Tallow For Cooking

Beef Tallow: The Timeless Cooking Fat Making a Comeback

Beef tallow has been a staple in kitchens for centuries, prized for its versatility, flavor, and nutrient-rich profile. Yet, over the past few decades, it fell out of favor, replaced by heavily processed seed oils. Today, as more people turn back to traditional cooking methods and whole-food ingredients, beef tallow is experiencing a resurgence—and for good reason.

What Is Beef Tallow?

Beef tallow is simply rendered beef fat. While it’s often compared to suet or lard, tallow is unique due to its specific rendering process, which transforms raw suet into a smooth, stable, and versatile fat.

Tallow vs. Suet vs. Lard:

Lard refers to rendered pork fat and, in some cases, duck fat.

Tallow and suet refer to beef fat or fat from other ruminant animals like sheep or elk.

Suet is the raw, hard fat found around the kidneys and loins of cows. It has a gritty texture, making it ideal for baking applications like pastries and pie crusts.

Once suet is slowly melted and strained, it becomes tallow—smooth, firm, and perfect for cooking.

Before the advent of refrigeration and preservatives, beef tallow was indispensable. It’s solid at room temperature, shelf-stable for up to 12 months, and incredibly versatile. Beyond the kitchen, tallow has historically been used for candles, soaps, skin salves, and even industrial lubricants.

A Return to Traditional Fats

For most of human history, animal fats like tallow and lard were the go-to cooking oils. Even fast-food giants like McDonald’s used tallow for frying until the mid-20th century, when subsidized seed oils (soy, corn) became the cheaper option and “vegetable oils” were marketed as healthier alternatives.

But modern research has challenged these narratives. There’s no solid scientific evidence linking natural animal fats or eggs directly to heart disease or clogged arteries. Instead, natural saturated fats like tallow are being recognized as nutrient-dense, stable, and beneficial when consumed in moderation.

The Benefits of Beef Tallow

1. Rich in Healthy Fats
   Beef tallow contains monounsaturated fats, which help support heart health and balance cholesterol levels.
2. A Natural Source of Vitamins
   Packed with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, tallow helps strengthen bones, boost immunity, and promote skin health.
3. Perfect for Cooking
   With a high smoke point (around 400°F), tallow is ideal for frying and sautéing. It stays stable at high temperatures and doesn’t break down into harmful byproducts. Plus, it adds a rich, savory flavor to vegetables, skillet potatoes, and meat dishes.
4. Supports Skin Health
   Tallow is a powerful natural moisturizer. Its omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants nourish and protect the skin, making it a popular ingredient in balms, soaps, and healing salves.
5. Sustainable and Ethical
   Tallow is a byproduct of the meat industry. Using it helps ensure that every part of the animal is utilized, reducing waste and supporting more sustainable food practices.

Grass-Fed vs. Regular Beef Tallow

Not all tallow is created equal. The nutritional and environmental benefits vary depending on how the cattle are raised.

1. Sourcing and Production

Grass-Fed Beef Tallow
Sourced from pasture-raised cows, grass-fed tallow is free from antibiotics and synthetic hormones. These cows graze on natural grasses, leading to superior nutritional quality and lower environmental impact.

Regular Beef Tallow
Comes from conventionally raised cows fed grain-based diets. It often contains more omega-6 fatty acids and may carry residues from antibiotics or other treatments.

2. Nutritional Profile

Grass-Fed Tallow has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), both known for their anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy benefits.

Both types of tallow are rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, but grass-fed varieties contain these nutrients in higher concentrations.

3. Flavor and Culinary Uses

Grass-Fed Tallow: Richer, cleaner, and slightly earthy flavor—perfect for roasting and frying.

Regular Tallow: Milder taste, ideal when you don’t want a pronounced beefy flavor.

4. Health Benefits

Grass-fed tallow supports cardiovascular health thanks to vitamin E and CLA, while its balanced omega-3 profile helps reduce inflammation.

5. Environmental and Ethical Impact

Grass-fed tallow supports sustainable farming, healthier ecosystems, and better soil quality. Conventional tallow, often tied to industrial feedlots, has a higher environmental footprint.

6. Price and Accessibility

Grass-fed tallow is pricier due to ethical and sustainable practices, but many find its nutritional benefits and superior taste worth the investment. Regular tallow, however, remains a better option than refined seed oils.

Twine & Co: Skincare Powered by Quality Tallow

At Twine & Co, we use only the highest quality grass-fed tallow—wet rendered and triple filtered—in our skincare products. Why? Because your skin is your largest organ, with some sources indicating that it can absorb up to 70% of what is applied to it

Remember: Treat your skin as well as you treat your body!