Traditionally, rendering fat was done by slowly cooking down animal fats. This skill is becoming popular again in homestead kitchens. It’s cheap, easy, and gives you a lot of different fats that you can use for cooking at high temperatures and making candles, soap, and skin care products.
One more great thing about using animal fats is that they can be found locally, unlike imported fats like avocado, coconut, or olive oil. It’s also an excellent nose-to-tail eating strategy!.
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Rendering is the process of gently cooking down and clarifying raw animal fat. Raw fat contains impurities and rendering it down causes the impurities to clump together, allowing for easy removal. This results in a clean, usable, shelf-stable fat source. A true nose-to-tail eating strategy!.
This rendered fat source can now be used for high-heat cooking, body balms, soap, candles, etc. Rendering can be done in two ways: dry heat or wet heat. It’s very flexible.
This method includes gently cooking down the animal fat on its own (no added water). It may require close supervision to make sure that it doesn’t burn. But if you use a crockpot, which is the method I suggest, there is almost no chance of burning.
This method includes gently cooking down the animal fat with some water. This will keep it from burning, but you will have to take an extra step to make sure all the water is gone, or else it will go bad.
When cooking a whole turkey you’re left with delicious pan drippings and fat. Rather than discarding the fat you can easily render it into valuable turkey lard or schmaltz. Rendering concentrates the flavor and allows you to save the fat for high-heat cooking or flavorful baking.
Read on to learn the basics of rendering along with tips, tricks and usage ideas to make the most of your turkey fat.
What is Rendering?
Rendering is the process of slowly melting animal fat to separate and extract the liquid fat from the solid connective tissues and meat bits. What’s left is pure, shelf-stable fat perfect for cooking.
Rendering turkey fat provides
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Turkey lard – Made from fat around the abdomen. Contains more unsaturated fat.
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Turkey schmaltz – Made from fat near the tail and thighs Higher in saturated fat
Either can be rendered into a versatile cooking fat.
Why Render Turkey Fat?
Rendering provides several advantages over simply collecting raw fat drippings:
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Intensifies flavor – Removes impurities leaving pure, turkey-flavored fat.
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Increases stability – Allows fat to be stored and used for months.
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Improves versatility – Excellent for frying, sautéing, roasting at high temps.
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Adds richness – Can enhance baked goods, bread, cornbread, pie crusts.
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Sustainability – Makes use of the whole bird rather than discarding parts.
How to Render Turkey Fat
Rendering turkey fat is simple:
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Gather fat – Trim fat from turkey before or after cooking. Skin and pan drippings work too.
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Chop fat – Cut fat into small 1/2 inch pieces for faster rendering.
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Simmer in water – Add enough water to cover pan bottom and simmer until fat melts.
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Strain and cool – Pour through a fine mesh strainer. Chill until solid.
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Store – Keep rendered fat refrigerated up to 3 months or frozen up to one year.
Tips for Rendering Turkey Fat
Follow these tips for perfect results:
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Render skin and fat separately since skin melts faster.
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Use low gentle heat to avoid burning or smoking.
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Add a few tablespoons of water if too much liquid cooks off.
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Stir occasionally to allow even melting.
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Strain in two batches if needed for clearer finished fat.
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Scrape off any browned milk solids on the bottom.
How to Use Rendered Turkey Fat
Turkey lard and schmaltz lend incredible flavor. Use for:
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Frying – Excellent for pan or deep frying. Withstands high heat.
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Sautéing – Great for sautéing veggies, eggs, potatoes and more.
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Roasting – Baste meats or coat veggies for added moisture and turkey flavor.
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Baking – Substitute 1:1 for butter or oil in baked goods recipes.
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Gravies – Whisk in pan drippings for intensely turkey flavored gravy.
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Salad dressings – Makes zesty vinaigrettes and creamy emulsified dressings.
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Compound butter – Blend into flavored butters for turkey meat, veggies and bread.
Storing and Handling Turkey Fat
Properly stored, rendered turkey fat keeps for months:
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Refrigerate – Keeps 3-4 months. Use clean jars with tight lids.
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Freeze – Keeps frozen up to one year. Portion into ice cube trays or muffin tins first.
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Shelf life – Smell and inspect periodically. Discard if rancid or moldy.
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Food safety – Refrigerate after opening. Discard if meat bits are present.
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Re-rendering – Can be filtered and re-rendered again if needed.
Common Questions About Rendering Turkey Fat
What’s the difference between lard and schmaltz?
Lard comes from belly or back fat and has more unsaturated fat. Schmaltz comes from darker thigh and tail fat and contains more saturated fat. Both are great for cooking.
Can you render turkey skin?
Yes, turkey skin contains valuable fat that can be rendered on its own into schmaltz. Cook slowly over low heat.
How long does rendered turkey fat last?
In the fridge, rendered turkey fat lasts 3-4 months. In the freezer, it keeps for 6-12 months. Discard if smelling rancid or moldy.
Is rendered turkey fat healthy?
Turkey fat is high in monounsaturated and saturated fats. It’s very flavorful so you use less. Enjoy in moderation.
For Delicious Home Rendered Turkey Fat
Don’t throw away that valuable turkey fat and skin after holiday meals! Rendering it into schmaltz or lard captures all the delicious turkey flavor in a cooking fat that can be used for months. Simmer the chopped fat in water, strain, cool and store. Then use your homemade turkey fat for an amazing flavor boost to all kinds of recipes. Enjoy the benefits of naturally rendering and cooking with turkey fat.
Step 5: Transfer to a storage container
Pour into a storage container and wait until it cools completely before replacing the lid. When the rendered fat cools, it changes color from golden yellow to soft white. This depends on the type of fat. Schmaltz fat tends to be yellow (if pasture-raised), whereas lard and tallow tend to be white or off-white.
The storage container you want to use depends on the type of fat that you are rendering. Most rendered fats (lard, schmalz, bear grease, etc. ) are fairly soft and spreadable, so a mason jar works well. They also make super cute lard containers!.
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However, tallow is hard and needs to be “chipped away” to be used, so I like to use a shallow, glass food storage container. You can use a mason jar, but it can be challenging to get it back out.
Watch Me Render Tallow!
When rendered fat is completely cool, put it in a container that won’t let air in. This will keep it fresh for 4-6 months in the cupboard, 12 months in the fridge, or forever in the freezer. When I make a lot, I like to keep one container at room temperature so it’s easy to get to while the rest wait in the freezer.