Rendering Deer Tallow to use for Cooking Oil and Making Soap

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In this series we're going to share how we live off of the food that we grow in our community garden plots, or forage and hunt in the woods. This week we're rendering tallow from the hunting season and purifying it to use as cooking oil and for making tallow soap.
Listen to more of Ethan's original music here: / lennoxec

[@virginiacorralez2313]

I am vegetarian, but it doesn't matter for me. I really appreciate that you share your ideas and lifestyle with us. It is absolutely interesting and valuable.

[@abbagel779]

Ditto

[@lizpimentel2566]

Same here. I appreciate when people choose to eat meat by hunting it themselves rather than just picking it up at the store. Supporting local farms is nice as well but I think wild game is probably the best for the environment.

[@cheymckenziee]

Yes! I’m vegan but I 100% support using animal products gathered in ethical and sustainable ways like they use. In my opinion they’re an example of how humans do fit into the wildlife food chain, it becomes unethical when you’re totally dependent on factory farms and their horrible practices. (Still no hate to low income people/people in food deserts who have to make due with the options they have either tho)

[@corgimom5626]

The way you utilize every part of the deer is fantastic.

[@lauraschlieselhuber8487]

I appreciate the fact that you used the whole deer with your neighbours. That's a great way to build community, which can change survival into comfort, really, and I feel that it's respectful for the animal. That deer didn't die just for its meat.

[@brandynash1409]

I like to see you using deer. That’s our main source of meat and has been all my life. My dad is a taxidermist and I grew up learning to preserve animal hides. My son has a deer hide vest that he loves and all my children have had a “lovey” made out of rabbit hide as babies. We also use all bones for broth. I usually get 15 quarts of broth from 1 deer. I love to slow cook my beans (we mainly do purple hull because we have hot summers) in bone broth. Especially if the bones were smoked instead of roasted before making the broth. We average 8 deer each year. We save the liver and heart too. I usually dehydrate them with salt and pepper and break the liver into quarter size pieces for our daily “vitamin”. We just eat the heart for jerky. I want to grind some of the organs into the meat and use my garden herbs for a sausage. Deer liver is very strong though. We also have a smokehouse to smoke links. Save all the fat from our deer broth. It is loaded with marrow fat and is so good for you. I usually get roughly 1 pint per deer just from the bones. Be careful with leaf fat (inside cavity) and make sure you remove all glands so it doesn’t have a gamey taste. We trim any dirty meat off, cut out glands, and some bones and get about 5 or 6 quart bags of scrap meat per deer for our dog. He gets a couple a week. Enjoy watching you from South Arkansas!

[@brandynash1409]

We also use our deer tallow for lotion. We only heat with wood and it’s very helpful in the winter for moisturizer.

[@saraherber1887]

It is always a pleasure to watch your videos. Your narration and filming make for good learning and good entertainment. I make a few bars of laundry soap at a time and put a small amount of clean sand in it to give it some scrubbing power. It works well on tough fabric and shoes. If you live in an area with paw paws, the skin can be dried and pounded into a powder that makes for a nice addition to soap. It is dumping snow where I am, and the temperature is only going down. I am going to put a birch log in the stove, let the cat warm my lap, and rewatch a few of your videos. A splendid evening for me, indeed.

[@ms.g1709]

Can you share how you make laundry soap? It sounds useful and sustainable. ❤

[@Ozarkmountainoutback1]

I rendered down our deer tallow last year snd made soap. It was an excellent lathering and was very long lasting ❤

[@SashleyStevens]

Your videos are a bright light in my life this winter season!

[@catherinedufresne3543]

The little comment about how your mom saw a bar of soap, thought of you, and told you about it was a small thing that surprisingly hit me. It shows a level of acceptance and appreciation for your lifestyle. I just thought that was lovely.

[@georgewilcox5287]

Love your videos. Worth mentioning, tallow is the name for the rendered fat from beef, sheep and deer. Prior to rendering is it known as suet. Ive not done it with deer suet but making pastry with ground beef suet is phenomenal for savory pies. Also, I would suggest you to try saving the caul fat separately to wrap either meat balls or even a venison roast.

[@kittymalcolm7791]

My uncle hunts deer here in georgia (hello from the south!) And every year i make hummus to trade for some venison! This year he also gave me a bunch of tallow, and i cant wait to render it! I use chicken fat (also called schmaltz) year round, but deer tallow is such am amazing treat! Thank you for your amazing videos! Im very much a city girl, but i like to live vicariously through your videos. Lol thank you for creating, and sharing!

[@Makentz]

Thank you for continuing to share your lifestyle and thought processes with us. Doing so much by hand already is a lot of work, but when considering you also work to maintain your KZbin channel, I imagine it takes up a considerable amount of your time. I love watching your videos, and they're inspiring in a way that shows we can all do more with the land available to us; private AND public.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

I just love how you honor and respect the flora and fauna of our beautiful landscape. Thank you for such a lovely way to start my day.

[@brynnplant]

What a beautiful video. I loved when you showed the process of growing and drying the corn to remind viewers that all the food you're eating really did come from lived work, time, knowledge and care. And what you said about getting the most out of the animal to honor the life you took is such an important sentiment. We are so removed from how our food is grown and raised and the mindfulness you have is wonderful.

[@LaineyBug2020]

Oooh, I wonder if you could make a hummus like dish from some butternut squash and serve it with the corn chips and beans for a 3 Sister's spin! Everything looked so good!

[@murderandeverythingelse]

Joy here. As a music nerd I have to say the music caught my attention right away. Tell your friend Ethan that his talent is gigantic! When I watch your videos I am reminded of stories like Little House on the Prairie and how the Ingalls family did everything you do but without an immersion blender or an imstapot all while living in a one room log cabin that was freezing in the winter and blazing hot in the summer. And finally I enjoy watching your videos over and over because they are soothing and thank you SO much for providing sliding scale pricing to WIC and snap recipients. Rock on!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Just sent him a screenshot of your message 😊 So glad you’re enjoying the videos

[@phoebefrear]

Another friend from central PA here. You two are everything I hope to be someday. I just started learning gardening and hunting last season and I have much more to learn! You two are an inspiration.

[@rodneystone3848]

I love your videos. I have been making deer tallow soap for about 5 years now. It’s a wonderful soap and it’s all we keep in the shower. A couple of other suggestions for deer tallow- I’ve made leather conditioner with it for my work boots - tallow, lard, and beeswax mix. Also after I render it I break it into chunks and store it in the freezer. After I finish cleaning my cast iron I heat it up and rub a hunk of the deer tallow on it to season it. Works great. Also,if you haven’t already you should try making pickled deer heart and also deer liver Pate.

[@denverrandy7143]

Wow,what an excellent meal. As a professional cook for 20 years.I love keeping the excess trimmings be it from steak cuts,pork cuts etc. to render down,mixing with ground meat to up the fat/flavor content. Or, wrapping pieces like tenderloin in the caul fat so they down go dry when roasted whole.👍 Again, thank you'll so much for the great content.

[@teedub1990]

This was really informative. I don't know that I'll ever be in a position to render deer tallow but if I am, I'll know how to do it.

[@nicolebergelin6200]

Would be curious to see if you could add some of the nutshells that you gather to your soaps? Just an idea to make use of the byproduct. Excellent content as always! Really enjoying following your journey this winter.

[@MelissaFlaquer]

I have commented on your IG posts about how this soap is probably quite basic (high pH) and likely not suitable for some sensitive (and/or particularly dry) skins and should not be used too often to not disrupt the normal protective layer of acids our skin produces to keep microbial growth at bay (the acid mantle). Also using an exfoliating soap (or sponge/loofa) every day can also be detrimental. That said, I have the utmost respect for this beautiful product and see all the benefits of making and using it (albeit sparingly). I adore your content and what a joy is to see you use as much as you can of the things you hunt, gather, and grow. Best of luck on the rest of the challenge! PS: I kindly demand more Little Moo screentime :)

[@jkasak7633]

Use of the immersion blender to chop up the rendering fat was a good idea. I recently started running my beef suet through a meat grinder before rendering it in the crock pot and it made the entire process so much easier and more efficient.

[@user-dm1tv6nl2e]

This is what i was figuring as well, thanks for the sanity check

[@HarvestingFaithHomestead]

Our butcher does this! It’s fantastic! I have to see if he can keep the leaf fat separate from the rest of it next time though. This last time it was just one big bag of fat that he gave me. I’m so so thankful for it though

[@Madamoizillion]

Unless I missed something earlier in the video, the immersion blender was for the saponification process (emulsifying the lye and fat to form soap) to get to "trace", not chopping up the rendering fat.

[@jkasak7633]

⁠@@MadamoizillionI rewatched and you are correct. It is something that I’ve been thinking of lately and I guess I just imagined it.

[@b3thamphetamine]

@@Madamoizillion Not before, but after the soap, more tallow was rendered, which was broken up with the immersion blender at around the 9:40 mark.

[@joshuamak9930]

Would have loved to be a kid at your place, exploring all the different tools, ingredients, plants, foraging areas, learning cooking, preparation, hunting and of course the legendary homecooked meals haha 😄

[@susannahedwards8230]

Thanks heaps I am getting a beef side here in Australia and I've asked the butcher for the fat to try make tallow. Beef dear it's still fat so very helpful. Now I've found your channel I will go back and watch more. I constantly try to find ways to be more self sufficient.

[@moniqueh79]

Im amazed at all the meals you get from the land.. makes me think if i would be able to survive

[@mollyb7852]

I wait every week for these videos they are so high quality!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Glad you’re enjoying them! 🙂

[@ll.767]

as someone who has lived in a tropical city all my life, I really appreciate and look forward to these videos ❤ thank you for sharing your knowledge with us so generously 🥰

[@HarvestingFaithHomestead]

I absolutely love this. I never considered using deer tallow before watching your videos, but next year I think I will! What a great way to honor the deer and use as much of it as possible, especially the parts that would typically just go to waste.

[@leahswenson9930]

Amazing video!! Can you do a cost breakdown of what you still spend money on?

[@L_The_Human]

I love these videos- they are always so educational and nice for people like me who are broke and cant take your online courses- Thank you so much! (Also first?) ❤😊❤😊

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

FYI if you're having trouble affording them, but want to take the courses we have a sliding scale option for folks who can't swing the price. Send us an email and we'll figure out a price that works!

[@midwestribeye7820]

I love how you honor and respect the life you harvested by utilizing every bit of it. You two are so amazing!❤

[@hannahbingham2197]

The music! ❤ I would easily add this to my gardening playlist

[@Randomhapiness]

Beautiful & cozy video. I’m so excited to hear about tallow soap - I’m definitely going to research that more!

[@saracheung96]

Cool video! Excited to see your review of the soap once it cures

[@lukebartholomew3387]

This new music is great

[@LunaZeidner]

Your music on this channel reminds me of George Winston. Very calming and good accompaniment to your videos

[@ellenradford8582]

Those are the best tortillas and chips due to all the work you did to get them

[@laurap6274]

You guys are so inspiring!

[@jamwilson1994]

Another beautiful video. Thank you for sharing all this information with us. I love watching these!!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

You're welcome! Glad you're enjoying them

[@anifori02]

8:36 was hilarious! Love y’all 😂

[@3katfox]

You guys grow grapes right? I thought I saw grapes vines in your garden... You should try to make grape seed oil for your skincare projects! It's really good for your skin!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

We mostly forage wild grapes, but haven’t really ever gotten enough that it would be worth it to press the seeds. That’s a good idea if you have a ton of grapes though!

[@rocklover7437]

Showing a lot of respect to the animal

[@da1realel]

Such a relaxing, wholesome, and informative video!

[@Hotmesshomesteadin]

My chickens would probably go crazy for the fat chunks also!

[@juliesaye6183]

I loved your fatty pun! Keep them coming!

[@AttoliaS]

I watched your short and I wish there was a way that hunters who don't utilize these parts of the deer could connect with people like you so stuff like tallow wouldn't go to waste.

[@luceaschild]

I love your videos. It’s wonderful to see how things go from ground to plate/bath. Have you considered a chamber vacuum sealer? We got one to replace our standard vacuum sealer. It has been a game changer!

[@ashleycha393]

yo im ur biggest fan

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@freezer_money703]

Love the hand power crank but you ever consider using a drill for bulk batches?

[@midwestribeye7820]

I click "like" before I even watch the video!❤

[@chefevilee9377]

We will soon have a farm in Florida, where we will have pigs and cows for lard and tallow. But I love the idea of the deer tallow to make soap. That I don’t have to use any of the other for that purpose. Or olive oil for that purpose.

[@roberttucker3322]

Awesome videos. I’m really enjoying your content. From Leicestershire, UK.

[@bettinashope9637]

❤❤❤Ty for sharing 😊

[@alialg1621]

To get maximum benefit from zero loss, use a meat grinder to grind the grease❤

[@musicdog2630]

This is amazing content for a more sustainable, nature-respecting world ❤ I am hoping to develop such a lifestyle someday, but im starting small trying to reduce waste and trying to buy animal byproducts locally since I don't got so much money as a college student 😂

[@sophiamartins1870]

Since you guys use a lot of corn, I think checking out brazilian cuisine would be helpful, we got a lot of recipies with milho ;)

[@Greentrees60]

This was such an amazing video - extremely professionally edited! I haven't seen you mention eating a lot of cold tollerant fruit recently like berries or apples Is it too hard to store? Is it just more efficient to grow other things?

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

We press apples into cider and cook them down into apple butter and eat that pretty regularly. I think we have a video from this Fall showing pressing the cider at least

[@sarahm1195]

I make soap out of deer tallow also, it's amazing! I've never actually made soap with pure deer tallow though. I always use a blend of oils. Is there any way you could make a little video showing a lather test on your hands so I could see how well pure deer tallow cold process soap lathers?

[@Gardeningchristine]

Two years ago I got a deer that was covered in an inch of fat, last year I had to scrape the ribs to get a couple pounds. Every year is different.

[@kjaye2766]

It would be really cool if you could show us how you dress your deer

[@The_Tuscany]

I’ve seen some folks put their fat through a meat grinder and it seems they get more tallow out of their animals because the chunks they’re rendering are smaller. Might be worth a try since I think you two have a meat grinder.

[@midwestribeye7820]

I give my chickens the remnants of fat I save in the winter. They seem to appreciate it.❤🐔

[@magnusnight1990]

Can anyone tell me what brand/where to buy a corn mill like this?

[@turquoiseninja4534]

You have bees, you can use bees wax for stuff too

[@LaineyBug2020]

Do you save the water from the corn as stock? It looked delicious and nutritious!

[@Oir07]

Putting those glass jars in the boiling water looks oddly familiar 😅

[@chefevilee9377]

OK I’m gonna try to make this my last comment lol. That is really interesting about the cornmeal in the soap. When I was a young girl. There was a beauty line that was held by ladies in their house, like Tupperware. My husband and I were just talking about this the other day. One of their main exfoliating substances they used was walnut shell. But like I was telling my husband, I don’t know how they made it so the soap was it black? So did they bleach the walnut shells? Well, who cares now I’ll just use corn meal lol.

[@mrs.masarie]

Hey just wondering did you guys use lye and if so which brand did you use and where did you purchase it? Thank you!

[@savannah.searson]

❣️

[@emilyfleischmann]

I'm curious, do deer bones make for a good stock/broth?

[@user-dm1tv6nl2e]

Did you pressure cook the fat, or use the slow cooker function? I may have missed that. I'm curious if the temperaturwe at which you render it changes the benefits of the resulting tallow.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

We slow cook it to avoid accidentally burning anything

[@sheezy2526]

I couldn't find any reference deer tallow has Omega 3's.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

There's not a lot of publicly available research, but here's one study on farm-raised European deer. Wild deer likely have even more of these types of fats because of their diet: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34681339/

[@chefevilee9377]

Now, what did you do with the Jiggly fat in the strainer bag? Did you keep rendering that down? Could you use it to add to your homemade dog food?

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

We usually try to press as much as we can out of it and then just put the rest outside for the birds or feed it to chickens

[@MassbyTrain]

Next year you guys should grow wheat and make beer

[@tanyafosdick4139]

So for rendering in the instapot, I'm assuming the sauté mode, but isn't that awful hot?

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

No we render on the slow cook mode

[@tanyafosdick4139]

@HomegrownHandgathered so good to know, I've never used that button, thank you! I currently have alot of beef tallow to render so I'll try that! Thanks again!

[@oceanlawnlove8109]

Giving homegrown food Lana del Rey idkk 💖💜

[@megjong4726]

Can someone give the the music sheets to Ethan Lennox's music??😂😢❤

[@camerongeorge4246]

Whats the soap recipe?

[@rorimonroy9979]

I'm new here, I would like to know if you sell the soap😅

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

No we just use it and share some with friends and family

[@roxanamashek767]

Why dont yall render it on the stove top and make crackling?

[@absolutorice754]

You can leave sue fat quiet at room temperature, I leave pork lard at room temperature all year round.

[@midwestribeye7820]

Do you have a book?

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

We’re actually writing one now! It’s due to the publisher in March, but I don’t think it will be available for sale until early next year

[@midwestribeye7820]

@@HomegrownHandgathered YAY!!!

[@marigasudaisuki]

I know objectively that it's soap in there but after putting it in a loaf pan and covering it in corn meal I almost want to take spoonfuls and just eat it!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

😂

[@user-oi4mp2bq7h]

Gay