Introduction
The processing of raw animal fats into storable and useable rendered versions is an age old process. With references to fats, greases, muds, honey, etc. in all sorts of recipes from ancient Egypt, Middle East, Mediterranean, and Asia, we as humans have had a long an intimate relationship with the fats of those animals and plants around us. The uses for these fats range from cosmetic, dietary, and medicinal. When viewing the history of our relationship with these substances, it becomes clear that only in the recent years have fats become something of which we steer clear.
We at Primal Provisions are most concerned with animal fats and their uses for our ancestors, and thus us. The traditions associated with animal fats are as varied as the groups of people who started using them seemingly eons ago. In today’s society, though, it seems these animal fats are secluded away only to be used in hush hush fashion for certain recipes — mainly only holiday treats! Butter is likely the main holdout to receive worship from all kitchen wanderers, but with butter’s shelf life being much lower than rendered leaf fat from pigs and cows, we at Primal Provisions keep it in the kitchen and out of the medicine cabinet.
With pork and cattle leaf fat, we can render beautiful and long lasting substances which have such enriching properties and are stacked full of ancestral uses. We offer each reader, customer, friend, and Earth Walker to start the journey of rediscovering parts of this ancestral knowledge and a new relationship with our animal kin.
Rendering: the process
The first parts of rendering actually occur with the animal themself. It is important to make sure to only take from well raised and respected animals as their gifts will be much greater and with deeper connection than those whose lives were traumatic. In addition to the life our animals lived, the food they receive, the landscape they live, and the interactions they have are also important. We at Primal Provisions do our very best to only work with humans who develop solid, respectful, and loving relationships with the animals which will be providing the base ingredients for our rendered fats — lard and tallow.
The act of procuring the fat can only occur after our animal kin has shed blood to earth in offering their sustenance to us. Thus, ensuring the moment of Death is graceful and respectful is also a priority. This is something cultures around the globe know — scaring or frightening animals at death negatively impacts the materials they offer.
Next, the butchering: when separating meat from bone, fat from skin, sinew and tendon from flesh, etc. it is imperative to be as clean and thorough as possible. Well cleaned leaf fat is the preferred fat we use. Leaf fat is from around the organs of animals and is called such in most beings. The amount of flesh still remaining in the fat makes the active rendering process more difficult and can add contaminants which increase the risk of the final product becoming rancid.
Once we have our well trimmed and glorious leaf fat (the process from here is the same regardless on the cut of fat), we want to make the pieces as small as possible. This will require lower temperatures and less time for the rendering process. If you have a grinder, that works, or bust out a knife and sharpen your knife skills. Ideally, we want our pieces to be at most 1/2in by 1/2in. There are a few ways of heating the fat. The goal is to heat the fat molecules which are structured in the flesh to their melting point without cooking the flesh structure.
Methods:
There are several ways in which you can separate the pure fat from the structured flesh which it resides. Here are the three main methods we’ve come across.
- Stovetop — place all the fat pieces in a pot over low heat stirring continuously until desired level of melted fat is reached. Strain out of pot and press the remaining chunks. If you cook this too far, you will fry the fat structure in it’s own fat and create cracklin’s; though, while tasty treats this impacts the scent and flavor of the resultant rendered fat which is less desirable for topical application. That is, unless you want to smell like bacon!
- Baking — place all the fat pieces in a pan large enough that the dept of the fat is no more than an inch. Put the pan into the oven at just around 200 degrees F. This will melt the fat without getting it too hot. Once desired level of melted fat is reach, strain off and press as in the stovetop method.
- Boiling — place all the fat into warm water and bring almost to a boil. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Once it is cool enough to handle, move to a cold place; refrigerator or the back porch in the winter months. Once everything cools, you’ll have a solid layer of fat floating at the top of the water. Remove the chunk of fat and pat it dry. You want to make sure you’ve gotten all the moisture out before storage.
All these methods have pros and cons. The method we mainly use at Primal Provisions is the baking method. This allows full use of our kitchen tools and from our experience reduces the risk of rancidity in our final product. A major tip which was revealed to me by a mentor is to strain off often and in separate containers. The first straining, before all the fat has melted, will likely be the purist and least fragrant and thus most desirable for topical use. The last straining will likely have cooked some of the flesh components and have an odor of the cooked flesh. This straining is GREAT for cooking. Inspect any of the middle strainings to see if any can be added to the “cosmetic” grade pour off — or first straining.
Storage
So now you have some beautifully rendered leaf fat — lard or tallow; what’s next? While these rendered versions will have long shelf lifes at room temperature which will typically last a year or two, if there are any impurities, moisture, bacteria, exposure to intense heat, etc. that shelf life can be impacted.
Our train of thought is to freeze what you don’t need immediately, keep some in the refrigerator for you to use occasionally, but have some on the counter that you use often. This will ensure the maximum use of all your rendered fat.
To take our products as an example. If you bought some of our Pine Balm for your friend for a Yuletide present in July, keep it in the freezer till then. If you have acute back or knee pain and got some of our Body Aid to help, keep it in the fridge to make sure it lasts as long as you need it. But, if you enjoy our Pit Paste or Balm on the daily, then obviously keep them in arms reach during your morning routine.
At a high level, we hold to the guideline that at room temp you can count on rendered fats to last a year to a year and a half, in the fridge you can get two to three years easily, and in the freezer it’ll last however long you need. Of course, this is all dependent on the quality of the starting fat you were so graciously given by our animal kin and the skill used in the rendering process.
Conclusions
Rendering fats is an age old process with deep ties to our existence as human. Engaging with animals of place and ancestral memories can be a rewarding process. Treat your animal kin and their gifts well, and they’ll last you a life time.