first time using tallow

[Maythorn]

I have heard of being able to smell the tallow in cured bars but I can't smell lard at over 40% yet anyway. I don't have lard bars that are much more than about a year old.

I would love to place an order at Soaper's Choice and get so many things I need.

 

[ClaraSuds]

Now that I've rendered both beef and hog here's a comparison.

Hog fatback - more smelly to render and higher chance of smelly fat. The rendered fat is very soft, barely solid at room temp but extremely white. Looks like its been commercially bleached. Apparently dry rendering it in a crokpot will result in an odourless fat. Takes longer to render than beef and cutting fatback into chunks isnt much fun ( need a sharp knife) the fat tends to melt on skin contact and is quite creepy to handle. Least favourite thing to do. Rendering yield about 60% of dry weight.

Beef kidney leaf - much nicer to handle basically because its very dry, flaky stuff a bit like beeswax. Chopping it up is a breeze you just shave it into chunks with a knife and it basically crumbles. Although it looks horrible ( like an internal organ) the feel of touching it isn't half as icky as pork fat. Rendered its an ivory cream colour with very low residual scent and much harder than lard at room temp. Rendering yield 90% of dry weight.

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

My MIL has been rendering her own lard for like 40 years. not for soap but to cook with. she freezes it, grinds it than renders. This way she dosent need to chop (some would say thats the worst part) When I get animal fat from my butcher he dose this for me. You may have to bribe them , or offer a small fee. but it almost cuts the work in half. The little ground up bits can just be straind out. As for the smell, this work can be done outside...