Rendering Tallow
- 3 -5 lbs suet
- 2 -4 tablespoons salt
- water
- Cut or grind the suet into small pieces.
- You can either have your butcher grind it for you, or cut it into small pieces with a sharp knife.
- If you decide to use a food processor, use the knife-blade attachment, and be sure not to overload your food processor -- it will just make mess!
- Put your cut up suet into a pot with enough room to allow for expansion as the suet heats up.
- The suet should not fill more than half the pot.
- Add 2-4 inces of water.
- Add the salt.
- The salt will help separate impurities from the mixture.
- Set the pot of suet, salt and water over medium heat, and stir gently as it heats up.
- Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, watching constantly.
- (If this were to boil over, you could have a fire!)
- The goal is to liquify as much of the suet as possible.
- This melting process may take at least 30 minutes for 2-3 pounds of suet.
- If the water begins to boil away, add a little more, but be careful to avoid 'sputtering'.
- When most of the suet is dissolved, remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly and ladle the mixture through a sieve into a mold.
- (I use a large rectangular plastic storange container).
- Throw away the solids that remain in your sieve, or mix with some peanut butter and set this out for the birds.
- Place the container with the melted suet into your refrigerator overnight.
- As the mixture cools, the tallow will rise to the surface and solidify.
- Remove the mold from the fridge, and turn it upside down over your sink.
- Let any liquid drain away.
- Scrape off any gelatinous gunk off the bottom of the block of tallow and discard it.
- Your remaining tallow will be hard, firm, and either white or off-white.
- Scrape away any remaining debris.
- Refrigerate or freeze the tallow until ready to be used.
suet, water
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/rendering-tallow-152962 (may not work)