can you buy beef tallow at the grocery store

Meat Section or Butcher Counter Many stores place beef tallows nearby, especially when they have an in-house butcher. Generally, you’ll find beef tallow in the meat section of your local grocery store, often alongside cuts of beef.
can you buy beef tallow at the grocery store

The best way to buy rendered tallow

The most ideal way to buy rendered tallow is to source it from a local farmer. You would want to look for a farmer that raises 100% grass fed cattle, processes them, and rendered the tallow themselves. That way you can meet the farmer, see the farm, and see first hand how the cattle were raised.

Besides, supporting local agriculture is always ideal! However, rendered tallow like this can be hard to find, so let’s talk further about more options.

It’s really not that hard to render beef fat into tallow once you know how to do it. I cover the entire process here. But, if you’re going to render tallow, you’ll need to to know where to buy some good beef fat.

You’ll want to look for beef fat from 100% grass fed and grass finished beef. This can sometimes be found in the meat section of specialty grocery stores and health food stores. If you don’t see it, ask at the meat counter, and they should be able to supply you with beef fat trimmings.

The most ideal way is to source beef fat from a local farmer that you know and trust. This is usually more easily done than finding a farmer that renders the tallow. Craigslist is a fabulous place to find local grass fed beef farmers.

Another way to locate high quality farms is through the resources page of your local Weston A. Price chapter’s website. This can be found by searching for a chapter near you from the main Weston A. Price Foundation website.

For lots of ideas on how to use your tallow, check out this post here on beef tallow uses.

Where to buy already rendered tallow

First let’s cover grocery stores. Small, independent health food stores and specialty grocery stores are great places to look. They are more likely to carry tallow than big chain supermarkets.

However, I wouldn’t overlook bigger health food stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts. And, if you don’t see tallow for sale in your favorite store, try asking them to start carrying it. Most likely they’ll be glad to do so.

If a grocery store does carry tallow, it will be already rendered and ready for use. Tallow can be found in containers in the refrigerated or frozen section, or on the shelf at room temperature in sealed jars. You’ll want to look for or ask for information on how the cattle were raised.

Another place where you can buy tallow already rendered is online. Depending on where you look, you’ll have to be careful to make sure the tallow is food grade, and not refined. You’ll also want to look for information on how the cattle were raised. Remember, 100% grass fed and grass finished has the highest beneficial nutrient content. As far as tallow sold online, I recommend this one here.

Where to Buy Tallow | Bumblebee Apothecary

FAQ

What is another name for beef tallow?

Tallow and suet are the terms used for beef fat, but you may also see them used to describe other types of ruminant animal fat, such as goat, sheep or elk. Tallow comes from the hard fatty tissue that surrounds organ meats, most often the kidneys and loins of the cow.

Is beef tallow just lard?

Tallow is rendered fat from ruminants, including cattle, bison, and lamb, whereas lard is rendered fat from pigs, boars, and other similar animals. Both are common cooking fats but are also used in other ways such as industrial lubricants. For frying and a beefier taste, use tallow.

Can you get beef tallow from butcher?

It depends on the farmer and butcher, but if you don’t ask for the fat it may not be included in your order. So, make sure to double check! If you want to make tallow but you don’t want to order meat in bulk, you could try talking to a local farmer or butcher to see if they would sell you just the fat.

What is the difference between beef fat and tallow?

“Tallow” is a fancy name for rendered fat. Specifically, beef tallow is beef fat that has been cooked down with impurities removed. Tallow is a liquid when heated and a solid when cool, making it a great substitution for oil and butter in recipes.

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