Bright Idea #3,052: Rendering My Own Beef Tallow

Bowfin

New Member
We have a real old time butcher shop in a little town near where I live in Nebraska. I regularly trade them a dozen doughnuts for a box of dog bones for my coonhound. After watching one of the Townsend videos on colonial cooking, I told the butcher I would trade him another box of doughnuts for some kidney fat to make suet pudding and then render down the rest for bullet lube. He asked "How much do you want?" I said "Whatever there is on one steer." I was thinking how much can it be? Maybe five pounds, tops, right? When they called me, I dropped off the doughnuts and they brought me a large box with two pieces of kidney fat in it that were as big around as my leg and as long from hip to shin. After three nights, it is all ground and rendered, with ten quarts of beef tallow and three one gallon bags of suet. It was quite messy at first, but I'm glad now that it's over.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Set for life. How do you keep it from going rancid? Can it be canned?

I made some beef jerky from lean brisket once and froze most of it, unfortunately the fat turned rancid and pretty much ruined it. It was edible, but that's not saying much.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
How long does it keep? Doesn't go rancid?

What kind of coon dog ya got?
 

Bowfin

New Member
How long does it keep? Doesn't go rancid?

What kind of coon dog ya got?
Kidney fat has a quite different make up from the fat found on other parts of beef. it is firmer, almost like wax. If put up in clean sterilized jars and a lid tightly affixed, it should last several years if kept in a cool dry place.
My dog is a Running Walker Coonhound. I am afraid he isn't much of a hunter compared to the one that passed a year ago. He looks magnificent baying treed and could be put on the front cover of a hunting magazine if nobody knew he was one tree off from the coon... :)
 

Bowfin

New Member
Set for life. How do you keep it from going rancid? Can it be canned?

I made some beef jerky from lean brisket once and froze most of it, unfortunately the fat turned rancid and pretty much ruined it. It was edible, but that's not saying much.
The difference between kidney fat (also know as suet) and the fat found elsewhere is startingly different. Suet can almost be crumbled in your hand and is stiff and waxy. Think of it closer to a soft wax than lard or shortening.
 

creosote

Well-Known Member
I hope it lasts at least 8 years1523590518108618568598.jpg just don't leave it in the freezer to long. Or the one that shall not be mentioned might just make at least ten pounds disappear. :headbang:
I was going to use it for black powder.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
A Running Walker Coonhound, I've not heard of that. I have a Treeing Walker Coonhound. Does yours look like this? She's no hunter either, thinks she's a Treeing Walker Lap Hound.

Tizzie 08-03-12 015-3-9-small.jpg
 

Bowfin

New Member
"Running" Walker Coonhounds are (supposedly) somewhere in between Foxhounds and a regular Treeing Walker Coonhounds. My best dog would hunt coon at night and fox, rabbits and squirrel in the day. Some say this is heresy, but that dog knew the difference between day and night shift, with the exception that raccoons took precedence, day or night.bestdavidhoneycoon.jpg