Beef Tallow: Benefits, Preparation, and Uses


Age-old recipes and remedies withstand the test of time for a reason—because they work—and beef tallow is a centuries-old ingredient that’s making a comeback. Beef tallow is premium rendered beef fat, with a host of uses that include culinary, beauty, and health applications. It’s having a resurgence — touted by beauty influencers and health gurus alike as a miracle product that acts as nature’s salve—plus, it’s sustainable, as it utilizes otherwise discarded animal parts. In reality, beef tallow has been used for thousands of years to disinfect, nourish, preserve, flavor, and hydrate the human experience.

O’Naturelle Founder Adam’s family of farmers has been making beef tallow for generations, and he carries the torch by meticulously rendering the highest quality grass-fed beef tallow to create nourishing tallow soap and tallow shampoo bars. O’Naturelle beef tallow soap isn’t just good for you and the planet—it carries on the legacy and traditions otherwise lost to global-scale corporations that pump harmful chemicals into our everyday products absorbed into the skin.

You’ve found the most comprehensive guide online for everything beef tallow: how to make it, how to use it, why it’s so incredible for your health, and where it comes from. Keep reading for all the beef tallow knowledge you could ever need!

Understanding Beef Tallow


Beef tallow is a nourishing animal byproduct that comes from cow fat that’s heated up, rendered down, and strained to remove impurities. The pure tallow that remains solidifies into a butter-like, shelf-stable product that can be used in cooking and preserving food, making body lotions, soaps, salves, and so much more.

Is Beef Tallow Different from Lard and Suet?

“Lard” generally refers to rendered pork fat that comes from pigs, but can also refer to duck fat.

“Suet” refers to beef fat from cows, specifically sourced from the fatty tissue surrounding the kidneys of the cow. However, beef “tallow” is made from fat from the whole cow. 

Before the fatty beef tissue is rendered, it is called suet. When the suet is melted down slowly, the impurities and tough bits can be strained out, leaving pure and luscious tallow, which can be used in a variety of ways.

The quality of beef tallow greatly depends on where the meat is sourced. Studies by the National Library of Medicine have shown fatty tissues store environmental pollutants. If you consume low-quality beef tallow, you’re consuming the toxins the cattle were exposed to, including antibiotics and steroids among others. Gross. For this reason, it’s paramount to source high-quality, grass-fed, pasture-raised, antibiotic-free, organic and ethically-raised cattle whenever possible.

A Brief History of Beef Tallow

“Zero-waste” is just a modern buzzword that refers to the ancient ethos of using every single part of an animal that’s been killed. Rendering beef tallow is a practice that goes back generations, due to its versatile applications both in the kitchen and in beauty routines worldwide.

With a shelf-life of 12 months (and 2+ years when refrigerated!), beef tallow was a staple pantry ingredient before refrigeration and preservatives were the standard. Solid at room-temperature, beef tallow melts down and makes for an excellent cooking oil, with a host of nutritional benefits that cannot be found in vegetable oils. Plus, it has a much higher burning point than cooking oils — perhaps that’s why McDonald’s used to cook their french fries in beef tallow.

Today, chefs and the health-conscious are using beef tallow to elevate dishes, as it adds a sumptuous, buttery flavor. Wagyu beef tallow is a premium ingredient, sourced from world-famous Japanese Wagyu cows. Tallow can also be used as a conditioner for wooden cutting boards and cooking utensils (even leather!), or to season a cast-iron skillet.

With the resurgence of natural skincare, beef tallow is a trending “miracle ingredient,” but the use of beef tallow in cosmetics is nothing new. Our ancestors used beef tallow to make soaps, hydrating creams and salves to treat wounds and burns, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties. 

Due to its similar molecular profile to the biology of human skin cells, beef tallow mimics natural oil (sebum) production, helping to lock in deep moisture and fortify the skin barrier. Most modern skincare products use a cocktail of chemicals like mineral oil and paraffin to achieve the “emollient effect” that naturally occurs in beef tallow. This natural emollient effect traps in hydration and fills in the cracks on dry skin, making it an excellent treatment for psoriasis, eczema, and itchy skin. Beef tallow soap has a light and creamy lather that cleans the skin without stripping it dry with chemicals, like most soaps and body washes available today. When used in hair products, beef tallow adds a dose of fatty acids, which aid in smoothing frizz, coating the hair shaft, and soothing the scalp.

Is Beef Tallow Healthy?

High-quality beef tallow can make your skin glow, but it’s also packed with a multitude of phenomenal and essential vitamins. The nutrients that naturally occur in beef tallow increase cognitive function, decrease inflammation in the body, and stimulate collagen renewal, to name just a few benefits of this powerhouse ingredient. If you want to nerd out on the vitamins, read on.

Nutritional Profile of Beef Tallow

Packed with vitamins A, D, E, and K, beef tallow can naturally support the following body functions:

• Vision
• Immune function (aids in production of white blood cells which clear bacteria from the bloodstream)
• Skin health (prevents skin conditions, promotes cell growth, repair, and skin regeneration)
• Growth and development (maintenance of organs)
• Bone health
• Muscle function
• Mood regulation and health
• Antioxidant properties (protects cells from damage of free radicals, which are linked to chronic disease and aging)
• Heart health
• Cognitive health

Perhaps even more important are the healthy fatty acids present in beef tallow. These omega fatty acids are imperative for our health, but are not produced by humans naturally, so we must supplement with diet. Tallow is rich in 3 kinds of Omega fatty acids — let’s break them down:

• Omega 3: (alpha-linoleic acid) supports heart health, lowers depression and anxiety, reduces inflammation, supports brain and eye health
• Omega 6: (linoleic acid) brain function, bone health, stimulates skin and hair growth, regulates metabolism
• Omega 9: (oleic acid) promotes heart health by lowering bad LAL cholesterol levels while increasing good HDL cholesterol levels, source of energy

Palmitoleic acid is also in tallow which has antimicrobial properties that help your body fight infections, and can help prevent your skin from severe damage. “I know people with literally sandpaper skin, both genetically and from their work,” says Adam, “and tallow has made their skin as soft as a baby’s after about two weeks of repetitive use.”

 

Beef Tallow vs. Vegetable Oils: A Health Comparison

Breaking down the nutritional profiles of beef tallow vs. vegetable oils reveals the significant benefits associated with beef tallow.

While vegetable oils are widely used in the Western diet, a study by the National Institute of Health reveals why the most commonly used vegetable oils like corn oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil may contribute to inflammation and chronic diseases.

The nutritional benefit (or detriment) all comes down to the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (PUFAS) present. A diet that skews towards higher intake of omega-6 PUFAS  and lower omega-3 PUFAS produces pro-inflammatory molecules in the body. This exacerbates chronic inflammation that contributes to many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Many vegetable oils are rick in omega-6 PUFAS, thus contributing to inflammation in the body. Yikes.

Plus, many vegetable oils, including canola and sunflower, undergo extensive processing using chemical solvents, deodorizers, and high temperatures. This processing can strip away beneficial nutrients and potentially form harmful compounds. Partial hydrogenation, a process used to increase the stability and shelf-life of oils, can create unhealthy trans fats.

Cooking with vegetable oils can greatly impact its effects on the body. Vegetable oils abundant in PUFAS, like sunflower oil, are susceptible to oxidation when heated. This process can produce harmful compounds, including free radicals, which are linked to inflammation, cellular damage, and various diseases.

Tallow, on the other hand, is a healthy alternative to cooking with vegetable oils — and if you’re making the tallow yourself, you know exactly where it comes from, and that it’s free of harmful chemicals. 

Overall, beef tallow is not a rich source of PUFAS (unlike vegetable oils), which means it will not contribute to inflammation in the body. For this reason, tallow is a good option for those seeking to reduce their intake of omega-6 fatty acids and increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids from other dietary sources like fatty fish.

The quality of beef tallow significantly impacts its nutritional profile. A study on grass-fed beef tallow versus grain-fed revealed how diet choices in cattle impact the human diet down the line. Grass-fed beef tallow has lower PUFA content and better omega fatty acid ratio. It is a a more healthful option than grain-fed beef tallow, and is perfect for a diet aimed at reducing inflammation and chronic disease risk.

Plus, beef tallow has such a high boiling point, that you can essentially cook or fry anything in it, making it both versatile and safe.

The science speaks for itself—there are significant benefits to using grass-fed beef tallow over most vegetable oils, if lowering inflammation and chronic disease is a priority! 

Is Beef Tallow Healthier Than Olive Oil?

When it comes to comparing beef tallow and olive oil, it’s less a question of which is healthier, and more a question of how you’re using it.

Nutritionally, both beef tallow and olive oil are incredibly beneficial to your health. However, beef tallow does contain more Vitamin D than olive oil.

When cooking at higher temperatures (especially when frying food), beef tallow is more favorable than olive oil, as beef tallow has a very high smoke point. When heated beyond its smoke point, which is much lower than tallow’s, olive oil loses nutrients and quickly becomes unhealthy. It oxidizes, creating harmful compounds and free radicals that can lead to inflammation in the body. It also creates acrolein, which can irritate the respiratory tract.

Olive oil has a very neutral taste, while beef tallow can give a hint of beef flavor when used in cooking.

Beef tallow is solid at room temperature, while olive oil is liquid at room temperature.

All of these factors contribute to deciding which is preferred when cooking – olive oil vs. beef tallow. Olive oil is preferred when cooking at low temperatures or to finish a dish. For high-temperature coking, especially frying, tallow is by far the better option. In terms of nutritional benefit, both are excellent sources of nutrients and healthy fats. 

Is Beef Tallow Healthier Than Butter?

Both butter and tallow are beef byproducts, making them incredibly similar, yet with a few key differences. Nutritionally, both butter and beef tallow boast healthier benefits when derived from grass-fed cows as opposed to beef-fed.

Beef tallow expert Adam reports, “The application of tallow in a pan is identical to using butter.” However, tallow’s high smoke point makes it ideal for high-heat applications, while butter has a significantly lower smoke point, making it better for baking and flavoring.

Both butter and beef tallow contain cholesterol and saturated fats. While these were previously thought to directly increase the risk of heart disease, more recent research indicates that the impact of dietary saturated fat and cholesterol on blood cholesterol levels and heart health is more complex—it is more likely to be influenced by the overall dietary pattern.

How to Render Your Own Beef Tallow

The process of rendering beef tallow isn’t inherently difficult, but it does require attention to detail and some dedication. If you’d like to try your hand at producing your own batch of DIY beef tallow, here’s some tips and tricks Adam has picked up along the way, both as a heritage tallow artisan and founder/producer of O’Naturelle Tallow Soap.

Tools and Equipment You'll Need to Render Tallow

Here’s everything you’ll need to render your own beef tallow:

1. Slow cooker or crock pot... although you CAN do this in the oven with just a covered pot or pan, but it's easy to expedite the process and end up burning the the fat. This will not only leave you with less of a render, but also a lower quality fatty oil too.
2. Distilled water
3. Salt
4. Cheese cloth
5. Fine Metal Strainer 

6. Plastic bowl
7. Container or jar to store the rendered tallow.
8. An electric knife is ideal if you're cutting a lot of fat for large sums of tallow, in order to spare your hand from fatigue. This is not necessary, but beneficial if you’re rendering larger amounts.
   
   

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Beef Tallow

Insider tips on how to render the perfect DIY beef tallow.

1. Begin by sourcing your beef fat from a reputable butcher. Remember, organic and grass-fed beef are preferred—bonus points for Wagyu fat. Most butchers will be happy to sell you the suet trimmings at a good price (or even give them to you for free!), as these bits are often thrown away. If all you want is the fat ends for making beef tallow, ask if your butcher could grind the fat for you. If not, small chunks will work too. Trim off as many little attached meat pieces as you can—this will save you some time when straining the rendered fat later.
   
   
2. Freeze your beef fat cuts. When you’re ready to begin the tallow-making process, thaw the suet until they're about half-thawed. Completely frozen can make it difficult to chop, but completely thawed suet can be too gooey to cut. You'll have a tough time on both ends of the spectrum. A half-thaw allows for a solid enough compound, but still easy enough to cut-through. Dice into the smallest chunks you possibly can—patience is your friend.
   
   
3. Dump the diced beef fat into your crock pot or slow cooker, and sprinkle a few tablespoons of salt over the fat. The quantity is dependent on your quantity of fat.
   
   
4. Pour a few cups of distilled water over the salted half-thawed beef fat. DO NOT submerge the fat—a thumbnail depth of water minimum should suffice (depending on how much fat there is). The sole purpose of this is so you don't burn the fat, because it will be slow cooking at a relatively high temperature for a long period of time.
   
   
5. Cover and let sit for 12-24 hours. Again, dependent on quantity—the more there is, the longer it takes.
   
   
6. Stir after 4-6 hours to ensure all pieces are evenly cooked, in turn, ensuring a better render. Pro tip: If you don’t stir throughout the process, you’ll be left with fat that hasn’t rendered, leaving you with less tallow in the end.
   
   
7. After 24 hours, the chunks have either gotten VERY small (they won't completely dissipate with a large quantity) or have completely dissipated into just a "film" covering the top layer. At this point, turn the crock pot off and let cool for an hour. 
   
   
8. Pour all contents through a steel strainer into a plastic bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours. The water will have mostly separated, as well as the impurities—this creates a gelatin which is actually a premium product that can be used for jello, for animals (often in dog food), and has immense nutritional benefits. You'll be able to pop the hardened tallow out of the plastic bowl as one solid piece and dump the water/gelatin.
   
   
9. There will be impurities (brown) left on the bottom of the tallow and will need to be scraped off with a knife until it's COMPLETELY gone. 
   
   
10. Dampen with a towel and repeat the rendering process AGAIN. 
    
    
11. Put the 1st rendered version of tallow in the crock pot again. Add salt. Add distilled water. And let it cook for about 4-6 hours. 
    
    
12. After 4-6 hours of cooking, pour into your (now cleaned) bowl using a metal strainer AND a cheese cloth. The cheesecloth will help capture any remnants. 
    
    
13. Refrigerate for 15-24 hours. You'll have significantly less volume this time. Tallow renders at about a 10-15% ratio of the fat. (i.e: 100lbs of beef fat makes 15lbs of tallow)
    
    
14. There won't be any gelatin this time and generally very minimal impurities, but the water will have mostly evaporated or simmered to the bottom of the bowl. Again, flip the rendered tallow over and scrape off any impurities and dampen with a towel. 
    
    
15. There will still be some water left over once melted again, so as you're approaching the last few inches of fat, ladle it slowly and carefully. Water and oil won’t naturally mix, so the water will always simmer to the bottom.
16. Leave your jar of liquid tallow at room temperature or put in the fridge to harden and it's ready for use! 

So perhaps rendering your own beef tallow entails a few more steps than you bargained for—but bear in mind, these are instructions for rendering tallow suitable for use in cosmetics. You might find that rendering just once is plenty for at-home use.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Tallow Every Time

This process requires a lot of patience and hard work. You can't rush it. 

Rending your own beef tallow will smell throughout the house, so learn to embrace it—or render outdoors if possible! If you want less of a beefy smell/taste, you can always soak your hardened tallow in water + salt in the fridge for 24 hours. Alternatively, beef suet does not have a beefy smell whatsoever. 

Cheese cloth makes things much purer, much quicker. A steel strainer is only good when there's large visible chunks in the initial render. 

Triple render seems to be the sweet spot to achieve the perfect beef tallow consistency for creating soaps and shampoo bars.

Have any specific questions about the DIY beef tallow process? Leave your questions in the comments, or DM Adam on Twitter (@el_dominus).

Beyond the Kitchen: Diverse Uses of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow is a heritage product for a reason. Beyond its incredibly long, naturally occurring shelf-life, the many ways beef tallow can be applied to daily life made it a must-have ingredient in the homes of our ancestors. Let’s explore a few practical uses of beef tallow.

How to Cook with Beef Tallow

Beef tallow is a healthy ingredient that boasts benefits that far outweigh the use of vegetable oils and even butter. It adds a mild beef flavor to any recipe, which can be a subtle addition to flavor—but also render it perhaps not the first choice for, let’s say, a cake recipe.

With its high smoke point, beef tallow is ideal for frying foods, such as french fries (like McDonald’s used to do!) or pan-searing steaks. It operates like butter in the pan, so it’s perfect for any pan-frying to add a touch of complex flavor to the dish. However, unlike butter, it won’t burn easily! 

Beef Tallow in Skincare

Using beef tallow in skincare is a tradition that goes back generations—far before the days of scented body washes. Today, beef tallow is having a resurgence in skincare for its naturally nourishing properties, as we move away from blindly trusting mass-produced liquid soaps loaded with chemicals.

Historically, beef tallow has been used as a moisturizer, thanks to its high fat content. It was applied directly to the skin to soothe dryness and prevent the loss of moisture. The fatty acids in beef tallow create a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, acting as a natural shield against environmental stressors like harsh weather conditions and pollutants.

Today, beef tallow seems to be the new trendy ingredient in skincare, with the rise of natural and clean beauty in popular culture. Beef tallow can be found in balms, lotions, soaps and shampoos, as a naturally moisturizing ingredient. You can find beef tallow listed as a main ingredient in these modern-day formulations, alongside other natural ingredients like essential oils and plant extracts to create nourishing products for the skin and hair.

The use of beef tallow in skincare replaced the need for harsh chemical additives found in most commercial body washes and shampoos. This is ideal for individuals with sensitive skin or allergies, as using products with fewer synthetic ingredients may reduce skin irritation. With its natural moisturizing properties, beef tallow hydrates the skin without stripping away the natural oils present. Tallow-based soaps can provide gentle cleansing without disrupting the skin’s natural pH balance, as the makeup of beef tallow is chemically similar to that of humans.

For those with skin conditions like eczema, beef tallow could be your new favorite ingredient due to its emollient nature, which soothes and hydrates the skin. Those same reasons why our ancestors loved tallow—the protective barrier, the hydrating properties—are why it’s withstood the test of time and is still beloved today in this chemical-saturated modern world! 

Artisan Crafts Made with Tallow

Beef tallow’s versatility is truly staggering. Modern applications of beef tallow include: 

• Tallow soap
• Tallow shampoo bars
  
• Candles
• Leather care products
• Lubricant for woodworking and metalworking
• Artisanal cosmetics
• And so much more!

This is truly a miracle ingredient, with its application ranging from body care to home and kitchen! No wonder our ancestors kept beef tallow on-hand.

Embracing Sustainability: The Environmental Impact of Beef Tallow

From cosmetics to culinary uses, beef tallow’s resurgence is no surprise for this versatile ingredient. Besides its many modern uses, it's good for people and planet.

Beef Tallow and Zero-Waste Living

As an animal byproduct that utilizes an otherwise wasted part of the cow—the fat and suet—beef tallow is a sustainable and responsible product. It embraces the ethos of our ancestors…leave no part of the animal unused. With its incredibly long shelf life (without the need for any preservatives), not to mention its versatile applications, beef tallow is a must-have product for the sustainable home.

Beef tallow is naturally biodegradable, and much preferred over its synthetic alternatives, reducing non-biodegradable waste in landfills. Beef fat can often be sourced at your local butcher, oftentimes at no cost, reducing the carbon footprint overall of cattle. Plus, it’s an alternative to its synthetic counterparts used in cosmetics, which are oftentimes derived from petroleum (yikes!) and other chemicals. 

Beef tallow is a heritage product that is sustainable, healthy, good for the planet and your body, and keeps alive the wisdom and traditions of our ancestors.

Try it out, and let us know what you think!