What Is Tallow? How to Make Beef Tallow

Tallow is the solidified, rendered fat of a sheep or cow. With a waxy texture similar to butter or coconut oil, room-temperature beef tallow is shelf-stable; it will keep unrefrigerated in an airtight container for months without spoiling. Due to its high smoke point and mild flavor, beef tallow complements high-heat cooking styles like deep-frying or sautéing.

Before the mid-twentieth century, tallow was one of the most popular home cooking oils, when vegetable oils like canola and olive oil became more common. Aside from its culinary uses, tallow historically had numerous functions in various industries, including soap making and skincare.

Lard and suet are similar to tallow, but the former comes from pork fat, and the latter comes from the fat clusters around beef, lamb, or mutton livers and hearts.

Beef tallow has zero carbohydrates, making it feasible for a low-carb or keto diet. When making it, prioritize grass-fed beef tallow for a more organic and healthy product.

A one-tablespoon serving of beef tallow contains 115 calories, thirteen grams of fat, almost six-and-a-half grams of saturated fat, and fourteen milligrams of cholesterol. It contains zero dietary fiber, sugar, and protein.

Additionally, tallow contains trace amounts of many fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin D and vitamin E), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), stearic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids that are beneficial for your skin.

Though most modern industries no longer use beef tallow, here are some of its historical applications—some of which are still in practice.

1. 1. Biodiesel fuel: Tallow is one of the main ingredients in biodiesel fuel, a renewable, clean-burning diesel fuel replacement made from animal fats or vegetable oils.
2. 2. Cooking oil: The high melting point of beef tallow makes it a popular cooking oil. Substitute beef tallow for vegetable oils, which are more unstable when heated due to their higher polyunsaturated fat content. Beef tallow is great for deep-frying french fries, sautéing veggies, or pan-searing your favorite meat. It’s also one of the primary ingredients in pemmican, a dish in North American Indigenous cuisine made from dried meat, tallow, and berries.
3. 3. Lubricant: In a pinch, you can use tallow as a lubricant on metal, wood, or leather items. Up until the 1950s, tallow functioned as a common lubricant for steam engines on trains and ships.
4. 4. Skincare: Tallow balm—which contains anti-inflammatory properties—was once a popular type of skin moisturizer since the skin absorbs it easily. Modern skincare companies refrain from using tallow for various reasons, including (but not limited to) its impurities and because it is not produced in a cruelty-free way.
5. 5. Soap making: You can find recipes for tallow soaps that date back almost 5,000 years ago, but today soap makers use synthetic ingredients instead of tallow.

Whether you’re experimenting with some classic recipes for the first time or simply want to learn how to make this novel cooking fat, follow this step-by-step guide to make your own tallow.

1. 1. Source your beef fat. Most grocery stores don’t sell tallow, so you’ll need to source some beef fat trimmings to make it. Cut the fat off of a fatty piece of beef, or ask your local butcher to sell you discarded beef trimmings. If possible, look for beef fat from grass-fed cows as it will be your healthiest option.
2. 2. Cut beef fat into small pieces. Use a sharp knife or food processor to cut your beef fat into small chunks. If you’re purchasing fat trimmings from your butcher, you’ll need to remove any meat still fixed to the fat.
3. 3. Place fat chunks into a large stockpot or multicooker. If you don’t have a large pot, use a slow cooker or a cast-iron Dutch oven.
4. 4. Render the fat. Simmer the fat in a pot on low heat for four hours, checking in on it periodically, and stirring every thirty to forty minutes. Small bubbles will form as the fat renders, but it should not boil, so reduce the heat if it does. Scrape your spatula or spoon on the bottom of the pan to prevent stuck chunks of fat from burning.
5. 5. Remove from the stovetop. Before removing your fat from the heat, check that the rendering process is complete. If all of the solid, white pieces of fat have liquefied, and all that remains are liquid and browned crispy cracklings, your tallow is done.
6. 6. Strain the liquid. Allow your tallow to cool for about five minutes, then strain the rendered beef fat into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer. To remove even smaller pieces, strain the tallow a second time using a coffee filter or cheesecloth.
7. 7. Store in a Mason jar or airtight glass container. If you don’t plan to immediately cook with the rendered tallow, pour it into a Mason jar or an airtight glass container for storage. Tallow will typically keep at room temperature for a few months before it turns rancid. Alternatively, store it in the refrigerator for up to a year.

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