Short Answer:
Yes, tallow is Paleo!
What is Tallow?
Tallow is a fat rendered from beef or lamb. It comes from suet, which is a hard, raw fat of cows or sheep. Tallow is high in saturated fat making it solid in room temperature. It is also stable in high heat which makes it a good addition to your Paleo kitchen. Tallow is 50% saturated fat, 42% monounsaturated fat and 4% polyunsaturated fat.
Tallow is mainly used in the production of soap, animal feeds and even biodiesel. In cooking, it is used as shortening or as fat for frying.
Make Your Own Tallow!
Grass-fed tallow is the best option if you would like to use it in cooking. They are available in the market but you cannot guarantee the source. It would be economical if you would render it yourself as it may only require few simple steps.
- Obtain your fat. Go ahead and buy fats from grass-fed cows. You can also contact a local butcher for fat scraps or trimmings and get it for free.
- Cut the fat into smaller pieces. Remove as much meat and tissues as possible and the bloody portions too. By cutting the fat into small pieces, you can ensure that it will be cooked evenly.
- Put the fat in a pot. It will be better if you are using a thicker pot for the heat to be evenly distributed. At the same time, it will avoid burning the meat which can result to carcinogen formation.
- Turn the heat on the lowest setting and cover the pot. The fat can take hours to be melted. While it is cooking, occasionally stir the fats and make sure that there is no fat sticking to the pot.
- Strain the fat. Once the fat has been melted, use a strainer to drain the fat in a bowl or jar.
- Let the fat cool. After straining the fat, cover it with a paper towel and allow it to cool. When your tallow is ready, it will turn solid with a white color.
- Use your tallow! Tallow has a savory flavor. You can now use it to stir fry food and other recipes.
Why Use Tallow?
Like any other animal fats, tallow offers benefits.
- Tallow is a stable fat. You can use it even in high heat cooking like frying, grilling and roating without resulting to free radicals.
- The saturated fats in tallow can provide an excellent energy for the body to use.
- Like lard, tallow is a good source of Vitamin D too which helps in the absorption of calcium that makes the bones strong.
- Tallow has palmitic, stearic and myristic acids are saturated fats which have anti-microbial and antioxidant properties.
- Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is present in grass fed beef fats. It is a powerful fat burner. Some studies showed that it can reduce the risk of cancer and is protective of heart diseases. It ialso has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Beef tallow is also a good source of omega 3, beta carotene and Vitamins E, A & K.
- Tallow is cheap and can be free in some cases. Some butchers just throw away the fat trimmings of beef.
What Experts Say About Tallow.. Is It Paleo?
“Gradually replace all vegetable oils in your diet with healthy traditional fats (which are protected from oxidative stress) such as butter, virgin (unrefined) coconut oil, palm oil, lard and beef tallow”. – Chris Kresser
All you ever wanted to know about Tallow and Paleo
Mark’s Daily Apple. A Primal Primer: Animal Fats
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/yet-another-primal-primer-animal-fats/#axzz3XwF4YTXi
Mark’s Daily Apple. How to Render Beef Tallow
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-render-beef-tallow/#axzz3XwF4YZvW
The Paleo Review. Fat Works Leaf Lard & Pure Tallow
http://www.thepaleoreview.com/2014/02/fat-works-leaf-lard-pure-tallow.html
Chris Kresser. 5 fats you should be cooking with – but may not be
http://chriskresser.com/5-fats-you-should-be-cooking-with-but-may-not-be/
Living Paleo. Making Your Own Tallow (Rendered Beef Fat)
http://www.livingpaleo.com/making-your-own-tallow-rendered-beef-fat/
The Paleo List. Is Tallow Paleo?
http://thepaleolist.com/2013/02/08/is-tallow-paleo/
The Paleo Mom. Home-Rendered Tallow (It’s EASY!)
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/05/recipe-home-rendered-tallow-its-easy.html
Paleo Leap. EAT THIS: ANIMAL FAT
http://paleoleap.com/eat-animal-fat/
Paleo Leap. Rendering Fat
http://paleoleap.com/rendering-fat/
Paleo Plan. Make Your Own Tallow
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/12-02/make-your-own-tallow/
Real Food Forager. Four Reasons To Use Beef Tallow
http://realfoodforager.com/four-reasons-to-use-beef-tallow/
Paleo Porn. Is Tallow Paleo?
http://paleoporn.net/q/is-tallow-paleo/
Perfect Health Diet. Beef Tallow
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/07/beef-tallow/
Did we miss anything?
Comment below and let us know what you think. Do you agree with our conclusion?
photo credit: Beef Tallow in Cast Iron Skillet