I bought a smallish (10.5 lbs), whole beef brisket to make some corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day but more on that later. I decided to break the brisket down into the flat and the point. There was about a pound and a half of mostly hard fat (not suet, which is found around the kidneys of the animal) that I did not want to just throw away. I could save it to grind for sausage or burgers. Instead, I decided to render it down so I could use it for cooking and baking.

I cut it into about 1 inch pieces and put it into a small saucepan over medium-low heat to render.

I let it go about 6 hours, stirring occasionally. I then strained it through a fine, mesh strainer. It was very clean and clear. Liquid gold!

Once it was at room temperature it had solidified. I ended up with about a cup and a half of the delicious food lube.

The tallow can be stored at room temperature for about a month if kept sealed and out of the sunlight. In the refrigerator, you can safely store it for several months and in the freezer for years! I am keeping mine in the fridge so I can scoop out a bit to use instead of oil for sauteing veggies. I will probably use some to make roux to thicken my gravy or stew. It would be great for making biscuits too…or pie crusts…or…you decide. Thanks for stopping by.

Meet Meat!