop and splatter.  

Place the fat in a pot that gives you some room and put it on the lowest heat setting. We are going to begin the rendering process. Remember rendering is when we essentially melt the fat out of something so this will take time. We will start melting the fat, turning it into a liquid and leaving behind any bits of meat or connective tissue. You shouldn't hear sizzling; if you do, your pan is too hot. Every now and then, you can stir or flip some of the larger pieces over.

In the larger batches I do (around 12 cups of solid fat trimmings), it takes me about 3–4 hours on average to properly render as much as I can. As more liquid forms in the pan, you may hear small sizzles and pops as the little bit of water trapped in it cooks off.  

I run the fat through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the larger bits. I let the fat cool some, but not solidify. Then I get a large Cambro or metal bowl and fill it halfway with water. Make sure your fat has cooled a bit because hot oil and water are not friends. I pour the fat over the water, let it cool completely to room temperature, and place it in the fridge. The impurities that are denser than water will sink to the bottom of the bowl, and the impurities that are denser than the tallow will sink to the bottom of the tallow and float on the water's surface.  

Typically, the next day, I will take the solid tallow, pull it from the bowl, and scrape the bottom with a spoon to remove the bits stuck to it. Then I melt it slowly in a pan again and, once fully melted, do another water straining. This time, I whisk the tallow and water together just to make sure I pull as much as I can out of it. Once that has chilled again, I remove it and scrape the bottom with a spoon. At this point, your tallow should be pretty bright white in color.

We now want to remove as much water as possible. This will help the tallow store longer and prevent it from spoiling or going rancid. For the last time, melt the fat down, and I recommend using a wide, deep pan like a high-sided skillet. This part requires some caution. Do not let it get too hot and cause the water to pop, which could lead to a messy and potentially dangerous eruption of hot oil splashing everywhere. Also, do not use a lid, as it will trap the evaporating moisture and can cause an even larger eruption. (I learned both of these lessons the hard way while testing different methods and spent a lot of time cleaning.)  

You only need to get the oil above 212°F to boil out the remaining water. Now, take a high-heat spatula (I use a cupped spatula that can handle the oil), and you will see water bubbles forming on the bottom. You want to slide the spatula along the surface to break them loose and push them up and out. It is actually a little fun since you can feel them sizzle along the bottom as they break apart and evaporate.  

Once you can slide your spatula across the bottom and feel nothing, wait a few minutes and check again. After two or three tests with no water present, I take two quarter-sheet trays (your volume may vary) and line them with half-sheet parchment paper to form high walls and seal the corners so no tallow can leak into the pan. Pour the tallow into the lined trays, let it cool to room temperature, and place it in the refrigerator to become solid.

Once solid, cut it down to size and store it in an airtight container. A little bit of this goes a long way, so snap off small pieces and use them as your cooking fat.  Here is the first render on the right and the final wash on the left in the tray ready to break down.

As always, I hope this helps you on your own personal culinary journey of deepening your knowledge and skills at home. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

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