How to Dry Render Tallow at Home

When I first began to render tallow myself, I was a little weirded out handling so much fat. I made the mistake of going ALL in. It was like 50 pounds the first time, so I recommend starting a little smaller your first go around. Honestly though, it is pretty cathartic, and you’ll have super soft hands to boot. Unfortunately, you are going to have to put in a little sweat equity, but it will pay dividends! Grab a friend and let me show you both how to make tallow from beef fat.

What is Rendering?

You’ve probably already rendered fat before. If you eat bacon, the leftover fat in the pan after you’ve cooked it is rendered fat- Congratulations! Rendering tallow is the same idea. It is the process of melting down solid animal fats into a liquid form. It can then be used for cooking, soap-making, conditioning leather, candle-making, and balms for your skin.

Wet Rendering vs Dry Rendering

There are two main methods to render tallow, they are wet or dry. I initially started with the wet-rendering method but quickly switched to the dry method as I found it easier and best for long-term storage.

To dry render you just melt down the fat at a low temperature (you have to watch it to make sure it doesn’t get too hot and scorch) without adding anything to it. This helps preserve the nutrient profile of the tallow. There is also less chance of mold because no water has been introduced.

Wet rendering involves adding water and/or salt to the fat while melting it to try to purify. The water prevents any risk of scorching but adds a slight risk of mold if not dried properly for storage. It’s most often used when an odorless and bright white tallow is needed.

Both methods are good choices, but I prefer the ease of dry rendering and trying to keep as many nutrients as possible intact. I find if I keep the temperature low on my dry render, the smell is super minimal. I also often infuse my tallow with herbs, so there is no beefy smell left in my tallow skincare products.

Where to Source Tallow for Rendering

Now, where do you get tallow, especially if you live in the suburbs like me? When we get our yearly quarter of beef we ask the processor to include the fat. This is a great option because technically you’ve already paid for the hanging weight, fat included. It does take some extra work as you have to chop, render, and store all of the fat.

There are also great options for buying pre-rendered tallow if this just isn’t for you. Some cattle farms have started selling their own rendered tallow, some butchers stock it, or there are also companies like FATWORKS or EPIC. If you are looking for lard, that comes from pigs.

Grass-fed or Not

Another thing to note is that some prefer to exclusively use tallow from grass-fed and grass-finished beef. I do not worry about the finishing, especially because we enjoy the taste of grain-finished beef best, but it is just my personal preference. It can also be tough to find grass-finished beef. You will get the same benefits either way, and the nutrient difference is likely to be minimal. We know the farmer and their practices, and we are comfortable with what they use.

Suet Vs Trim

I generally prefer to use kidney fat (suet) to render tallow as I often use it for skincare. Some people are totally fine with using trim fat (fat near the skin) or a combination of the two, but I find that the trim fat is too soft to handle at room temperature and prone to melting (think bacon fat), while suet is solid at room temperature. I do tend to use the trim fat for soap-making. You can ask the butcher or wherever you source your tallow which type of fat they have.

How to Render Tallow

Equipment:

• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Meat Grinder (optional, but very useful)
• Large Roasting Pan or Crockpot
• Ladle
• Mesh Sieve
• Cheesecloth
• Stainless Steel Bowls
• Aluminum Foil
• Paper Towels
• Storage Containers

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Process to Dry Render Tallow:

1. Cut fat to remove it from around the kidney if you acquired a whole lobe
2. Chop raw fat into small chunks and clean off ALL lingering meat, fascia tissue, or lymph nodes
3. Grind fat, or if you don’t have a grinder chop into tiny pieces
4. Place ground fat into a roaster pan (at about 150 degrees) or crockpot (on warm setting, NOT low) overnight or for 6-8 hours
5. Ladle golden liquid fat through a mesh sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth into a large bowl or bucket and let cool for an hour or two so it is almost room temperature
6. Cover with foil (leave a vent for hot air to escape) and place in fridge overnight
7. Remove tallow from bowl and place on paper towels to dry off any moisture and scrape off any meaty residue
8. Place clean and dry tallow back into the roaster pan at same temperature as before for a couple of hours to re-melt
9. Repeat steps 4-6 until you are happy with the cleanliness of the tallow (no brown or yellow residue should remain after hardened)
10. Melt down one final time in order to ladle tallow into storage containers

NOTES:

• I like to chop and grind my tallow in the evening so it can melt overnight and be ready to strain in the morning
• Grinding will help your tallow melt MUCH faster than having it chopped in small chunks
• Leaving any of meat or non-fat bits on may affect smell and water content
• Tallow will be yellow gold when liquid, but white when hardened
• Make sure you wash, clean, and dry the roasting pan or crockpot after you place tallow in the fridge because you will need it again the next day
• Tallow should be solid after refrigerating (if it is suet) and come out of the bowl in one piece
• Taking tallow out of bowls in one large piece might take a few tries, or you can use a knife to cut in half
• I usually melt my tallow a total of two times, and it is very clean after that, but it may take 3-4 times depending on how clean your fat was to begin
• Some people store their tallow in mason jars are room temperature or in the refrigerator. I prefer to use silicone molds and freeze mine in manageable blocks of 10-15 ounces
• The kidney is a great treat for your pets if you don’t plan to keep it for yourself
• Rendered trim fat alone will likely be “scoopable” and not solid- very similar to bacon fat
• If your tallow is brown, you have scorched it and may have rendered it at too high of a temperature. If this is the case, it may retain its beefy smell and is best used for cooking and not skincare or soap

Let Me Show You How to Render Tallow

Cut fat to remove it from around the kidney if you acquired a whole lobe. Chop raw fat into small chunks and clean off ALL lingering meat, fascia tissue, or lymph nodes. That stuff will stink up your tallow.

Grind fat, or if you don’t have a grinder chop into tiny pieces. Place ground fat into a roaster pan (at about 150 degrees) or crockpot (on warm setting, NOT low) overnight or for 6-8 hours.

Ladle golden liquid fat through a mesh sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth into a large bowl or bucket and let cool for an hour or two so it is almost room temperature. Cover with foil (leave a vent for hot air to escape) and place in fridge overnight.

Remove tallow from bowl and place on paper towels to dry off any moisture and scrape off any meaty residue. Place clean and dry tallow back into the roaster pan at same temperature as before for a couple of hours to re-melt. Repeat steps 4-6 until you are happy with the cleanliness of the tallow (no brown or yellow residue should remain after hardened).

Melt down one final time in order to ladle tallow into storage containers. Finished rendered tallow should look like a white or light yellow block of cheese. It should be a large and solid chunk if you used all or mostly suet fat. I can pop my “pucks” of tallow out of my stainless-steel bowl in either 1 whole piece or a couple of smaller ones.

See our posts on the different ways you make use tallow for skincare:

• How to Make Tallow Balm
• How to Make Tallow Soap
• Pumpkin Spice Tallow Lip Balm

Let us know if you have tried to render tallow at home!