What is beef tallow? Uses, smoke point and how to make it

Beef tallow is back, and as far as we're concerned, not a day too soon. Chefs are frying their chips in it again, and more and more home cooks are swapping sunflower oil for this traditional fat. But what exactly is beef tallow, how do you use it and how do you make it yourself? In this article you will learn everything about beef tallow: from its composition and smoke point to storage and rendering it at home.

What is beef tallow?

Beef tallow is rendered and purified beef fat. It is the beef counterpart of lard, which is made from pork fat. In some recipes it is simply called beef fat or beef dripping.

Tallow is usually made from suet: the firm fat around the kidneys of the animal. This fat is very pure and renders into a mild, neutral tallow. Other beef fat can be rendered too, but it often has a stronger flavour. At room temperature tallow is solid and creamy white to pale yellow. Tallow from grass-fed cattle is often more yellow, thanks to the beta-carotene from the grass.

Composition of beef tallow

Tallow consists almost entirely of fat. Per 100 grams, the average breakdown is:

Type of fat	Per 100 g tallow	Main fatty acids
Saturated fat	approx. 50 g	Palmitic acid, stearic acid
Monounsaturated fat	approx. 42 g	Oleic acid (also the main fatty acid in olive oil)
Polyunsaturated fat	approx. 4 g	Linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid

What stands out is the low polyunsaturated fat content. These fatty acids are prone to oxidation when heated. Thanks to its high proportion of saturated and monounsaturated fat, tallow is very stable. Research also shows that fat from grass-fed cattle contains more omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than fat from grain-fed cattle.

Smoke point: why tallow is great for frying

Depending on its purity, the smoke point of tallow lies roughly between 200 and 250 °C. More important than the smoke point is how stable a fat stays when heated. Because tallow contains few polyunsaturated fatty acids, it oxidises less quickly than sunflower or corn oil, for example. That is why tallow has long been a favourite frying fat. Read more about choosing cooking fats in which oil should you avoid?

Fat	Smoke point (indicative)	Main type of fat
Beef tallow	200–250 °C	Saturated and monounsaturated
Ghee (clarified butter)	approx. 230 °C	Saturated
Butter	approx. 150 °C	Saturated
Extra virgin olive oil	approx. 190–210 °C	Monounsaturated
Coconut oil (refined)	approx. 230 °C	Saturated (medium-chain)

What do you use beef tallow for?

• Deep frying: classic Belgian fries were traditionally cooked in beef fat. Tallow gives a crisp crust and a rich flavour.
• Pan frying and roasting: perfect for steak, burgers and mince, and for roasting vegetables or potatoes in the oven.
• Pastry: tallow gives savoury pies and pastries a short, crumbly texture.
• Braising and confit: meat cooked slowly in fat stays tender and juicy.
• Beyond the kitchen: tallow is also traditionally used for homemade soap, candles and skin balms.

How to make beef tallow

Making tallow is easy. Ask your butcher for suet from grass-fed cattle; it is often cheap or even free.

1. Cut the fat into small pieces. Remove any meat or blood and cut the fat into small cubes, or ask your butcher to mince it. The smaller the pieces, the faster they melt.
2. Melt it slowly. Put the fat in a heavy-based pan or slow cooker and heat it gently. Allow two to four hours. Stir occasionally and do not let it get too hot, or the tallow will taste fried.
3. Strain the fat. When the pieces (cracklings) are golden brown and sink to the bottom, pour the liquid fat through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
4. Let it set. Pour the tallow into clean glass jars and let it cool. It will turn white and solid on its own.

Tip: for an extra neutral tallow, melt the set tallow again with some water, let it cool and lift the solid layer of fat off the water.

Storage

Well-purified tallow keeps for a long time. Store it sealed and away from light. It keeps for months in the fridge and even longer in the freezer. Always use a clean spoon so no water or food residue gets into the jar.

Is beef tallow healthy?

Tallow is about half saturated fat. Health organisations generally advise limiting saturated fat and choosing unsaturated fats more often. At the same time, the scientific debate on saturated fat has become more nuanced: the effect depends on the type of fatty acid, the foods it comes in and the overall diet. Read more in cholesterol and saturated fat: not a black-and-white story.

So use tallow as a traditional cooking fat within a diet rich in unprocessed meat, fish and eggs. If you have high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, ask your doctor which fats suit you best.

More from the animal

Tallow is a great example of nose-to-tail eating: using the whole animal rather than just the muscle meat. Bone marrow was also highly valued by our ancestors as a concentrated source of fat and nutrients. If you want to try it without cooking, you can choose our freeze-dried bone marrow capsules.

Frequently asked questions

Is beef tallow the same as suet?

No. Suet is the raw fat around the kidneys; tallow is what you get after rendering and straining that fat.

What is the difference between tallow and lard?

Tallow comes from cattle (or sheep), lard from pigs. Tallow is firmer at room temperature and has a slightly higher melting point.

Can you reuse beef tallow after frying?

Yes. Let the fat cool, strain out the food particles and store it in the fridge. After several uses it darkens and loses quality; replace it then.

Where can you buy beef tallow?

A good butcher will sell suet or ready-made tallow. Choose tallow from grass-fed cattle without additives.

Our view

We cook in tallow, butter and ghee, not in sunflower, corn or soybean oil. Those seed oils only became a fixture in our kitchens in the last century. They are usually extracted industrially using heat and solvents, then refined, bleached and deodorised. They contain a lot of polyunsaturated linoleic acid, which is less stable at high temperatures. Tallow is the fat people fried and roasted in for generations, and it is a part of the animal that is otherwise often thrown away. Nose-to-tail, in other words. We choose the original.

In summary

Beef tallow is rendered beef fat. It is about half saturated fat and 42% monounsaturated fat, contains little polyunsaturated fat and is therefore stable at high temperatures. Ideal for frying, roasting and baking. You can easily make it yourself from suet from grass-fed cattle.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central: fat, beef tallow.
• Daley CA, Abbott A, Doyle PS, Nader GA, Larson S. A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutrition Journal. 2010;9:10.