Rendering Fats?

tortoise

Wild Hare
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
15,360
Points
397
Location
USDA Zone 3b/4a
Wait... I found some specks. Miniscule and very few... but still specks.

(I'd still cook with it) But if I was all proud of myself giving a jar to my future-mother-in-law... I would want it better. Next batch...

I think I'll go ahead and use it for soap. And then deal with the next bath more carefully - and with the boiling. Next time it's going into jars - at least 2 jars for gifts. One to my future-MIL and another to the neighbor that brought me the fat. :)
 

me&thegals

A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
3,806
Reaction score
9
Points
163
Location
central WI
Out of curiosity, what does your MIL use it for? I feel like I have too much just for soap, especially since mine will be only about 35% tallow, and would like to find other uses for it. Maybe pie crust?
 

me&thegals

A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
3,806
Reaction score
9
Points
163
Location
central WI
I'll have to try this. Maybe in our cabbage-potato-onion-garlic-carrot stir fries of fall and winter. Hmmmm...
 

tortoise

Wild Hare
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
15,360
Points
397
Location
USDA Zone 3b/4a
I sniffed the top and bottom side. The bottom "bits" side smells more than the other.

So walk mt through the boiling. How much water do I use? I let it boil and stir in the fat? And keep stirring? And in theory the bits fall to the bottom and the fat floats? So when I'm done (how long does it take?) I let it cool and lift the fat off the top?
 

Farmfresh

City Biddy
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
8,841
Reaction score
80
Points
310
Location
Missouri USA
Sounds like you understand it perfectly.

You just want a deep pot and enough water to allow the "bits" to fall away from the fats. You just need to boil it enough to make sure all of the fat is liquid. Then cool and skim the fat off the top.

I actually leave MORE "bits" if I am using it for cooking. I like the bits, they seem to add some flavor. ;)
 

tortoise

Wild Hare
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
15,360
Points
397
Location
USDA Zone 3b/4a
OK, good. OMG, my fiance was like "you did cook this right?" :barnie I am so frustrated. He is in the "paranoid" level of food safety.

I cook it ALL DAY in a crockpot and then BOILED it. Yes, I think it's safe to eat. And BTW, you're eating chicken that I fried in it. :lol: So don't tell me it smells like a dead deer. The chicken you ate for lunch sure didn't smell like a dead deer.

:barnie

LOL, The first stuff out and cool is pure, pretty white. I showed to him and he goes off on how it isn't "lard" it is "tallow" OMG. Who really gives a d@%$ ?

:duc

I am excited to do this all over again. I have another bucket of raw deer fat in the garage. If the guys get deer this week/weekend, I'll have them save the fat for me. Yippee!! :weee
 

tortoise

Wild Hare
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
15,360
Points
397
Location
USDA Zone 3b/4a
:barnie

SO frustrted with my fiance. He washed out the last few lard dishes. I DID NOT ask him to do this. So he just washes then like normal dishes and thenis all freaked out and unhappy about fat clogging the plumbing.

H_E_L_L_O!!!

I put some dish soap on it still warm, worked it up into a lather/emulsion and wiped it clean with a paper towel. THEN after the vast majority of the fat was removed, I washed the dishes normally.

So peeved.

So unappreciative. :barnie
 

tortoise

Wild Hare
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
15,360
Points
397
Location
USDA Zone 3b/4a
OK. So today I tried it by cubing it an putting it into a 1/2 pot of water and boiling it that way. Didn't work so well. The cubes barely melted.

I scooped them out to try again the crockpot way. And I do have about an inch of fat chilling on top of the water. At least it wasn't ALL a waste.

This time I knew I needed done and cleanup by 11:30, so I started a bowl of ammonia water and dunked everything in there. No problems with cleaning off fat.

Grrr..

Any ideas on WHY it didn't work to just boil the fat (not melting/straining it first?)
 
Top