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

#41

Bob and Katie, thank you. I get a bit queasy with a lot of rendered fat too. I’ll try the suet. :slight_smile:

#42

Let us know how it goes. It has a different texture but I like it.

I ordered some lamb suet today. I’ll get back to y’all on that when I try it.

#43

Update: I tried the lamb suet… I won’t be doing that again. Now I have to decide whether to render it and hope it makes a decent cooking fat or just treat it out to the dogs until it’s gone. Bleh!

#44

Thank you for the update. I’m still looking for quality beef fat trimmings and suet in my area. So far though, my body seems to be getting more used to rendered fat which is encouraging.

UPDATE: I like the raw suet. This weekend I’m hoping to try cooking some of my beef fat trimmings the slow and low way @Ilana_Rose posted about above.

(mole person) #45

Let me know how you like it, please. I’m curious how other people find it.

#46

@Ilana_Rose I cooked the pieces of fat at 170 (that’s as low as my oven will go) for 2 hours and oh my!! So easy and soooooo delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! That will be a regular at our house. Hubby loved it as well. :+1:

(Kristen Ann) #47

Want to try this… I hope my oven goes that low!

(mole person) #48

Oh, I’m thrilled. So far you’re the first to really try it and I was dying for someone else’s opinion because I just adore it myself.

#49

I’ve got a baking tray full of beef fat in the oven at 170F, we’ll see how it goes.

#50

I can’t believe how good it is. I’m getting ready to fire up another batch in a few to have later. It’s now my fav way to eat fat!! I’m deep in your debt, hon! :heart::purple_heart::green_heart:

(mole person) #51

@ReneeRC Yah, it’s the only way I’ve found that really works to approximate the sort of deliciousness of the fat off the edge of a steak.

@barefootbob Did you have success?

#52

Enjoyed it. I chopped it up from frozen straight into the oven. This wasn’t suet but just fat trimmings. Let it go about 2.5 at 170°.

(mole person) #53

I usually defrost first (though I doubt it makes any difference) and prefer cooking the large slabs whole. Did you get a tough “skin” on the outside? This may be one benefit to trying an even lower temperature. I find as the temp goes up there is slightly more rendering which leads to that skin. I actually kinda like that skin but my husband doesn’t so I cook it lower.

Edit: And I salt it liberally on both sides.

#54

No, I didn’t get that outer skin. I did salt it but only lightly. It was still tasty and filling.

Thanks for the recommendation. I had been frying it which ends up rendering a lot to liquid and I don’t like liquid beef fat.

#55

I have a double oven and the bottom oven cooks hotter than the top. The first batch I made (with some salt sprinkled on) I cooked at 170 degrees in my top oven. It didn’t have that skin but it had no rendering. The second batch I cooked in my bottom oven (forgot the salt) on the same temp and for the same length of time. It had that skin and a small amount of rendering. Both ways were fine although I missed the salt on the second batch, AND I thought the top oven batch tasted better. So I can see where a lower temp might be tastier. Both my ovens only go to 170 degrees though, no lower. Both batches were thawed beef fat pieces.

(mole person) #56

That’s interesting @ReneeRC and jives with my experience. My husband argues vehemently that the no skin lower temp one tastes better too, I guess I just like the bit of chew I get from the skin. As you said, both are good. If you go to a higher temp though it quickly gets far less good. The chewiness gets too extreme and a real off flavour begins to creep in.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #57

In my part of the U.S., it is available at any supermarket that still does its own butchering, but they no longer put it out on the shelves, you have to ask for it.

#58

Thanks, Paul. I found a local butcher who can provide the trimmings for me now. :slight_smile:

(Kristen Ann) #59

@barefootbob @ReneeRC @Ilana_Rose I have a bunch of beet fat slow roasting in the oven at 170F… how long do you let it roast for? Some are big chunks, some are smaller… How do you reheat it during the week? Lightly microwave?

#60

I usually only cook just what I plan to eat for the next meal so not sure about heating it back up later, should be okay, though.
A couple of hours should suffice to cook. I like to briefly put in on broil for a few minutes per side to crisp it up right before eating it.

How have you been doing by the way?