Do you know your Tallow from your Suet? These traditional cooking and naturally nutrient dense dietary fats are making a welcome comeback.
Modern, high fat, low carb, low inflammatory diets like the Carnivore Diet, Paleo, AIP and Ketogenic Diets have turned this beef fat into a shining star but there is still quite a bit of confusion out there on the difference between Suet and Tallow. In this article we explain:
Beef Suet is the hard fatty part of the cow that surrounds the kidneys and around the loins of the carcass. Beef Suet has a white appearance, slightly crumbly, and almost dry to the touch. Suet has a melting point of between 113 °F (45 °C) and 122 °F (50 °C).
The high smoke point of Suet makes it the perfect beef fat for stable frying and was a traditional way of making calorie-dense pastries, puddings, and pies.
Tallow is the rendered or melted down version of suet. Tallow is simple to make at home DIY and gives you a clean, healthy animal fat that you can cook with, baste with, sauté, deep fry, or even spread like butter. Just a couple of generations ago and before the modern obesity and diabetes pandemic, beef tallow (rendered suet) was what people used to cook with as their main cooking oil.
Not only does Beef Tallow have a very high smoke point and a long shelf life at room temperature, but it’s also a way to ensure we’re using the whole animal in our cooking ~ a practice our forefathers understood the value of and that we’re re-learning how to do today with nose to tail eating.
Suet is a cooking ingredient and type of animal fat that collects around the kidneys of cows, sheep, and mutton. Suet has a mild flavor and high levels of triglyceride stearin, which gives it the ability to lend a spongy, light texture to baked goods like pie crusts, dumplings, and pastries.
WHERE TO BUY SUET?
To ensure the highest quality and purity, we suggest you buy suet:
- Directly from a reputable certified organic beef farm verified as Grass-fed by an independent verification body.
- A local butcher that has access to Certified Organic Grass-fed Beef.
- Starting in 2021, you can purchase Organic Grass-fed Suet and have it delivered to your home by TruBeef.
Try Our Organic Grass-fed Beef Suet.
Delivery to all lower 48 States
SUET AND BIRD FEEDERS? ~ YOUR FRIEND IN THE GARDEN.
At TruBeef, we are all for biodiversity no matter where you live and here is a great Suet Tip to bring some new life to your urban or rural garden: Beef Suet attracts insect-eating birds live as woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice into your garden if you have a Suet bird feeder / fat cake feeder.
Gardeners have known for generations how these birds LOVE SUET so its a great way to attract these helpful feathered friends into your garden for more diversity, natural sounds of nature and let them do their job as Mother Natures natural insect control.
5 Ways Tallow (Beef Fat) Can Help You Lose Weight
FAQ
What is the difference between suet and fat?
Is suet healthy or unhealthy?
Is suet pure fat?
What do Americans call suet?
Is suet a good fat?
Suet is an amazing fat that makes producing delicious, flaky pastries incredibly easy. It’s used in many meat pie-like recipes as well as in blood puddings and more. If you’re a fan of baked goods, it might be a good idea to ask your local butcher about where you can acquire some suet.
What are saturated fats?
The term “saturated” refers to its chemical structure, as these fats are characterized by a chain where all the carbon atoms are joined only by single bonds, as they are already saturated by bonds with hydrogen atoms. They are generally solid at room temperature. This type of fat is usually found in meat and other animal products, and increases bad cholesterol (LDL), which is deposited in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart problems.
How do you define suet?
In order to define suet, you have to first understand the anatomy of a cow. Different parts of the cow have different types of fat. This includes somewhat hard fats (like the fat you might find on a steak) that might not melt completely at high heat and less solid fats like suet. Suet is specifically found around joints and near kidneys.
What is beef suet?
Beef suet is a key ingredient in many recipes, including English pastries, meat puddings, and soups and sauces around the world. Find out what suet is and how to use it here!