Suet vs. Tallow: What's The Difference?

Today we're talking about tallow, suet, and beef fat. And apparently, I'm going to have to revisit some of what I learned in culinary school, because the internet has decided to make things complicated again.

Over the past few years, we started getting more and more calls asking if we sold tallow.

Then I started noticing tallow products popping up everywhere. Farmers markets, websites, social media. Tallow soaps, tallow lotions, tallow balms, tallow moisturizers.

Apparently, we're putting beef fat on everything now.

Which, honestly, I'm not opposed to. I love cooking with animal fats, and I'm all for finding ways to use more of the animals we raise.

But then I started looking into making tallow myself.

How YouTube Made Me Question Culinary School

I wasn't necessarily trying to learn how to render fat from scratch. I already understood the basic process.

What I really wanted to know was how people were getting tallow to whip into those fluffy-looking skincare products.

So, naturally, I went to YouTube.

Which is where perfectly reasonable questions go to become three-hour research projects.

The first video I found showed someone collecting fat from a brisket he was smoking.

He called it tallow.

Okay...

Then I found another video where someone was taking random pieces of raw beef fat, melting them down, and calling the finished product tallow.

Wait a minute.

By the third video, I was starting to wonder if I'd completely forgotten everything I learned in culinary school.

Because I was pretty darn sure that tallow was supposed to come from suet.

Was I wrong? Had the definition changed? Was everybody just calling melted beef fat tallow now?

And more importantly, how did I go from wanting to whip some fat into a lotion to questioning my entire culinary education?

Well, down the rabbit hole I went.

Suet, Beef Fat, and Tallow: Let's Clear This Up

First, we need to talk about what these words actually mean, because they're related, but they aren't interchangeable.

What Is Beef Suet?

Suet is a specific type of hard fat found around the kidneys and loin area of cattle.

It's not just any old piece of fat you trim off a steak.

Suet tends to be firmer and has different characteristics from the softer fat you'll find elsewhere on the animal.

And traditionally, it's been prized for making tallow.

Which is exactly why I was so confused by those YouTube videos.

I was sitting there thinking, That's not suet. That's brisket fat. What are we doing here?

What Is Regular Beef Fat?

Regular beef fat is exactly what it sounds like.

It's the fat trimmed from different parts of the animal during butchering.

You might get fat from a brisket, around a roast, or from other areas of the carcass.

And here's the important part: you can absolutely render that fat and use it for cooking.

In fact, it's wonderful for cooking.

But different types of fat can produce different results, which is why I think knowing where your fat came from is actually useful.

What Is Beef Tallow?

Tallow is rendered beef fat.

That's the simplest way to explain it.

Rendering means gently heating fat so it melts, separating the liquid fat from the bits of tissue, and then straining it.

Once it cools, it becomes solid again.

And that finished product is what people generally call tallow.

Traditionally, suet has been especially valued as a source for tallow. But today, the word is commonly used for rendered beef fat from other parts of the animal, too.

So technically, those people on YouTube weren't necessarily wrong.

Which is annoying, because I'd already spent a considerable amount of time being confused by them.

Why Does It Matter Where the Fat Comes From?

Because not all beef fat behaves exactly the same way.

Suet generally produces a firmer tallow, and when it's properly trimmed and rendered, it can have a fairly mild aroma.

Fat from other areas of the animal can have a stronger beef flavor or a softer texture, depending on the source and how it's processed.

And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It just depends on what you're planning to do with it.

If I'm frying potatoes, I don't mind a little extra beef flavor.

Actually, I rather like it.

But if I'm making something to put on my face?

Well, that's a different conversation.

Cooking Tallow Versus Skincare Tallow

Now, I'm not going to pretend to be a skincare expert.

I went to culinary school, not cosmetology school.

But I do know what I prefer when I'm working with different types of beef fat.

For skincare, I prefer starting with suet.

When it's carefully trimmed and rendered, I like the firmer texture and milder smell.

Because as much as I love beef, I don't particularly want to walk around smelling like a pot roast.

Mostly because Riley would probably spend the entire day following me around the house trying to figure out why I smell like a dog treat.

And honestly, I already have enough animals following me around looking for food.

For cooking, though?

Give me the beef fat.

Rendered beef fat is fantastic for roasting vegetables, frying potatoes, or searing a steak.

And when you think about how much usable fat comes from processing a beef animal, it seems ridiculous to let it all go to waste.

Especially when it makes potatoes taste that good.

Irish Dexter Fat Versus Akaushi Wagyu Fat

One of the interesting things about raising both Irish Dexter cattle and Akaushi Wagyu is getting to see how different cattle can be.

And not just in size.

Fat composition and texture can vary depending on genetics, diet, and the individual animal.

Wagyu cattle, in particular, are known for their marbling and distinctive fat characteristics.

And if you've read our story about why we brought Akaushi Wagyu to the farm, you already know how fascinated we've become with those genetics.

Meanwhile, our 100% grass-fed Irish Dexters continue to be one of my favorite examples of why heritage cattle deserve more attention.

The point is, there's a whole lot more to a beef animal than steaks and hamburger.

There's the fat, the bones, the organs, and all sorts of useful things that don't always get much attention at the grocery store.

And the more we learn, the more I appreciate how much these animals provide.

Want to Try Rendering Your Own Tallow?

If you've never rendered beef fat before, it's actually a pretty straightforward process.

You start with raw fat, trim away as much meat and connective tissue as you reasonably can, and cut the fat into small pieces.

Then you gently heat it over low heat until the fat melts and separates from the remaining solids.

Strain out the solids, and you've got rendered beef fat.

That's the basic idea.

Of course, there's a little more to it if you're trying to get a very mild-smelling, highly refined product for skincare. And if you're planning to make skincare products, you'll want to pay attention to cleanliness, formulation, and proper storage.

But for cooking? You don't need to turn it into a complicated science experiment.

Although, knowing me, that's probably exactly what I'll end up doing.

From Our Freezer to Your Kitchen

At Fluffy Butt Farms, we like to make as much of the animal available as we can.

That includes beef suet from our 100% grass-fed Irish Dexter cattle.

If you're interested in making your own tallow, especially a firmer, milder product, suet is a great place to start.

We also offer larger bags of raw beef fat from our Akaushi Wagyu cattle for people who want to render their own cooking fat.

And if you're wondering why we don't just render all of it ourselves?

Well, have you seen our to-do list?

We've got chickens to move, cows to feed, pigs to manage, and approximately a million other things that need attention before bedtime.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is provide the ingredients and let you have the fun in your own kitchen.

So, Was I Wrong About Tallow?

Not exactly.

I learned that suet was the traditional fat prized for making tallow, and that's still useful information.

But the way people use the word tallow today is broader than what I had in mind.

And that's okay.

The important thing is knowing what you're buying and what you want to use it for.

Suet is a specific type of raw beef fat. Tallow is what you get when you render beef fat. And the fat you start with can make a difference in the finished product.

There. Mystery solved.

Now I can get back to what I was originally trying to figure out.

How on earth are these people whipping tallow into something that looks like frosting?

And more importantly, how do I keep Riley from trying to lick it off me?

XOXO,

Tawney