boyago
Well-Known Member
What's leaf lard?
Lionprincess's rendering method - A+!
- Thread starter dixiedragon
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What's leaf lard?
Lard from around the kidneys is leaf lard. Very good quality and wonderful in pie crusts.
I can't buy 100% tallow locally. If I am going to try it without spending $22 shipping for a small enough amount that a hobby soaper can manage to use it before spoiling, I need to render it.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
While I don't have access to store-bought tallow, I think that rendering your own would be better for you than ordering online, because do you really want to try to store a 35 lb container of tallow somewhere?
that being said, in your case I'd stick to lard which you can buy in small shelf-stable tubs.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
Tallow tragedy - I left my pot of tallow outside overnight and forgot to put it in the fridge the next morning. One of the dogs (I'm SHOCKED only 1 found it), got into it and ate a bunch. Then threw it up. So I'm sadly sponging all that wasted tallow out of the carpet. And bathing the dog.
Had the tallow not be nearly odorless, I would have figured out why the dog's coat was so greasy much faster.
Had the tallow not be nearly odorless, I would have figured out why the dog's coat was so greasy much faster.
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Oh that's awful Dixie! So sorry!!!
DD, the problem is that it is really hard to find tallow/lard to render in my area. I have tried in a number of groceries and no one will sell it to me. Just wondering if it is worth continuing to try. Re your advice on lard, I have been buying one of those little 4 lb tubs almost every week, just gave up and bought a 50 lb one, it was so much cheaper. Which I will have to cut up and keep in the fridge, that will not be fun. But I figure it should keep there for 6 mos or so, right?
LBussy
Well-Known Member
Susie, I buy my tallow from this lady. It's excellent and she seems to know from whence she speaks:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/tallow_chandler
Comes in 1# vacuum-sealed bags which I leave in my freezer till I need one.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
Where do you live? I have had luck with Piggly Wiggly and Earth Fare. IIRC, another soaper gets Whole Foods to save their scraps for her.
I can't find lard locally in more than 4 lbs. I will probably break down and start ordering it from Soaper's Choice.
Another option is to buy a bunch of ground beef, cook it and clean the fat drippings.
FlybyStardancer
Well-Known Member
Not_ally is from Los Angeles in Southern California. My experience up here in almost-as-big-city NorCal is that you can only really find chains that have strict policy adherence. We can either get the 1 or 4 lb lards from the grocery store, or we can go to S&F and get one of the 50lb of the lard or tallow. There's really no other option other than, as you mentioned, buying a lot of meat to get the drippings. And that produces either not enough fat, or too much meat. (And either introducing a bunch of contaminants in the form of salt and pepper, or ending up with flavorless meat...)
Spot on, Stardancer. Here in LA you have the choice of too little or too much w/r/t buying animal fats for soaping. Although I am glad that I at least have those options, I don't think I would even have tried lard/tallow if I had to mail order.
DD, you must live in the South. I went to school there, I loved the name "Piggly Wiggly". It was so unapologetic, or unironic, or something else good.
DD, you must live in the South. I went to school there, I loved the name "Piggly Wiggly". It was so unapologetic, or unironic, or something else good.
When you add baking soda, the foaming could come from saponification of fatty acids (in other words, yes, you're making a bit of soap) or it could come from the baking soda reacting with other acids in the fat. Either way, you should see some foaming going on until the baking soda and acid reaction settles down -- that's carbon dioxide gas being released by the chemical reaction.
If you see white bits floating on or near the top of the clear fat after adding soda, that's probably soap. For soap making fat, these soapy bits are really no problem. For cooking fat, you might want to strain the white bits out. They won't hurt a person to eat them, but I don't relish the idea of eating soap bits in my pie crust.
If you see white bits floating on or near the top of the clear fat after adding soda, that's probably soap. For soap making fat, these soapy bits are really no problem. For cooking fat, you might want to strain the white bits out. They won't hurt a person to eat them, but I don't relish the idea of eating soap bits in my pie crust.
ngian
Well-Known Member
I had to call a local small shop butcher to find someone to sell me beef fat. A typical "mom and pop" shop. I also had to wait until March to do it because they were still making sausage from hunting season, so they used all fat. I doubt I will ever render tallow again, because I just needed a bit to try before ordering online. But it has been a great learning experience.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
Yes, I do live in the South. Piggly Wiggly is awesome, b/c it's not really a chain - the stores are independently owned. They are all joined together for buying power. The Piggly Wiggly in the upscale part of town has a nice wine and cheese selection and live lobsters. The Piggly Wiggly in the area with a higher Mexican population carries cactus leaves and chayote squash. The Piggly Wiggly in the very rural area has pig feet, chicken feet, and fat back.
I have a question
Has anyone tried to dump ice into the tallow pot to solidify the fat so it can just be lifted off the yucky water rather than strained off?
I realized I had no help to lift that 12 qt pot of melted tallow/gunky water, and being 5'3"(160 cm) tall, I have no good angles when trying to pour from a tall container. I remembered the ice trick for getting fat off of stock in a hurry, so I dumped ice into the tallow. I then spooned really good looking tallow/clean ice off of the water with very little yucky attached.
Has anyone tried to dump ice into the tallow pot to solidify the fat so it can just be lifted off the yucky water rather than strained off?
I realized I had no help to lift that 12 qt pot of melted tallow/gunky water, and being 5'3"(160 cm) tall, I have no good angles when trying to pour from a tall container. I remembered the ice trick for getting fat off of stock in a hurry, so I dumped ice into the tallow. I then spooned really good looking tallow/clean ice off of the water with very little yucky attached.
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No. I have a small sieve that fits into a large stock pot. I use that to strain the fat leftovers out, then pour the rest of the liquids and solids through. I'm 5'1" so I totally get the small thing!
I pour the liquid into a very large ceramic bowl. I refrigerate a day and pry up the fat disc with a paring knife.
I've never used ice to speed the process. Something to consider!
Edit. That's like 155 cm. I feel so short right now lol!
I pour the liquid into a very large ceramic bowl. I refrigerate a day and pry up the fat disc with a paring knife.
I've never used ice to speed the process. Something to consider!
Edit. That's like 155 cm. I feel so short right now lol!
I am teeny, too, 5 ft on a good, tall-standing day. I hate (a) having to use a step stool to get to all the tall shelves and (b) having to hoist a 50 lb box of lard out of the store and up a flight of steps, it weighs half as much as I do and I always think the neighbors are laughing. I wish Amazon Prime sold lard at good prices 
DD, back in the day when I lived in Durham, NC, the Piggly Wiggly was all about Southern stuff. I love the idea that they are independently owned and that they cater to the community, did not know that.
DD, back in the day when I lived in Durham, NC, the Piggly Wiggly was all about Southern stuff. I love the idea that they are independently owned and that they cater to the community, did not know that.
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Sonya-m
Well-Known Member
We're a bunch of midgets!! I'm only 5ft 3 too!!
We are going to have to start a non-hijack thread on where to buy jeans for short people. Although I usually just get them from the second hand store and wear with clogs if necessary
