Rendering you own cooking fat is easy!
Making lard and tallow at home isn't difficult at all, and will leave you with delicious fat that imparts an amazing flavor in your cooking.
We cannot stress enough that you need to be extremely careful when rendering fat, especially if you have a gas stove. Please use an extra large pot to prevent oil from getting onto the stove, and never transfer cooking oil while close to a heat source. In the event of a grease fire, NEVER try and extinguish with water. Turn off the heat and cover the flame with a pot lid or similar.
Lard and Tallow
Ingredients
Pork Leaf Lard
or
Beef Suet
Directions
Step 1
Grind your fat or chop into small pieces.
Step 2
Add one inch of water to the bottom of a large pot or rondeau. Then add your fat.
Step 3
Cook on low, mixing regularly and scraping the bottom of the pot. Continue until the fat renders and the lard is clear. Tallow will have a somewhat yellow hue and may remain slightly cloudy. Depending on the quantity of fat, this will take about 45 minutes.
Step 4
Turn off the heat and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove large pieces of solids that have settled to the bottom of the pot, then strain through a fine sieve.
Step 5
Allow to cool for an additional 30 minutes before transferring to jars or similar. If you are using plastic storage containers, make sure it's cool enough to not melt through.
Step 6
Store in the fridge for up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to a year.
