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Learn how to make smoked beef tallow in this step-by-step guide! A great way to turn your leftover brisket trimmings into an oil or butter substitute that can be used for all types of cooking.
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Don’t Throw Away Your Brisket Fat
If you’ve ever trimmed a brisket, then you know that it feels a bit like throwing money away. With each slice of the knife, you’re probably thinking “there goes another 75 cents”. Or at least that’s how I feel.
But then I started making my own homemade beef tallow using the trimmed brisket fat, and now I don’t feel like I’m taking a knife to a wad of cash. After all, people pay big money for store-bought beef tallow, and it’s not nearly as flavorful as making it yourself on the smoker.
You can even optimize your pellet usage (and save a bit of money) by smoking beef tallow on the grill while your brisket is cooking – two for one special!
What is Beef Tallow?
Beef tallow is simply rendered beef fat, sometimes referred to as “beef drippings”. It’s made by cutting beef fat or trimmings into small chunks, and cooking them in a pot until melted and rendered. The liquid fat is then strained to remove any impurities and added to a mason jar or other airtight container for storage.
As it cools, the tallow hardens into a consistency similar to lard or vegetable shortening. Heat it up (in a skillet or pot on the stovetop) and the tallow liquifies again, making it perfect for a wide variety of cooking methods including sautéing, frying, or even baking.
For added flavor, you can even render the beef fat in a pan on the pellet grill or smoker. If you want to use beef tallow in savory dishes, like roasted potatoes or pan fried chicken, then smoking the tallow can add an extra oomph of flavor. However, I wouldn’t recommend smoked beef tallow for sweet baked goods.
Tallow vs. Lard
One of the most common misconceptions about tallow is that it is the same as lard. While both are rendered animal fats, tallow is rendered from beef or mutton fat and lard is made from pork fat.
Tallow has a slightly higher smoke point than lard (about 400°F), making it ideal for frying, roasting, and griddle cooking. Lard can also be used for frying or sautéing, but it is frequently used in pastries and pie crusts because of its ability to create a flaky texture.
If you prefer to cook with animal fats or if you follow a meat-heavy diet like the carnivore diet, then both tallow and lard are excellent additions to your pantry.
One Ingredient Smoked Beef Tallow
Equipment
- Large disposable aluminum pan
- Cheesecloth or coffee filters
- Fine mesh strainer or funnel
- Glass jars (like mason jars) with lids
Ingredients
- 5-7 pounds beef fat trimmings, like brisket fat trimmings
Instructions
- Prep the grill. Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 250°F with your choice of wood pellets. *Don't use premium pellets for this – a cheaper blend works perfectly fine since you'll be smoking for several hours.
- Prep the beef fat. Trim your beef fat into 1" cubes. As you trim, do your best to remove any large pieces of meat still attached to prevent meat juices from mixing into your tallow. Place the beef fat cubes in a single layer in an aluminum foil pan or disposable tray. Spread them out evenly for consistent rendering. *Make sure your fat is raw and unseasoned – don't use fat from already-cooked beef.
- Smoke the fat. Place the pan of fat on the preheated smoker and smoke at 250℉ for approximately 4-6 hours, or until most of the fat has rendered into liquid. *The timing depends on the amount of fat – less fat renders faster, while more fat needs longer.
- Stir occasionally. Every hour, give the fat a stir with a spoon or tongs to help it break down evenly and prevent any bits from sticking to the bottom. The fat will slowly melt into a golden liquid with small bits of meat or connective tissue floating in it.
- Check for doneness. The fat is fully rendered when it's completely liquid with very little solid fat remaining. You should see mostly clear, golden liquid with small crispy bits.
- Strain the tallow. When the tallow is fully rendered and golden, carefully remove the pan from the smoker. Set up a fine mesh strainer over a heat-safe bowl or container (I like to use glass mason jars). Line the strainer with cheesecloth or coffee filters. Carefully pour the hot tallow through the strainer to remove all the solids and impurities. *You can also use a funnel with a coffee filter for this.
- Cool and store. While the tallow is still liquid, pour it into clean, airtight containers or mason jars (if you didn't strain directly into the jars). Let the tallow cool to room temperature, then cover the jars and refrigerate. As it cools, the tallow will solidify and turn from golden liquid to white fat. Once solid, it's ready to use.
Video
Notes
- Pellet choice: Use cheaper pellets for this recipe. You’ll be burning through them for hours, and the fat will pick up plenty of smoke flavor regardless of pellet quality.
- Straining method: Coffee filters work fantastic for this and are often easier to manage than cheesecloth.
- Storage: Smoked garlic beef tallow will keep in the refrigerator for several months or can be frozen for up to a year.
- Using Your Tallow: When you’re ready to use it, simply scoop out what you need with a spoon (like butter) or warm it until it melts.
- Checking Freshness: If your stored tallow develops a rancid or bitter smell when you open it, it’s time to toss it and make a fresh batch.
Where to Get Beef Fat for Tallow
The easiest way to get beef fat is from your local butcher shop – they typically have plenty on hand and will sell it cheap since most people don’t ask for it. You can also save the fat trimmings when you trim up a brisket or other beef cuts.
For this recipe, I used high-quality beef fat from Simpson’s Meats, a local butcher that has fat from their whole cow operations. If you don’t have a good local butcher, you can also ask at your grocery store meat counter.
Tools to Make Homemade Beef Tallow
Making smoked beef tallow at home is a straightforward process, and it only requires a few basic tools and ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- large pot or pan for rendering the beef fat – If making smoked beef tallow, I recommend a full-size, disposable aluminum foil pan. This allows you to spread the fat pieces into a thinner layer to pick up more smoke flavor. And you can throw away the pan afterwards to save on dishes.
- heat-proof glass jar – Like mason jars with lids
- funnel or fine-meshed strainer – I’ve made smoked beef tallow with both tools, and either will work
- cheesecloth or coffee filter
How to Make Smoked Beef Tallow
Step 1: Prepare the beef fat
To start, trim off any remaining meat or connective tissue from the fat. If using brisket trimmings, this is the perfect opportunity to separate brisket scraps that can be used for chili or ground for hamburgers.
Then cut the fat into small, uniform pieces about 1″ in size. This allows the fat to render evenly and pick up extra smoke flavor.
Add the cut fat to a large disposable aluminum foil steam pan or other grill-safe baking dish.
*Chef’s Tip: You can cut some of your raw fat into small 1/2″ cubes and store them in small snack-size zip top bags in the freezer. This way, you can throw a few cubes of fat in a skillet any time you’re griddle cooking, and you’ve got natural tallow rendering while you prep your vegetables.
Step 2: Smoke the beef fat
Next, place the pan of fat directly on the grill grates. Close the grill lid and smoke at a low and slow temperature of about 250°F. After making homemade beef tallow on the pellet grill at least a dozen times, this seems to be the sweet spot for rendering fat – hot enough to get things moving but not so hot that everything renders too quickly.
After a few hours, you’ll see moisture developing in the pan as the fat breaks down – this is exactly what you want.
Smoke for several more hours. The total time will vary depending on how much fat you’re rendering, but plan on at least 4-6 hours total. You’ll know it’s done when most of the fat has rendered into liquid and you see that beautiful golden color.
Step 3: Strain the beef tallow
Once the fat chunks have rendered into liquid, it’s time to strain it.
Set up a funnel or fine-mesh strainer over a glass mason jar. Line the strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
*TIP – If you’re using a funnel, then I recommend straining the tallow through a coffee filter. If you’re using a fine-mesh strainer, then you can strain through cheesecloth that has been folded over a few times or a coffee filter.
Carefully remove any large pieces of meat or connective tissue with tongs first, then pour the hot liquid tallow through the strainer. This removes any fine particles and gives you pure, clean smoked beef tallow.
*Pro Tip: Coffee filters work amazing for this and they’re often easier to work with than cheesecloth. Depending on what type of coffee filters you have, you may need to double them up. I have had my coffee filter tear on me in the past.
Step 4: Cool and store
Allow the tallow to cool in the glass mason jars, and then cover tightly with the lids. As the tallow cools, it will transform from the amber-colored liquid to a creamy solid off-white fat.
When you’re ready to use it, simply scoop out what you need with a spoon (like butter) or warm it until it melts.
The tallow will keep in the refrigerator for several months, or you can freeze it for even longer storage.
Tips and Notes
Pellet Choice – Don’t waste your premium pellets on this! Since you’ll be smoking for several hours, use a cheaper pellet blend. The fat will pick up plenty of smoke flavor regardless. Save those expensive pellets for when you’re smoking prime cuts of meat.
Storage Tips – You can portion the raw fat into cubes before smoking, then vacuum seal and freeze them. This gives you easy portions to pull out whenever you need fresh tallow for griddle cooking or any other application.
Experiment with Different Flavors – Add in aromatics to your pan of beef fat as it’s smoking for extra flavor. You can add halved heads of garlic, cut side down and nestled down in the fat (see photo below). Or experiment with sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
Our Favorite Ways to Use Smoked Beef Tallow
- Burger Buns – Instead of butter or mayo, use smoked garlic tallow to toast your burger buns on a griddle or skillet. That smokiness combined with the beef burger? Chef’s kiss.
- French Fries – Fry potatoes in this tallow for the most incredible fries you’ve ever tasted.
- Griddle Potatoes – Throw some tallow on your flat top and cook diced potatoes for breakfast. The rich beef fat flavor is perfect with eggs and bacon.
- Steak Basting – Use it to baste steaks while they’re cooking for extra richness and flavor.
- Vegetables – Roast or sauté vegetables in beef tallow for a restaurant-quality side dish.
- Popcorn – Try it on popcorn for a savory movie-night snack that’ll blow your mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can render beef tallow on the stovetop or in the oven. It won’t have that smoky flavor, but you’ll still get amazing homemade beef tallow. For stovetop rendering, use low heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.
When properly strained and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, smoked beef tallow will last several months. You can also freeze it for even longer storage – up to a year.
We love adding garlic and fresh herbs to our tallow.
For a smoked garlic beef tallow – Place whole heads of garlic that have been cut in half (skins and all) cut side down into the beef fat after it has been smoking for about 2 hours. Continue smoking with the garlic in the tallow – basically like a garlic confit. Strain the garlic skins and solids while you’re straining the tallow.
For an herb-infused tallow – Add fresh herbs like sprigs of thyme or rosemary to the jars after straining while the tallow is still hot. This gives you better control over the herb flavor and keeps the herbs from burning during the long smoking process.
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