How to Make Beef Tallow: 3 Best Ways

Confused about how to make beef tallow? Don’t want to pay $15 a jar? Tried rendering your own but it keeps coming out burnt, beefy-smelling, or tasting of singed cow?

Making your own beef tallow at home is a great way to save money and make sure that precious fat doesn’t go to waste. But if you don’t do it just right, your tallow can end up stinky, foul tasting, or what’s worse: burnt and carcinogenic.

When I first started rendering my own tallow, I couldn’t seem to get it right. But after experimenting with different rendering methods, I figured out which methods work best, and why.

In this post I’ll share my best rendering secrets with you, dear reader, so you too can make the white, neutral tasting tallow of your wildest dreams.

What is beef tallow?

Beef tallow is rendered beef fat. Its appearance is white or slightly yellowish white and it can range from solid to slightly liquid at room temperature, depending on the source of the fat from which it was made.

Tallow is basically the lard of the bovine world; where pork fat is used to make lard, beef fat is used to make tallow. What lard is to pigs, tallow is to cows.

The fat can come from different parts of the cow’s body, but traditionally the leaf fat from around the kidneys (known as beef suet) was mostly highly valued for tallow making.

What is rendering?

Rendering is the application of low heat to raw fat, which separates the fatty tissues from the pure fat. All animal fats can be rendered, and the result is referred to by different names depending what animal it came from.

What is tallow used for?

The most common way to use tallow is for cooking and frying, but it has many other traditional uses. In the past, it was also used in baking, soap making, candle making, cosmetics, and leather care. Tallow can also be eaten as a butter replacement.

Cooking & Frying

Because of its high smoke point, tallow is ideal for cooking and frying. In this way it is far superior to vegetable oils, since these polyunsaturated fats usually have a much lower smoke point and therefore lose stability and become toxic at high temperatures.

Historically, tallow, lard, and other animal fats were preferred cooking oils. This is still the case in many traditional cultures that exist today.

The Okinawans, for example, love and use lard in copious quantities in their cooking and traditional cuisine. (https://nourishedkitchen.com/hara-hachi-bu/)

You can also use beef tallow for deep frying french fries, pastries, twinkies, or anything else your hungry heart might desire.

For more information, see “How to Cook with Beef Tallow? in the FAQ below.

Eating

Tallow can also be eaten as is either in place of butter or as a substitute for coconut oil in fat bomb recipes (check out our Keto Carnivore Fat Bomb recipe that uses tallow as a base).

For more information, see “How to Eat Beef Tallow?” in the FAQ below.

Baking

Lard was traditionally the preferred fat in pie crust recipes since it gave the crust a delicious light, flaky texture. Tallow can also be used in baking as long as it is thoroughly purified so the flavor and smell are neutral.

If you’d like to bake up a tallow storm, check out our Carnivore Birthday Cake recipe. Purified tallow keeps this cake luscious & moist.

Delectable carnivore(ish) birthday cake with tallow frosting

Soap Making

Historically, soap was often made from lard and tallow. Only recently have plant oils become the most common base for commercially available soaps.

It seems to me this was probably the case because in animal fats were more widely available in large quantities. This was true especially in northern latitudes, since plant fats like olive or coconut oil were found exclusively in more temperate regions.

Candle Making

Candles were also most frequently manufactured from tallow for the same reasons as soaps.

Ruminant animals such as cows and sheep provided large quantities of readily available fat. This fat was then rendered and turned into soap and candles.

Beeswax was also used for candle making but was less abundant and therefore more expensive. As a result, beeswax candles were reserved for the wealthy, leaving most of the population to use tallow candles to light their homes, castles, or hovels (whatever the case might be).

Tallow is still as handy for candle making today as it was three hundred years ago. I’ve made my own tallow candles and found them to burn remarkably long and well with none of the chemicals and toxins found in industrial candles, and none of that nasty paraffin after-smell when you blow them out.

Body Care

Tallow has also been used by countless peoples throughout the ages to nourish and moisturize the skin. In fact, I may go so far as to claim that Tallow was the OG Avon.

After all, Neanderthals probably weren’t like, “Hey, Bob, come try my coconut oil moisturizer!” No way dude.

It was Wooly Mammoth Fat all the way in those days. They probably just smeared mammoth brain across their bulging biceps before traipsing off to their next hunt.

To make tallow lotion, just render some tallow. Next, rub it on your skin. The End. Really, it’s that simple.

You can even make a simple tallow deodorant by adding a few drops of essential oil and some baking soda.

If you want to buy some super high end, wildcrafted plant medicine infused buffalo tallow balm, check out my wondrous & skin-soothing Buffalo Balm.

Conditioning Leather

Tallow can soothe your insides and beautify your outsides. And it can even add shine and moisturizer to your favorite pair of leather shoes. Or your bridle, or your saddle, or your poodle’s favorite harness.

Yes, the list of potential, fantastic uses is truly endless.

Just apply some tallow to a leather-good of your choice and watch it smile as its color deepens and it breathes a sigh of moisturized relief.

Is Beef Tallow Healthy?

With all these fantastic, variegated, and nigh miraculous applications, you might be wondering whether or not this veritable manna is too good to be true.

Won’t it give you a heart attack? Clog your arteries? Induce unwanted chubbiness? Raise your LDL to the heavens?

Well the truth, my friends, is that these fears are unfounded.

In fact, beef tallow contains many vitamins and healthy fats that are important components of any healthy diet. It is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well beneficial fatty acids (source).

But one of tallow’s most outstanding health benefits is its ability to support mitochondrial function. Its stearic acid content increases cellular metabolism and energy production (source), making it a great food for those looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

Why do some people say beef tallow is unhealthy?

There are some in the world of science and nutrition who claim that beef tallow ought to be limited, mostly due to its relatively high levels of saturated fat and potential for raising LDL cholesterol.

These claims, however, are based on the cholesterol-heart hypothesis developed by Ancel Keys which has long since proven to be mostly unfounded (see Big Fat Suprise by Nina Teicholz).

Blaming LDL cholesterol for cardiovascular disease is like incriminating the firemen who show up at the scene of the fire (source). Oxidized LDL is actually a downstream co-effect of inflammation and cardiovascular disease rather than its cause.

To learn more, read Nina’s book, or check out the relevant chapters of the Carnivore Code by Paul Saladino.

3 Best Ways to Make Beef Tallow

As was mentioned above, beef tallow is made by rendering beef fat. There are however, three different methods with different pros, cons, and varying results.

What is the best way to render beef fat?

Of the three ways of rendering beef fat, the best depends on how you want to use the tallow.

For cooking, deep frying, and making cracklings, dry rendering or a combination of dry and wet are good choices. To make white, odorless tallow suitable for dessert recipes or skincare, wet rendering is the best choice.

What is dry rendering?

Dry rendering is a process in which low heat is applied to raw beef fat for extended periods of time. No water or other ingredients are used. The heat gradually separates the pure fat from the fatty tissues which encase it.

Dry rendering produces both cracklings and tallow. Cracklings are the cripsy and delicious, totally edible remnants of fatty tissues that remain once the rendering process is complete.

Dry rendering can be completed in the oven, on the stovetop, or in a slow cooker.

Advantages of DRY RENDERING

Produces cracklings
Easy and relatively simple

Disadvantages of Dry Rendering

Tallow can taste slightly to very strongly “beefy” or burnt tasting
Easy to burn
Hard to extract all the fat without burning tallow; inefficient
Less shelf stable due to tissue particulate remaining in tallow (this is the same reason for “beefy” or burnt taste)

What is wet rendering?

Wet rendering is the application of heat to raw fat through the medium of water with the purpose of making tallow. Water is combined with raw fat and salt and placed in a pot. The mixture is then heated and as a result the fat separates from the tissues.

Wet rendering can be done over low heat for long periods of time or over medium to high heat over shorter periods of time.

Because water mediates the transfer of heat, the temperature of the tallow remains constant either at or below 212 degrees fahrenheit (water’s boiling point).

Over short periods of time, this makes it less likely the tallow will burn. It also ensures that the fat is heated evenly, producing a more consistent and efficient result that is much less likely to burn.

Wet rendering, however, does not give you those crispy & delectable cracklings. If any tissue is left at all, it’s kinda nasty and wet and limp and most definitely inedible.

Advantages of Wet Rendering

Much less likely to burn
Foolproof; more consistent results
Tallow is pure and white in color
Tallow can be made odorless and neutral tasting (depending on how may rounds of purification are used)
More efficient; more of the fat is extracted in a usable form
Highly shelf stable due to purity and low levels of particulate

Disadvantages of Wet Rendering

More complicated
A bit more work
No cracklings
Potentially less shelf stable (prone to mold if not cured or dried properly)

My favorite way of rendering tallow? Guess. (Hint: I’m just not that into my carnivore birthday cake tasting like toasted cow…)

Ingredients & Notes

Beef Fat

Beef fat is basically the only ingredient you’ll need to make beef tallow (unless you’re wet rendering, in which case you’ll also need some water and salt).

Since toxins (like the glyphosate sprayed on conventional grains) tend to accumulate in fatty tissues, it’s important to source grass fed and grass finished beef fat, if possible.

There are two main kinds of beef fat: suet and body fat.

Each of these two kinds of fat will give your tallow different textures, as well as different nutritional contents and even applications. So it’s important to know the difference and how to tell them apart.

Can you use any beef fat for tallow?

You can use any beef fat for tallow, although traditionally the leaf fat from around the kidneys (also known as suet) was preferred. Due to its high saturated fat content, suet produces a hard white tallow that is highly shelf stable.

Body fat trimmings from other cuts (such as beef brisket) result in tallow of a softer, more liquid consistency.

What's the Difference Between Suet and Body Fat?

The difference between suet and body fat is that, whereas suet is taken from around the cow’s organs (especially the kydneys), body fat is trimmed from other places on the cow’s body, usually from the muscle.

It’s important to be able to tell the difference between these two different kinds of beef fat because the tallow they each produce has very different characteristics and even applications.

Suet

Suet tends to be highly saturated and quite hard; its texture is similar to that of a hard cheese. Suet naturally forms into large, oblong, solid chunks and is interlaced with a fine, tissue-like film.

Body Fat

Body fat, however, is usually cut into strips and is softer, wiggly, and interspersed with tough pieces of connective tissue. As in the photograph below, it sometimes comes with bits of red muscle meat still attached.

Body fat seems to have a higher percentage of short and medium chain fats and therefore has a texture very similar to that of butter at room temperature.

Suet v. Body Fat Tallow

In tallow making, the differences in lipid profile between these two kinds of fat translates to the finished product. Tallow made from suet is quite hard, very stable at room temperature, and is better for such things as candle making and high heat frying, since its smoke point is quite high.

Tallow made from body fat is loose and almost liquid at room temperature. It is totally unsuitable for something like candle making, but is great for conditioning leather or for those who have a hard time digesting very saturated fats (like me…don’t ask what suet tallow does to my digestive system).

Where can you find beef fat?

You can find beef fat most readily through your local butcher or meat market. Although it is not usually available at your average grocery store, beef fat can usually readily be found either at such meat-specific retailers or directly from local farmers and ranchers.

If all else fails, some online meat retailers often sell beef fat, but at higher prices.

These such sites as US Wellness Meats and White Oak Pastures. Both carry high quality, grass finished or regeneratively raised beef products, including suet.

If you’d like a better deal, however, look for a small mom n’ pop butcher shop in your area by searching “meat market [wherever you are]” or “butcher [wherever you are]”. Such businesses are usually happy to sell suet and body fat trimmings for much lower prices.

Whereas the sites listed above are charging around $7-$10 per pound for suet, I buy grassfed suet and body fat from my local meat market for $2-$3 dollars per pound.

You can also find a local farm or rancher and buy from them directly. Look at the listings in your area on www.eatwild.com to find ranchers and farmers near you or scout out a farmer’s market.

In my experience this is the best way to ensure your fat is of the highest quality. The ranchers I personally know and feel good about have the best and sweetest tasting beef, organs, and fat.

How much beef fat do you need to make tallow?

How much beef fat you need to make tallow depends on how much tallow you want to make. It’s generally best and most worth the effort not to render less than a pound. But there is no minimum and really no maximum amount of fat that is necessary.

That being said, rendering more than five or six pounds at a time can get kind of cumbersome, so as a general rule anywhere from 1-5 pounds of beef fat is best.

Sea Salt & Water

For dry rendering, the only required ingredient is beef fat.

For wet rendering, however, you will also need salt and water. Any salt will work, but I always use sea salt or rock salt, since I have concerns about the health impact about processed and refined commercial salts.

Rock salts will impart some minerals and therefore discoloration to the tallow. This is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your desired outcome, but should be noted.

Any water will do, but I always use filtered water. I’d rather not list chlorine and prescription residue as the last ingredient in my balms and lotions. No bueno.

Equipment

Equipment for All Three Methods

All three methods of rendering require the following equipment:

One large pot: dutch oven, crock pot or instant pot, or stock pot
Air-tight containers for storage: a glass mason jar is best
Meat grinder or food processor (optional): for processing suet or trimmings if purchased unground

Dry Rendering Equipment

In addition, the following equipment improves the outcome of dry rendering, though not absolutely necessary:

Stainless steel mesh strainer
Cheesecloth or coffee filter (optional): for use in straining the final product

Wet Rendering Equipment

Wet rendering requires the following additional equipment:

Sea salt: multiple tablespoons are required
Filtered water: anything but tap water will do
Stainless steel mesh strainer: large and fine mesh are best
Cheesecloth or coffee filter: preferably organic
Immersion blender (optional): can be used in place of a meat grinder or food processor if you purchased your suet unground

Directions & Tips

One: Grind or Chop Fat

Whether you dry or wet render, you will need to grind or chop the fat into small pieces before rendering.

If you buy from your local butcher, ask for ground suet or fat trimmings and this will save you the trouble of chopping them yourself.

If you can’t access pre-ground beef fat, freeze the fat then let it thaw slightly before chopping into small pieces. Or, if you have a meat grinder, you can grind it yourself.

Ground fat, however, does not produce big delectable chunks of cracklings. So keep it chunky it you’re aiming for some crackling action.

PRO TIPS:

If you’re wet rendering and want odorless tallow, cut off any meaty portions left on the fat. This is usually only an issue for body fat trimmings. This will ensure the tallow does not absorb a meaty aroma during the rendering process.
If possible, grind your fat. Ground fat renders more efficiently because smaller pieces have a greater ratio of surface area to volume. Heat therefore permeates and renders the fat more quickly with less likelihood of burning.

Two: Apply Heat

Next you’ll need to heat the fat. This is accomplished differently depending on what rendering method you choose.

Dry Rendering

If you’re dry rendering, place the fat in the bottom of a large pot, dutch oven, or slow cooker.

For stovetop rendering, place on low heat.
If you’re using a slow cooker, fill it with fat, cover, and turn on low.

Wet Rendering

If you’re wet rendering, place the fat in a stockpot on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.

Add a volume of water approximately equal to the volume of fat as well as about 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt per pound of fat.

If you’re using the stovetop, bring the water to a boil before quickly reducing to a slight simmer.
If you’re using a slow cooker, turn it on low.

PRO TIPS:

Wet rendering in a slow cooker is a fairly hands-off process but can take quite a long time (6-8 hours or more), whereas wet rendering on the stove top can be completed in 3-4 hours.
Wet rendering on the stovetop is the fastest and most efficient way to render tallow, hands down.
If you want to render with maximum speed and efficiency, use an immersion blender to blend the fat and water. This will reduce the time it takes to render the tallow to its absolute minimum. (This works for both slow cooker or stovetop rendering).

Hybrid Rendering

You can use a sneaky combination of dry and wet rendering in the oven to increase efficiency, reduce likelihood of burning, and keep your cracklings to boot.

Place the chopped fat in a dutch oven with a bit of water. Heat your oven to 200 or 250 degrees Fahrenheit, then place the dutch oven in the stove with the lid off.

Three: Monitor & Stir

Dry & Hybrid Rendering

With both of these methods, it’s important to check the tallow regularly (every thirty to forty-five minutes or so, especially at first) to stir and prevent sticking or burning.

The hybrid method is so sweet because it prevents sticking whilst the fat is beginning to render. Once some fat has rendered out and the remaining tissue is partially submerged, sticking and burning are less likely.

PRO TIP:

Although it will lengthen the total cook time, rendering at the lowest possible temperature setting for your oven (around 200 degrees on most ovens) will make the tallow less likely to stick or burn and yield the best tasting, least smelly tallow (for these methods).

Wet Rendering

Once you’ve got it down, wet rendering requires less babysitting than dry or hybrid rendering.

Oversight, however, is still necessary, as well as the occasional stir. It’s important to watch for the completion of the rendering process, which is signaled by the total separation of the fat from a cloudy layer of tissue beneath. More to come on how to tell when the tallow is finished.

Four: Remove From Heat & Strain

Dry & Hybrid Rendering

Once the bits of tissue have shriveled and become quite crinkly and browned (like the fat on a piece of well-cooked bacon), the tallow is done rendering and you can remove it from the heat.

At this point you can strain the liquid fat through a piece of cheesecloth placed over a stainless steel, fine mesh strainer.

Or, you can skip this step and simply pour the tallow directly into mason jars or other glass storage containers to cool and solidify.

PRO TIP:

For a less beefy-tasting tallow, be sure not to skip the straining.

Wet Rendering

The tallow is done rendering when the liquid fat has entirely separated from any bits of tissue. You’ll see a translucent layer of golden, liquid fat at the top of the stockpot.

Visible below it you’ll see a cloudy, brownish layer of cooked tissue. There should no or almost no tissue in the liquid fat whatsoever. If there is, continue to simmer until the tissue and fat have separated entirely.

When the tallow reaches this point (it usually takes around 3-4 hours), remove from heat and pour the water and liquid fat into a large, wide-mouthed bowl.

Allow it to cool in the refrigerator or freezer until the disk of fat at the top has become quite solid and white.

At this point, the water and tallow have entirely separated, and you can pop the tallow cake out of the bowl and pour off the water below.

Then flip the cake over and scrape any bits of tissue from the bottom of the cake (you can just pop them in the trash…or feed them to your dog). Continue until the bottom of the cake is as smooth and hard as the top.

IMPORTANT: Always be sure to remove excess water moisture from wet rendered tallow either by reheating and pouring the liquid fat off the pool of water beneath then either either open-air curing the tallow for a couple weeks or melting the tallow on very low heat until any remaining moisture has evaporated.

See HOW TO STORE BEEF TALLOW below for more information.

PRO TIPS:

IMPORTANT: It’s best to render beef body fat trimmings with some added suet. Because pure trimmings are so much less saturated than suet, they will not harden entirely in the refrigerator, making scraping difficult to impossible.
Wait until all the tissue has sunk to the bottom layer and the liquid tallow is entirely clear and translucent before removing from heat. If the process is ended prematurely, the tallow is more likely to contain impurities and therefore a beefy aroma.
Strain through a steel, fine-mesh strainer if you want extra pure tallow.

FIVE: PURIFY

Why Purify Beef Tallow?

The purpose of purifying beef tallow is to remove as many impurities and bits of tissue as possible to improve the tallow’s flavor, texture, aroma, and shelf life.

Minuscule bits of tissue can cause it to taste or smell beefy or burnt. This can be a non-issued when cooking or frying savory foods.

But if you’d like to make desserts or skincare, this is kind of a dealbreaker.

I for one don’t want my birthday cake tasting of overcooked hamburger, or my skincream making me smell like well-done skirt steak (then again, maybe some carnivore gals would see this as a perk).

These bits of tissue also affect the tallow’s texture, making it softer and grainier, which is of especial concern when rendering suet for candle-making or whenever a very hard, solid tallow is desired.

Finally, it’s possible these bits of tissue could render (pun intended) the tallow more prone to spoilage, especially when left unrefrigerated.

However, purification is totally optional when either dry or wet rendering. This is especially true when rendering tallow for cooking and frying.

How to Purify Beef Tallow

You can easily purify beef tallow by putting it through one or more rounds of wet rendering. In other words, place the tallow in a pot on the stovetop with water and a generous amount of salt.

Simmer the mixture for about an hour before allowing the tallow to cool, removing it from pot, and scraping any impurities from the bottom.

That’s it.

Once you’ve mastered the wet rendering process, purification is a breeze because all you have to do is put the tallow through one or more additional rounds of wet rendering.

PRO TIPS:

Strain the liquid tallow through a mesh strainer and cheesecloth for an ultra pure and odorless end product.
Make sure the tallow is totally cool and hard before trying to remove it from the bowl or the tallow will break apart and won’t be firm enough to scrape.

How to Store Beef Tallow

Storing Dry-Rendered Tallow

Store beef tallow by pouring the liquid tallow in an airtight container and letting it solidify. Glass mason jars are best, though plastic containers can also be used as long as the liquid tallow is not too hot.

Leave the tallow at room temperature on a countertop or shelf or place it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Storing Wet-Rendered Tallow

IMPORTANT: Before storing wet-rendered tallow, it’s important to remove as much water moisture as possible before placing it in sealed storage containers. Any remaining moisture can create an environment favorable for the growth of mold, so this is a step that musn’t be skipped.

Failure to do so could result in nuclear mold growth and tallow disaster (a bit of a hyperbole, but there ya go).

See HOW DO I CURE WET-RENDERED TALLOW? immediately below for instructions.

Once wet-rendered tallow has been cured, store it in glass or plastic containers. Once all remaining moisture is removed, wet-rendered tallow is safe and quite shelf stable and will can be refrigerated, frozen, or even left on the countertop.

How To Cure Wet-Rendered Tallow

Separate Fat from Water

First separate the remaining water from the fat by melting the tallow in a medium saucepan at very low heat. Then slowly and carefully begin to pour the liquid tallow into a glass or metal bowl.

Beneath the tallow you will begin to see a small pool of water. Continue to pour off the liquid fat while doing your best not to include any of the water below.

If you pour slowly enough, the water at the bottom of the saucepan should remain still and almost immobile while the fat streams off above.

It’s not possible to pour off all the fat without including some of the water below, so leave the whatever fat and water cannot be poured off at the bottom of the saucepan. You can use it for cooking or frying, but be sure not to pour into the bowl with the rest of the fat.

The bowl of fat will now be largely moisture free, and in my experience stores quite well as-is.

Complete the Curing Process Open-Air or Over Heat

If you’d like to be absolutely sure your tallow is moisture free, then either cure the tallow by leaving it in the open air or by putting it back on the heat to evaporate whatever moisture is left.

To cure the tallow open-air, let it solidify before cutting it into thin pieces. Then leave it in a large, shallow container covered only by cheesecloth for one to two weeks. This allows the tallow any remaining moisture to evaporate.

To complete this process on the stovetop, allow the tallow to liquify over very low heat. Let the tallow remain at low heat for an hour or so or until it begins to bubble gently. This signifies that all remaining moisture has evaporated.

How Long Does Beef Tallow Last?

Beef tallow is highly shelf stable and lasts for twelve months when stored on the counter in an airtight container. It lasts for up to eighteen months in the fridge, and at least two years, if not indefinitely, in the freezer.

Beef tallow will last even longer if it has been purified by two or three rounds of wet rendering. This is because purification eliminates much of the leftover particulate that contributes to oxidation.

How do you know if beef tallow is rancid?

You know beef tallow is rancid if it has an “off”, sour, or unpleasant aroma or has developed discoloration.

Tallow that’s still good may smell a bit like smoked beef but the scent will not be distasteful or sour. If the sour smell is accompanied by discoloration, it’s a sure sign your tallow has become rancid.

Troubleshooting

Why Isn't My Beef Tallow Solidifying?

This is actually not necessarily a problem, unless you’re dead set on super solid tallow. Liquid tallow is tallow too and tastes and works just fine.

(Although for candlemaking it is best to have a tallow that’s solid at room temperature, so if this is your goal, read on.)

There are two reasons why your tallow may not be not solidifying.

A. The first is that it’s not yet cool enough. In this case, place it in the fridge or freezer for thirty to forty minutes.

B. If it’s still not solid after some refrigeration, your tallow isn’t saturated enough to be solid at lower temperatures. This is probably because you made it from body fat or brisket fat rather than suet.

Usually only tallow made from suet is consistently solid at room temperature. If you really want solid tallow, use only pure suet and try again.

Why is My Tallow Burnt or Smelly?

There can be a few reasons why beef tallow can become smelly or burnt, though rendering at too high temperatures is the most common cause.

Other reasons for burnt beef tallow include rendering for too long, over boiling when wet rendering, or putting the tallow through too many rounds of purification.

DRY RENDERING

Burnt tallow seems to happen more frequently in dry rendering, although I’ve definitely managed to burn wet rendered tallow as well.

In dry rendering, burnt tallow is usually the result of rendering at temperatures that are too high. Such temperatures cause the fatty tissues to burn and impart their toasty flavor to the surrounding tallow. Nasty pants.

So the solution, unfortunately, is to toss the tallow and try again, making sure to keep temperatures as low as possible and render for a long time (although rendering for too long because you want to extract more fat from the cracklings can also result in a burnt flavor…it’s a fine balance).

WET RENDERING

In wet rendering, burnt tallow is usually the result of either overboiling or using too many rounds of purification.

Boiling too long and too hard can, in my experience, also result in burnt, off-smelling tallow. Keep an eye on the tallow as it boils and stop it immediately once the tissues are clearly separated from the fat.

There is really no need for more than three rounds of purification. More can and has resulted in oxidized/burnt tallow in my experience.

FAQ's

Beef tallow vs lard: what's the difference?

The only difference between beef tallow and lard is what animal the fat came from. Beef tallow is lard from cows. The rendering process in both cases is exactly the same.

How long does it take to make tallow?

The time it takes to make tallow depends on what method you use. Since dry rendering happens at low temperatures over long periods of time it can take up to twelve hours. Wet rendering, however, can be completed in three to four hours.

Why is my beef tallow grainy?

If your beef tallow comes out grainy this could be for a couple reasons. First, if you used body fat trimmings, tallow made from this kind of fat has a softer, grainier texture than pure suet tallow.

Or, if you wet rendered your tallow, it’s also possible that there is still water in the fat causing it to separate and stay grainy.

In this case try curing the tallow (see HOW DO I CURE WET-RENDERED TALLOW? above for directions).

Tallow-Based Recipes

Made yourself some luscious tallow and ready to take it on the culinary road? Try these recipes and show your taste buds some tallow good times:

Try our famous Carnivore Birthday Cake, complete with tallow frosting!
Whip up some super quick, ultra dank keto Carnivore Fat Bombs