How to cook and eat beef fat ("suet")


(Bob M) #1

I want to compare a low versus high P:E ratio (see Ted Naiman’s site), and do this carnivore, where I buy lean beef and add beef fat to it to get the proper ratios. I’m about to go to the local farm to pick up beef fat. Some of this, I’ll use for tallow, but I was hoping to eat beef fat by itself for this comparison.

How do I cook beef fat so that I can eat it later? Heat it in an oven, then cool? If so, what temperature? (I don’t want to add in eating this raw, and I would prefer not to have to eat spoons of tallow if possible.)

How much fat do I need for say 3 weeks, one to test in part (eating my normal keto diet), one week higher protein, lower fat, and one week lower protein, higher fat (2 grams fat to 1 gram protein)? 10 pounds, 15 pounds; 20 pounds. For comparison, I can easily eat several pounds of beef a day. 2-3 pounds, most likely.

Thanks for any ideas.


(Cristian Lopez) #2

Get some shredded lean meat and melt the suet over it🤙🏽


(Erin Macfarland ) #3

Sometimes extra tallow or beef fat can make you queasy, so you may want to try using butter too !


(Bob M) #4

I could do that. I was planning on buying “top round”, which comes in various “flavors”, but all of them are pretty lean. I could combine the two (top round + beef fat) in a grinder.


(Bob M) #5

I would be more than happy about using butter, but then I’m sure I’d be having people criticizing the test because I used dairy. I was trying to avoid using dairy for this reason. (Though I might still have some cream in my coffee…it’s just better with cream.)

I am going to test the fat+meat combo before entering into any true test, so that I can see what happens. Obviously, if I eat some beef + fat and can’t hack it, then I’ll have to rethink my plans.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

Grinding it into the meat seems the best approach. If you try to cook the fat by itself, it will simply render out, giving you tallow. Though there’s nothing wrong with cooking ground beef in tallow!

Remind me again why you’re adding fat to lean meat instead of buying fatty meat in the first place?


(David Jackson) #7

I definitely side with the “grind it into a meat patty” camp. You can make the ground beef any ratio you like. Of course the fatter the better. Cook those over as high heat as you can to sear the outside and preserve the juices inside.

Season well with salt or nUsalt to keep electrolyte up.


#8

I like to eat suet raw with some good salt. I have a big hunk in my freezer that I cut chunks out of . I know it probably sounds weird and gross but I like it and, unlike eating too much cooked beef fat (especially from ground beef) it doesn’t upset my stomach.


(mole person) #9

Here is what I’ve noted in the whole question about how satiating fat is. There is a massive difference between the satiation derived from all the rendered fats and oils and that from unrendered meat fat. Oil, butter, tallow, bacon grease etc are not very satiating to me. Further, after a certain point too much makes me nauseated. I can eat a lot of beef fat and feel just wonderful afterward. Satiated, energetic, but without a super heavy feeling full feeling.

I notice that a lot of carnivores get their fat this way. There is very little addition of grease.

When it comes to Ted Naiman’s protocol I have mixed feelings mostly because people tend to only pay attention to half of his system. I believe his methods work well for those that actually follow all of his advice. However that advice includes not eating added fats if you are trying to lose weight. Basically, he recommends getting your fat only from fatty cuts of meat and never buying any oils, butter, or even mayo.

I’ve experimented a ton with how to eat the beef fat. At first all methods of cooking it were fails. I ate it anyhow because i could tell it made me feel better but the taste and texture was pretty crappy. Too much fat would render out leaving the leftover fat peice chewy and pretty much undoing the whole point of getting unrendered beef fat.

So then I started eating it basically raw. I’d just warm it super gently on power level 2 of the microwave for a couple of minutes and then eat it with my steak or whatever. No rendered fat and the taste was fine, a bit like hunks of butter.

But what I really wanted was the taste and texture of the unrendered beef fat that’s attached to my cooked steak and this raw approach was not that at all. (Although I do really like the raw stuff eaten with pork rinds).

I recently hit the magic method. I know it’s right because my husband likes it and he turned his nose up at all my earlier choices, and now he’s carving off a huge hunk of fat at every meal that isn’t already a ‘fattiest’ cut sort of meat. Basically, all you have to do is cook the fat slow and very low. If I cook it for a couple of hours at 80 to 150 F it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s cooked, tastes cooked, has the texture of cooked fat but nary a drop renders out.

As for how much you need. I guess that depends on how much food you eat.

Here are the macros i found for unrendered beef fat.

On a big eating day I can eat 140 grams of this in addition to my fatty meat cut.

Here are my macros for such a day.

As you can see it’s pretty much exactly 2:1 fat to protein. And I don’t shoot for that, it’s just what I happened to eat. But that’s the ratio my body seems to prefer when I eat specifically this way. But, no way I could tolerate this much fat if a significant portion of it was rendered.

I’m going to go against the grind it into a beef patty camp, with a caveat of a way that does work for me. High fat patties still render out a great deal even if the juice is still inside the burger as long as you cook them on high heat.

Here is a way that works to both cook the fatty patty and keep the beef fat unrendered. First I buy the fattiest grind that I can. Then I chop up even more beef fat and add it to the mix and form a patty. Then I cook it in the oven for at least an hour at 130 - 150 F. Then a 30 sec sear in a hot pan on each side. No more. Yums!!!


(Bob M) #10

It’s to limit variables. If I have a “high” P:E ratio, and I use lean meat and fat, and when I have a “low” P:E ratio (the next week, say, one week each), the only thing that changes is the ratio.

Normally, for “high” P:E ratio, I would eat shrimp, mussels, lean beef, liver, heart, etc. But I can’t really eat those and hope to get a “low” P:E ratio, without adding a ton of fat.

So, it’s to make the test as objective as possible.


(Bob M) #11

This is why I bought beef fat. Like you, I find added fats to not be satiating. As stated above, I want the test to be fair.

I will definitely try your ideas for beef fat. Thank you.

As for Ted Naiman’s P:E ratio, while I have gone from adding fat all the time to eating leaner cuts of meat in general, I don’t think if one eats “low” P:E (higher fat) that you suddenly begin gaining weight. I also feel he penalizes people and makes them feel bad (or at least makes me feel bad) if they happen to eat higher fat. For instance, for lunch today, I had a chaffle with ham (lean), tomato, and pickle. To that, I added some blue cheese “dressing” we made ourselves from blue cheese, sour cream, and home made mayo. I had quite a bit of dressing. I’m sure it did not end up to be “high” P:E. Should I be concerned? I don’t think so.

My goal is to eat until I’m full. I don’t want to (and have not) count calories, be concerned about macros, or anything else. I did that for years while on low fat, and I think it robs one of living.

Now, for this test, I plan to weigh my food, take ketones, weigh myself, etc., but that’s fluke After thousands of glucose/ketone tests, weighing daily, I’ve given all that up. I mentally feel better in doing so.


(mole person) #12

I’m exactly the same. I only measure for a day or two at a time so that I can talk on this forum about how I’m eating. Most days I just cut hunks of meat and fat as they appeal to me.


(mole person) #13

I guess it depends on what your concerns are. He recommends high protein without added fats as a method for fast weight losses. He’s fine with higher fat for maintenance. If you are satisfied with your rate of weight loss then I don’t see anything to be concerned about.


(Bob M) #14

Only others (Amber O’Hearn, Dave Feldman, Siobhan Huggins, Peter from Hyperlipid) have said that eating 2:1 fat:protein ratio (a “low” P:E) ratio actually causes weight loss and less hunger. One theory is that (exogenous) fat is necessary for fat oxidation. So, if you don’t eat enough fat, you actually slow your weight loss.

Personally, I think there are too many variables. None of those people lift weights (I believe), whereas Ted Naiman does, as do I. Maybe if you’re lifting weights (were “weights” means body weight exercises, too), you need more protein?

And, I lost 30 pounds very quickly while eating a high fat diet on low carb/keto. I’m down about 60 pounds, gained about 10 pounds muscle. I’m at my lowest weight, belt size, pants size since I started 1/1/14.

Could I lose more weight? It depends who you ask. I wouldn’t mind getting into the next pants size down, but after that, I’m not sure it’s beneficial to lose weight. I think some fat is good.


(mole person) #15

Very interesting. I guess it makes sense. When my P/F goes up I end up eating more and can’t maintain without struggling.

Can you tell me where you heard these folks talking about 2:1? I’ve only really heard Zophia Clemmens talking about this. I’d like to hear what others say.


(mole person) #16

I do lift weights. I don’t find that I need to increase protein to gain substantial muscle mass or to feel my best. But I don’t think I’m at the low end of the protein my body needs either.


(Bob M) #17

You have to follow them on Twitter. Unfortunately, right now, I don’t remember my Twitter login on my computer, though my phone has it. I haven’t been able to get on my computer’s Twitter, and I find the phone a bit of a pain to use. For instance, searching Twitter using the phone is possible, but I find it frustrating.

I’m also working from home and trying to work on our never-ending redo of our kid’s rooms. So, I can’t promise much right now.

Here’s Peter’s blog, though (which has a comment from Amber):


(mole person) #18

Ok. Don’t worry about it. I already follow Amber, Siobhan, and Dave. I just don’t use Twitter that much. Thanks for the blog!


(Bob M) #19

I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. Last year (two years ago?), I gave it up for Lent and kept off it for over a year. I restarted about 6 months ago. It’s too much information, is 24/7/365, yet at the same time, it has a ton of recent studies and great information you can’t get elsewhere, or only get later.

When I came back, I dramatically limited the number of people I followed. That helps.

Oddly, I don’t follow some of those people, including all of the ones I pointed out. What happens is that people I follow either re-tweet them or like their posts, so I see them.


(Ken) #20

IMO, the best.way to cook chunks of.fat is by either roasting or grilling at high heat. This minimizes loss. Room temp fat.works better than cold or frozen, it.cooks faster and you’re less likely to be cold inside. You want.to get to the point it has tasty crisp skin.