We LOVE Fry-Days!
Updated: Nov 4
UPDATE: We quickly realized that placing the lids on right after pouring into jars created condensate. Condensate does not allow the tallow to be shelf stable. So now we pour the liquid into jars and let sit for two days, covered by a thin tea towel, to allow all moisture to escape before placing lids on the top.
Back when I was a kid, I loved McDonald’s french fries. But over the years, I stopped liking them. Maybe my taste buds had changed, or so I thought.
This past weekend, we decided to render the tallow from our Wagyu beef fat. I fried up a few french fries to give it a try, and I was immediately transported back in time! It brought back a delight that I haven’t experienced in years! That is exactly what I remember those delicious Micky D’s french fries tasting like.
A little google search will confirm that this transition happened in 1990 as McDonald’s caved in to public opinion that soybean oil or vegetable oil was “healthier.” That's right about the same time when obesity became a problem.
Good fat is critical to good health and brain function.
Wagyu beef tallow is simply melted Wagyu beef fat, and it contains vitamins A, D, E and K. It is rich in monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are easier for the body to process. Wagyu fat is also rich in stearic and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Both are great for hair and skin, and help control cholesterol with anti-inflammatory properties that improve heart health. It also contains all of the essential amino acids including omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids which are believed to lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and more.
Wagyu beef tallow is so simple to make, and I encourage you to make some for yourself. I usually have Wagyu beef fat in the freezer, available at $5 per pound. We will be happy to share our knowledge and several different methods that work for us in rendering your own delicious tallow. Or you can buy some that we have already prepared for our own use at $15 per quart for single rendered tallow or $25 per quart for double rendered tallow.
Our tallow comes from the Wagyu beef we raise. We ask our butchers to save all of the fat and all of the bones for tallow and bone broth. This last calf made 26 quarts of tallow.
First we trim away as much of the meat that we can. It takes a little time, but it is worth it! As the butchers process the beef, some meat is left on the fat, and it is good to remove it to get a whiter finished product.
Next we grind all of the fat using our meat grinder. You could also cube it, but grinding it is so much better. Then we place it into several 18 quart roasters and crock pots set to 250 degrees.
Once the fat starts rendering out, we lower the heat to 200. It takes a couple of hours to do this part. Once all of the fat is melted, we strain everything through a fine mesh strainer, and then we strain it again through cheesecloth. A very pale yellow color will turn into a beautiful creamy white tallow. From here, you can pour the melted hot tallow into hot sterilized jars and seal with lids and rings.
If you would like to take it a step further, let the tallow harden in a round metal bowl in the refrigerator. Once it is hard, pop it out of the round bowl, and scrape off any meat speckles you see, and then put it back into the slow cooker or a pot on the stove with a cup of water and three tablespoons of salt. Let it reach 200-225 degrees and cook for about 20 minutes. Pour all of this back into a clean round metal bowl and let it harden in the refrigerator again. Once it is hard, pop it out of the bowl, dry it off and melt it again. When it is solid, scrape off any speckles that remain. Repeat if you want to until there are no speckles remaining. This process makes the tallow whiter and removes most of the beef smell.
Finally, pour the melted hot tallow into hot sterilized jars and seal with lids and rings.
According to some YouTube homesteaders, tallow is shelf stable and will keep on the shelf at room temperature for up to a year. One homesteader said it will keep even longer, and his tallow did not go rancid, even after three years. I don’t think our tallow will be around that long because we plan to consume it and sell it. We don’t believe in wasting anything.
We will also be utilizing some of this tallow for our own brand of homemade soap, and we look forward to making it available for purchase in a few months. It will be rich and creamy.
Our goal at Weise Farms is to raise it, grow it, make it, save it, and to be as self-sufficient as possible. We believe that real food is the secret to good health.
Here are a few thoughts I ponder. I don’t know if there are chemicals used in the process of making canola oil, but if there are, I don't want to consume them. I don't know how to extract the oil from a peanut. I also don't know of any vegetable that I could grow in my garden that would produce vegetable oil. Do you? So what is vegetable oil made of and what process is used to make it? Would you consider soybeans as a vegetable? The key word is processed, which is something I stay away from.
Think about this. By simply melting down healthy Wagyu beef fat, you get a product that is truly good for you, and it is something anyone can make in their own kitchen.
I love it because we can make it using what we already have, without wasting anything.
We encourage you to make some for yourself, or try Wagyu beef tallow from Weise Farms, where every day is Fry-Day!
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