Beef tallow is back, and home cooks are rediscovering what their grandparents already knew. It is stable at high heat, it tastes incredible, and a little goes a long way.
Grass-fed local beef, the source of good tallow
Tallow is simply rendered beef fat, and quality tallow from grass-fed cattle is a world apart from industrial seed oils. Here is how to put it to work in your kitchen.
Why cook with tallow
Tallow has a high smoke point, which makes it ideal for searing and frying without burning or breaking down. It is a traditional animal fat with a clean, savory flavor that vegetable oils simply cannot match, and it adds a depth to food that people notice.
The best ways to use tallow
- Frying: the classic. Fries cooked in tallow come out shatteringly crisp and golden.
- Searing steak: a spoonful in a screaming-hot cast-iron pan builds an unreal crust.
- Roasting vegetables: toss potatoes or carrots in melted tallow before they hit the oven.
- Eggs: fry your morning eggs in a little tallow and you will not go back.
How to store beef tallow
Tallow keeps for months in a sealed jar in a cool, dark pantry, and even longer in the refrigerator. Always scoop out what you need with a clean, dry spoon to keep it from spoiling.
Start small
A little tallow goes a long way. A teaspoon is plenty to coat a pan, and one jar can cover a month of regular cooking.
Frequently asked questions
Does food taste like beef when cooked in tallow?
Not really. Tallow adds a subtle savory richness, not a strong beefy flavor. Most people just notice that the food tastes better.
Is beef tallow healthy?
Tallow is a traditional fat that is stable at high heat. Like any fat, use it in reasonable amounts as part of a balanced diet.
Quality starts with the source. Our beef tallow is rendered from grass-fed local beef, not industrial trimmings. Pair it with our pasture-raised ground beef or browse the full beef selection.
Rendering and reusing tallow
If you cook a lot of beef, you can render your own tallow from trimmings, but a jar of clean, ready-to-use grass-fed tallow saves you the trouble. After frying, you can strain and reuse tallow a few times as long as it still smells clean and has not darkened. Store it covered in a cool place between uses.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use tallow instead of butter or oil?
In most savory cooking, yes. Use it anywhere you would use oil for high-heat cooking, and in many places you would use butter for roasting and frying.
Does tallow go rancid?
Eventually, like any fat, but properly stored tallow lasts for many months thanks to its stability.
