What Is Beef Tallow Good For? 15 Ways to Use Beef Tallow
What Is Beef Tallow Good For?
Beef tallow is rendered beef fat from which impurities and moisture are removed; the result is a stable cooking fat with a firm texture at room temperature and a savory, beefy flavor that accents your food. People will notice a difference without necessarily knowing your “secret.”
If you cook at high temperatures, beef tallow is ideal. It has a relatively high smoke point (400°F to 480°F). Here are some other useful and some surprising ways to put beef tallow to work in your kitchen and home.
15 Uses for Beef Tallow & Results
Brisket: Provides moisture during the wrapping stage
Confit: Tenderizes, imparts flavor, retains moisture
Cornbread: Adds richness
Eggs: Excellent for frying, especially in cast iron
Fries: Makes fries crisp and flavorful
Mac n Cheese: Depth of flavor
Pie Crust: Flakiness
Roast Potatoes: Crisps up the edges and improves browning
Smashburgers: Beef tallow can withstand the high heat of the griddle
Steak: Tallow: Sears steak for a magnificent crust
Vegetables: Adds a depth of flavor
Surprising Uses for Beef Tallow
Bird Feeder: Mix with seeds, let solidify
Cast Iron: Seasoning maintains the cookware
Fire starters: Works as a high-energy, slow-burning fuel source
Leather: Care and conditioning
When you look at this list, you can see how beef tallow frees you from 101 types of cooking oil in your kitchen. This one good-quality tallow product becomes a versatile staple.
Wagyu Tallow vs. Regular Beef Tallow — Why Wagyu Fat Is Different
Not all tallow is created equal. Each has different traits imparted by the type of fat used and the rendering process.
The quality of Wagyu beef is phenomenal. It has beautiful marbling and high-quality fat. Wagyu has a soft texture
with a lower melting point than conventional tallow. But the biggest benefit of Wagyu tallow vs. regular tallow is the taste. It’s distinctive, with character, and full-bodied. Think of it as the “lux” version of everyday cooking fat.
Noticeable Differences:
- Flavor: Wagyu tallow tastes buttery and beefy, adding an extra layer of richness
- Melting Point: Wagyu tallow melts more quickly than some conventional beef fats
- Texture: Soft and sumptuous
Wagyu tallow is an easy way to elevate your food game. That’s why we created our 100% pure Wagyu Beef Tallow. What makes our tallow great is that it’s consistent and clean, producing a coveted crust and delivering the best bite.
Beef Tallow vs. Butter for Steaks
Don’t toss out your butter just yet. It has a place in cooking steak, but it differs from Wagyu in when you use it.
Beef tallow handles high-heat searing, which is a temperature range that is challenging for butter. It can burn. So start with the beef tallow when you first grill the steak, and finish with butter. A little dab on top does the trick.
The Barbecue Uses For Beef Tallow
Anyone serious about barbecue should make a little room for beef tallow in their culinary kit. Since beef tallow has a deep, beefy flavor, it’s very useful for barbecuing beef and applying it post-smoking.
Brisket: Tallow in the Wrap
Speaking of smoking, adding beef tallow during the wrapping stage of brisket is popular because it works wonders. After the brisket has developed a bark (195°F–203°F), it’s ready for a tallow treatment, then wrapped in aluminum foil or butcher paper. Then, it’s back to the smoker (set to 150°F ) for the brisket
Note that this method doesn't require a ton of tallow to work. Moderate dollops along the brisket create the perfect environment for moist, tender meat with an incredible flavor profile.
This is about as simple as it gets. It makes perfect sense to add beef fat to beef!
Smash Burgers on the Griddle
If you’ve never had a smash burger, this is a great time to try one. The basic technique for making a smash burger begins with a hot cooking surface. These patties are thin, so they develop a deep-brown crust. A little tallow applied to the griddle lets you cook the meat at a high heat.
Searing Steak in Beef Tallow
Everyone who uses tallow has a favorite application. Steak ranks in the top three, in my opinion.
The effect of tallow on the steak is immediately noticeable in its nearly bronze-crisp and amped-up savoriness.
Like the smash burger, adding beef tallow to steak is easy. Just heat your cooking surface, add a spoonful of tallow, and sear the steak. No fuss, but nearly guaranteed to garner compliments.
If you like a buttery steak, you can introduce it after this step, just before serving.
Cuso’s Beef Tallow Recipes
The best way to learn about what beef tallow is good for is to use it. Experience goes a long way. I have several recipes that use beef tallow and show how it elevates basic cooking and grilling.
Giant Beef Ribs: This is serious barbecue. Ribs get a slather of tallow followed by Cuso’s Maple Bourbon and Dirt Seasonings. It’s a complementary marriage of spices and beef fat with the giant ribs. Grab napkins.
Dry Aged Tallow for Surf n’ Turf Mac and Cheese: This recipe takes beef tallow in a whole new direction. You start by grilling steaks treated with Cuso’s Gravel and Dirt Seasonings. Then, the beef tallow becomes the foundation of an indulgent, elegant roux rather than just a frying medium. Add noodles, cheese, the steak, and (wait for it) lobster.
One thing is clear: beef tallow doesn't have to just live in your frying pan.
Cooking with Beef Tallow
Beef tallow and grilling seem to be a natural combination. But this fat is not a one-hit-wonder by any means. The kitchen offers a wide variety of uses for beef tallow.
Cast-Iron Care
Beef tallow has utilitarian applications, such as caring for your cast iron. After you’re finished cleaning the surface, use the fat to season pots and grill grates. Apply a light, thin layer.
Beef Tallow for Cornbread, Confit and Pie Crust
When you think of beef fat, cornbread, confit, and pie crust probably never come to mind. Even so, it has a place in all three.
Adding beef tallow to cornbread makes it richer and savory. It can become a medium for confit. And, yep. You can use beef tallow in pie crust for a crumbly texture. Try it the next time you make quiche.
Dough
Use tallow along with flour, salt, and eggs to make stuffed fry bread dough.
Beef Tallow for Eggs and Popcorn
Tallow can also replace other cooking fats for everyday foods.
Fry eggs in a small amount of tallow for a delectable breakfast
Use beef tallow to make popcorn. The result is a savory treat you can salt or experiment with other seasonings, like Cuso’s Cowboy Butter, to make it extra buttery with a hint of garlic.
Fries and Potatoes Crisped in Beef Tallow
If you’re looking for classic applications, frying potatoes is one. The tallow creates a crisp exterior and a unique flavor. Steak fries, traditional fries, and roasted potatoes all benefit. For roasting, just coat the potatoes with melted tallow before putting them in the oven. If you like crisp edges, you won’t be disappointed.
Beef Tallow vs Seed Oils
Beef tallow is an option for cooking instead of vegetable or seed oils. If you are trying to reduce or eliminate seed oils, this is a simple solution.
That’s why we created Cuso’s 100% American Wagyu Beef Tallow. It’s buttery, rich, and made with just one ingredient: Beef Tallow. We are committed to creating products that are all-natural, with no additives or preservatives, and most importantly, no seed oils. This is your secret weapon for mouthwatering veggies, burgers, brisket, and steak.
Beef Tallow: How to Store It, Shelf Stability, and Usage Amounts
Knowing how to store wagyu beef tallow is important for longevity. Beef tallow is remarkably stable. Storing it at room temperature in a cool, dry location will keep the tallow fresh for about 6-12 months (3-6 months if homemade). Highly purified commercial beef tallow can last 12-18 months.
Refrigeration extends the shelf life to over a year. Just remember to warm it a bit before use. At this point, the fat is very firm.
Freezer storage is fine as well. Find a covered ice cube tray and pour melted beef tallow into it. Put the cover on top before freezing. Now you can just pop out a few cubes at a time as needed.
FAQs
Can Beef Tallow Go Rancid?
Despite being relatively stable, beef tallow isn’t immune to spoilage.
What could cause Beef Tallow to go rancid? Exposure to contaminants, moisture, and long-term stints in heat or light. If you’re not sure, trust your senses. Does the texture or color seem off? Is there any visible mold? Does it smell sour? If you said yes to any of these, toss it out.
How Much Beef Tallow Do You Need?
When beef tallow is properly rendered and stored, it becomes a handy staple for everyday cooking. Most often, you don’t need a lot. A little goes a long way in frying and searing, for example. With things like baked potatoes and brisket, you’ll need a little more, as you will if you use beef tallow for applications like confit and sous vide.
Is Beef Tallow Healthy?
Even though beef tallow is a traditional cooking fat, that doesn’t automatically mean you should use a lot of it. Consider a tablespoon of beef tallow to be 12.8 grams of fat, half of which is saturated fat. Calorie count: 115 calories. The good news is that, for the most part, you won’t be cooking with much more than a tablespoon.
Individuals with heart health and cholesterol concerns should monitor their intake according to dietary guidelines. If you’re not certain, call your healthcare professional.
What's the Difference Between Wagyu Tallow and Lard?
When asking, “What is beef tallow good for?” the answer depends on where the lard originates. Lard comes from pork fat with distinct flavors, textures, and melting characteristics. Lard appears in many baking recipes because it has a neutral flavor and soft texture.
Tallow has a more pronounced beef flavor. That’s why many cooks use it for steaks, burgers, brisket, and other umami applications.
Can I Reuse Beef Tallow?
It is possible. A lot depends on the amount of food particles in the fat. When you use it to fry certain things, it can be hard to strain.
Also, what did you cook in the tallow in terms of flavor? If fish, for example, you need to strain it through a fine sieve or coffee filter. After that, it’s best used for savory applications where a slight fish flavor won’t be noticeable.
Can I Use Beef Tallow for Pie Crust?
You can absolutely use beef tallow in pie crust that’s flaky and tender. There will still be a savory flavor, however. So think of using it in recipes where a beefy tone pairs with the filling. Pot pies, anyone?
If you want to tone down the beefy flavor, mix it 50/50 with butter.
What Other Types of Tallow Are There?
Other animals have fat suitable for rendering.
Mutton or lamb tallow comes from sheep and generally has a stronger, more distinctive flavor. Excellent for stews and roast vegetables.
Venison or game tallow can come from deer, moose, elk, or other game animals, with characteristics influenced in part by the animal's diet. Add it back to lean ground venison or sausages to retain moisture.
Bison tallow. Bison has a flavor profile similar to beef tallow and they are pretty much interchangeable.
What's the Difference Between Grain-Finished and Grass-Finished Beef Tallow?
Diet influences the flavor and fat composition in tallow. The vast majority of cows in the United States are grazers. The biggest difference is what the cows eat a few months before harvest. Grass feeders remain in the pasture. Grain-finished cattle transition in the final months into a diet of hay, corn, grains, and other products. The goal is to encourage marbling, which adds extra flavor and tenderness.
Grass-finished cattle tallow has slightly higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, and some antioxidants. Nonetheless, the two have very similar fatty acid compositions.
What Else Can You Use Tallow For?
Beef tallow is good for many other things besides cooking. It can be mixed with beeswax for balms, applied as a conditioner for wood and leather, and even used for making soap!
Rust prevention? Yes. Emergency candles? Yes. Fire starters? Yes, those too. For crafty folk who love birds, you can mix tallow with bird feed and place it in areas where your feathered friends can enjoy it.
Beef Tallow Time: Cutting the Fat
A lot of people are unaware of beef tallow’s versatility. And when you talk about grilling and kitchen preparations, it’s a valued tool in the pitmaster’s and cook’s kit. Sear with it. Fry with it. Enrich breads and crusts. Roast up those vegetables in beef tallow.
When you want to add another layer of flavor to your favorite recipe, give it a try! Cuso’s 100% Wagyu Beef Fat is made in small batches in the US. No additives, no preservatives. Just flavorful, rich beef tallow.
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