Rendering Tallow

[Nhgrants]

How are you all rendering your tallow? Are you doing it a frying pan, in the oven or
Boiling it?

[Pukka Bundook]

NH Grants,

I've done it in a cast pan on top of the stove in the workshop.
Slow fire and don't fry it.  As it melts I'd pour it off until only the "cracklin" remained.
Boiling water works well, and the tallow floats to the top. When set it can be lifted off and re-melted to put into  jars.
Main thing with tallow, is don't get it too hot or it will spoil it.
Keeps for years. decades maybe.

PS, only render clean fat, not with meat and such  in it.

Good luck!
R.

[mossyhorn]

Is this deer tallow being rendered?

[Frank]

Crock pot.

[bob in the woods]

After the initial rendering, I redo the process in water, and the good stuff will harden on top while the water catches any impurities. Sometimes I'll do this purification a couple of times, since it really seems to get the salt out and the result is a beautiful white, pure tallow . I've got some that's years old , stored in round, metal cookie tins.

[Nhgrants]

Yes I refering to deer tallow for lube.

Thanks

[WadePatton]

It has been so long I completely forgot.  Have jars full from back then.

But this little trick comes to mind--once you get it fairly clean, or any time you process it in water and put into container (with a top) -invert the container while hot such that it cools "upside down".  The water migrates to the bottom (top).

Then. after it cools, open the containers and drain/evaporate the final bits of water away for long-term storage use of snow-white tallow. Store in mouse-proof containers.

[Scota4570]

Anyone ever try a pressure cooker? 

[Hungry Horse]

I have always used the boiling method, because it’s part of the process for making venison ribs eatable. The nice white tallow is an added bonus. I skim the tallow off the top of the parboiling water, and put in bowl and microwave it a little to cook out any extra moisture. Works great, no chance of burning it, and because it all done before the ribs get any direct heat, there are no chunks of anything in it.

  Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Double boiler is the general method for safe rendering of fats to produce the most OIL - less shortening/grease.

Also - fat from the inside, around the organs produces more oil as well. The oil is clear - grease is rendered with higher heat
than boiling & from the outside fat, producing more shortening.

The best pie crusts my wife every made, were with my bear grease patch lube, in Smithers, BC. That was almost all outside fat, rendered in a large can on a hot plate.

[Pukka Bundook]

Daryl,

French chefs would agree with you!
Best lard for pastry is from a bear.

[Daryl]

Tender, flakey and sweet.

[JohnnyFM]

Boiling is how I did it. Several times. The best “fat” is from around the kidneys and other internals. I tried to avoid any fat from meat (muscle) trimmings, not that there’s much of that anyhow.
I’ve got enough to last me awhile, however, if I were in the market today, I would order me some lamb tallow from US Wellness meats. Just do an internet search. IMO, lamb is very close to deer in taste and tallow.

[OldMtnMan]

I don't want to do it in my kitchen, so it's in a pot on a campfire. Bear fat mostly.

I'm done hunting for bear, so what I have is the end of it.

[Daryl]

I don't want to do it in my kitchen, so it's in a pot on a campfire. Bear fat mostly.

I'm done hunting for bear, so what I have is the end of it.

I don't hunt bears any more, either. Time to time I get a tag, just in case I see an 8'er - not likely to happen

& I don't hunt grizzlies.

[OldMtnMan]

I didn't hunt grizz either. All black bears around here.

I can never give up on elk. I love the meat too much.

[Pukka Bundook]

Elk yes, good meat, and one way of getting my own back on one of them for eating our bales!

Never gone looking for a grizzly bear.
Why?
Cause I never Lost one!

[J Henry]

 And the original posting was/is??RENDERING TALLOW.  Simmer in water, let it cool over night, skim off top layer of Tallow/fat,If it is not clear enough,do it again ,the crud will sink and with each processing,you get clearer but less of it. CAREFUL with rendered fat around your stove,Flash fires are fast and complete.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Along time ago, my neighbour across the street shot a huge black bear.  He asked me to skin it, and I told him I would, if I could have the fat.  I tried the oil out of the fat using a skillet and a camp stove, cooking very slowly and pouring it off all the while.  I got 14 guarts of oil from that one bear, but it wasn't oil...was a little cloudy and thickened into grease.  Still made wonderful patch lube and great shortening.

[thecapgunkid]

Pukka ca;;ed it way up top of the thread.  Low heat always worked and the tallow I got when I did it blended so smoothly with the Lanolin I mixed it with that I am still using the Dubbin on leather  since 1998.