It's easy to make Tallow – all you really need is time.
There are two ways to do it. One is wet rendering, where you heat the fat with water and, as the fat melts, the water slowly boils off. The other way is dry rendering. Where you simply put the fat in a pot and melt it in the oven or on a stove.
Wet rendering is more fiddly than dry rendering. So we’ll tell you how to do it the simpler way.
How to dry render fat and make Tallow
You'll need:
- Beef fat or Suet
- Large, heavy, stock pot with a lid – or a slow cooker
- Wide mouth storage containers (not plastic)
- Fine sieve, cheesecloth or coffee filters
Method
Trim
Trim the fat. You want only the fat – and nothing else.
Cool
Put the fat in the freezer for a while to cool down, but not freeze. That way it won't melt when you shred it.
Shred
Run the fat through a food processor till it's the consistency of mince. This makes it quicker to melt.
Melt
Put the minced fat in a heavy duty casserole (when you cover it make sure there's a big enough gap for the steam to escape). Then put it in an oven or on a stove. Set it to a low heat, 93°C or a bit below. And, whatever you do, never let it boil or it'll burn.
Wait
Be prepared for it to take up to 10 hours to fully render. And remember that fat is flammable.
Skim
As the fat melts the impurities will rise to the top. Scoop them off and bin them.
Filter
Filter the fat when it's melted. Pour it through a fine sieve, cheesecloth or coffee filter.
Set
Set the fat. Pour the filtered fat into clean – non-plastic – containers.
Store
Store at room temperature for up to 12 months or in a fridge for 12-18 months.