How to Render Suet (2024)

FAQs

How do you render suet? ›

To render suet: Chop the fat into small pieces or run it through a meat grinder. Be sure all traces of meat are removed. Heat the chopped fat on low until it is liquefied.

Just add enough water to coat the bottom of the pot. For a larger amount of fat, use more water and for smaller amounts, use less.

Suet is animal fat that has been rendered and then allowed to cool. One can purchase rendered plain suet cakes or chunks from a wild bird supply store. These cakes can be melted down and used in your recipe, but this option isn't the most economical.

Suet should be kept in the refrigerator and used within 5 days if fresh or portion it up using freezer bags where Suet will keep for 6 months frozen then use as needed. Storing Tallow is even easier. Tallow will solidify and keep at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a year and won't go rancid.

Step 3: Finish rendering.

The liquid fat will turn clear and no longer have a cloudy appearance. This is how we know it's done. Turn off the heat and let it cool on the stovetop before final handling.

Dry rendering involves heating the fat in the absence of water, while wet rendering involves boiling the fat multiple times in water and sometimes salt. Many companies today will refer to wet rendering their tallow as “purifying”. This is really just a fancy word for refining.

It is achieved by adding salt and water to the cooking vessel as the suet renders. This helps "impurities" sink to the bottom as the tallow cools, and is subsequently scraped off. Sometimes this process is repeated, often many times.

If the render is too wet, do not use it – discard and start again. As a guide for thickness you can nail wooden battens of the correct thickness vertically to the wall which also gives you a clean edge to work to. Using your steel float, start forcing the first layer of render on to the wall.

In general, no-melt suets contain less fat and greater quantities of flour, oats, cornmeal, or other absorbent components that will help bind the fat together without melting. A top no-melt suet recipe is: 2 cups quick or rolled oats.

What is the best fat for suet? ›

PEANUT BUTTER: Peanut butter is an excellent substitute for meat fat when creating homemade suet cakes. Wild birds LOVE peanut butter and it is also good for them! Peanut butter is packed with protein which will help keep wild birds warm and give them energy.

It's a good idea to take down suet feeders in warm weather. Raw or homemade suet should not be offered in the summer. Some suet manufacturers state that their blocks will withstand temps over 100 degrees without melting; however, these might nevertheless go rancid in short order if extreme high temperatures persist.

Shavings of suet incorporate into a mincemeat or pudding mixture much more readily. Shredding is an easy thing to do. The only critical bit is the angle at which you hold your knife. A cleaver-like implement is best for this job.

Beef suet uses

Suet is most famously used in British pies and savory puddings, but there are many ways to use suet: In dumplings. In any sort of savory suet pudding. For general frying because of its 400-degree smoke point.

While lard refers to any melted pig fat, suet refers specifically to the fat surrounding a cow's kidneys, says Serious Eats. This is most comparable to the pig-derived leaf lard, which is also made exclusively from kidney-encircling fat, but there are a few other key differences between suet and lard.

Instructions. After making bone broth, place the broth in a large pot or container and place in the fridge overnight or at least 5 hours. As the broth chills, the fat will float to the top and harden. Skim off the fat with a spoon or a spatula.