Suet - Rendering Tallow - 18th Century Cooking

[@IonOtter]

Hi! I rendered several pounds of suet last year using an older crockpot, where it had only two settings: low and high. And low was *still* too hot, and set the suet to lightly bubbling. At first, that didn't seem to be a problem? It rendered quickly and completely, and the graves were tiny. However, after I left mom's place, I got a call from my sister, demanding to know WHAT HAD I DONE?!? There was suet...*everywhere!* On the counter tops, on the cabinets, on the *windows!* I thought I'd cleaned up everything, but the suet had come out in the steam and settled on everything! That's when we discovered: SUET IS INDESTRUCTIBLE! No modern spray cleaner can cut it! The only thing that works is straight ammonia mixed with dish soap. It's a nasty beast to clean up, so render it in your garage, or better yet, outside. And for the love of all that is holy, do NOT dump it down the drain! I got several large blocks of very pure suet, which I still have in the freezer, still fresh and good. I even made plum pudding for Thanksgiving, and it was awesome. I was also treated to the pain of my sister and mother when I had to clean the cooking utensils and processing equipment! Lord what a mess! Fortunately I have a gasmask, so using straight ammonia, I was able to get it done. Thanks for the awesome videos!

[@revinaque1342]

Hahaha! Thank you so much for the warning! I believe that I'll avoid suet at all costs, simply because I abhor cleaning heavy grease. :) Is suet the kind of fat that clogs arteries?

[@IonOtter]

+Revina Que If you eat it every day, and don't do exercise, then yes, it will definitely clog your arteries. Used in moderation, it's much healthier than anything else out there.

[@IonOtter]

+Revina Que Also, so long as you aren't boiling the suet, it won't get on everything.

[@MrCorrectify]

Modern studies and understandings of what cholesterol is and what its functions in the body are, have shown us that arteries are clogged by inflammation. So, smoking, lack of exercise, being over or under weight, and stress is bad, suet is fine. Watch out for fake fake saturated fats though, anything "hydrogenated".

[@HorzaPanda]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6XUeXmCmKiJidU Most studies show that dietary cholesterol does not affect levels of cholesterol in the blood, except for small sub groups.

[@emmabroughton2039]

My 84 year old Mum still renders her own suet. She just cuts it into chunks small enough to go through her hand cranked mincer, then renders it in a slow cooker and finally just filters it through several layers of muslin into small loaf tins.

[@Desi-qw9fc]

Emma Goudie Yeah I though it was odd to go through all the trouble of picking the connective tissue out of the suet, when heating it will render the fat away from that tissue anyway.

[@AmandaIsAwesome]

Emma Goudie we did that too! I was just going to comment that a meat grinder works great so there's not so much chopping but you beat me to it! By a lot of months apparently. Haha

[@TheAnit500]

well yeah. but if you don't filter it out it will still be in the finished suet mix. its a really simple step, just run it through a strainer.

[@emmabroughton2039]

ian miles - Mum does filter it by passing it through muslin. It's just quicker mincing it than cutting, peeling and picking the membranes by hand.

[@2degucitas]

Emma Goudie How does she use it?

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

Tallow from suet was used as a metal lubricant. A friend had to disassemble a metal lighthouse frame that had been exposed to salt water for over a century. He was prepared to do battle, but the bolts came apart easily. The secret? All bolts and nuts had been coated with a mix of tallow and white lead, and were well preserved after over a century of ocean splashing.

[@Klaaism]

ancestors were not idiots, they worked with what they had.

[@YusefYandron]

NOW thats insane modern engineers could learn a thing or two

[@AVKnecht]

So, could I just use some WD-40 for my cooking? :-P

[@yabojabo8578]

@@AVKnecht probably not, but it is my 2nd favorite cologne, Marvel Mystery Oil being the fave. ;-)

[@tubularfrog]

I believe white lead is lead oxide. You see it on excavated lead bullets.

[@whalelord9641]

I've rendered about 100 lbs of suet over the past few weeks, and there are definitely a few things to keep in mind when preparing suet into tallow in larger batches. 1) Drop cloth. You never knew how slippery the floors could be until you spilled a waxy oil onto them, but here they are. Get a drop-cloth for the floor where you are working. It's best not to step on the cloth, however, as it will slip even more than the tallow. 2) Cut it into small cubes. You can grind it as well, but this is best done in an electric grinder. Don't use a blender unless you add a bit of melted tallow inside in a 50/50 mix. 3) Render in the oven if preparing a large batch. Low and slow is key. I recommend 200 - 250 F if you are interested in getting some good suet. This step takes a while, so be ready for that. Cook with water and salt. 4) Get a fire extinguisher. Suet doesn't burn easily (flash point 500 degrees F) but when it does, it poofs into flame very soon after it starts smoking. Don't let it get to this point, ever, or you are going to have a grease fire. It's not fun when your grease fire involves a massive batch of tallow! Luckily, that has never happened to me, but it is best to watch. 5) Get some food-safe buckets. The buckets are key here! This lets you put the tallow somewhere you can store it if you wish to refine it later on.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

This is, by all accounts, the most informative video about suet! I have a great respect for suet that I did not have before. Thankz

[@WhitePage3]

Incredible channel. James pulls off the Ebenezer Scrooge hats like no body else on youtube.

[@greymetamorphosis]

😂👍👏

[@Nannaof10]

It's Jon. James is his father 👍

[@samy7013]

Messrs. Townsend & Son.

[@nyladreassareloth1713]

This is amazing. I actually never would've thought this was so forgotten in the west. My 68 year old grandma still makes her own suet. :) Nobody will ever bake as good as she does.

[@littlefarmer1303]

Thank you so much for this information. We live in Scotland and since the pandemic started, we completely changed our life. We grow our fruit, vegetables, herbs, we started beekeeping, breed anrld raise chickens, ducks, Guinea fowls. We butcher our own animals as well as eat and sell their delicious eggs. My husband started hunting for deer with a farmer friend (deer is really over populated here, farmers keep their numbers low as there are no more wolfs in the country). We know a few farmers and we manage to get adult sheep whenever we need it. So far I used all the fat and suet together, chopped them into cubes and heated them in a large stock pot to get all the fat out and we ate the solid just like people used to eat pork crackling. Just salt it and eat it with bread or on it's own. If you have too many, you can grind it down and make sandwich paste with it, delicious. Also you can use it to make scones with it, yumm. At the moment we almost finished the very last jar of mutton fat/lard, I use it for cooking, frying, everything tastes better with it The next sheep is going to be butchered soon and I will definitely give a go with the old fashioned suet making. Finally we can make our Plum Pudding with proper suet. This Christmas we made it with raw butter. We are continually learning from your channel, so grateful for every one of your videos and the hard work of all the staff.

[@foxywhitetip7387]

No more wolves. Devastating

[@Potpig335]

I dont know what planet or time this guy came from but he's awesome!

[@playerf]

6:55 "If you're working in a modern..*sighs*.. kitchen..." 😂

[@Ianochez]

ahah didn't notice it at all

[@Tinkering4Time]

😂

[@ElizabethBattle]

It's that "if you must" kind if sigh. 😅

[@bdmenne]

Your attention to detail is spectacular. Gratitude.

[@bodeine454]

This is very interesting! I make homemade suet cakes for the birds because I'm an avid bird watcher. I used to be able to find suet out in some grocery stores but since moving to another state, I usually have to ask the meat department for it. The method I use is to chop the suet up fine and render it in an electric skillet outside. Then filter it through cheese cloth and add bird seed, peanut butter, chopped nuts, dried bits of fruits and other things depending on what kinds of birds I'm making it for at that particular time. Then I spoon it into one of those bread shaped sandwich containers and let it cool before putting it into a wire suet feeder. The birds love it!

[@kahldrialeighsun1208]

On behalf of our Avian friends; thank you kind sir :)

[@isexuallyidentifyasukraini5407]

Birds in your neighborhood get tasty suet cakes...meanwhile I'm surviving on cup ramen and microwaved meals 😢

[@KingHalbatorix]

@@isexuallyidentifyasukraini5407 should have made some pemeken Go meet your butcher sometime (should still be open, essential business and all that)

[@raerohan4241]

I know this is a very old comment, but maybe this information will be of use to you anyways: you can use coconut oil in place of suet for feeding wild birds. Of course you can only do this in winter in some places, and in others you may not be able to at all, but I digress. Just a tip for when you've run out and don't feel like rendering some right at that moment 😊

[@bodeine454]

@@raerohan4241 Hmmmmmm, that's a new one for me, didn't know birds liked coconut oil, we have some but yeah, I'd have to wait until it cools down to try.

[@Piboon11]

Knowledgeable, entertaining and very much appreciated. Thanks!

[@kristinwright6632]

I stumbled on these videos a few days ago and I'm motoring my way through them all at light speed. I'm not a reenactor but LOVE traditional cooking, foods and cooking methods. You folks have me considering building a wood-fired oven, durn you, lol. I nearly didn't watch this one because I have rendered my own tallow for many years, first for just homemade soap and eventually when I learned it was a lot more healthy than the canola oil that I have evicted from my kitchen, a primary cooking fat. But I am a sucker for more ideas and knew you would go 18th century on it. I admit I don't clean as much fascia out as possible. I get rid of meat and blood vessels and run the remainder through my meat grinder to break it up. I started by slow on the stove, switched to slow in the oven and now recently the slow cooker. And now I add a little water.Yes the last sounds crazy or at least I thought so but it completely evaporates over the long cooking time and keeps the connective tissue from browning in the early stages which adds odor and flavor. One of the things I use my tallow (rendered suet) for is body and face salve so I do not want any odor in it. And if you are wondering it works fantastic mixed with some avocado oil to get a softer consistency. I get lots of compliments on my complexion and I'm a middle-aged woman. Again LOVE your videos. I've sent a link to one to a friend in Lafayette Indiana who does reenacting festivals with his whole family. I can't wait to find out if he already knows about you.

[@billdigiacomo6632]

Kristen, You're making me want to throw away ALL my oils! Except of course, my Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

This is the best channel! Why doesn't KZbin tell me these great history channels exist? Watching this is like watching what I wished the history channel had evolved into, instead of, well, whatever it is.

[@jamesstangroom8331]

I thought I was alone. Good to know other people are wondering where the history on "history channel" has gone. I don't even bother with any more, or discovery channel. And to show how old i am, what happened to the music on MTV? 😕

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

@@jamesstangroom8331 I thought History International was going to be the new channel. But after the 30,000th WW2 documentary I realized they don't know what they're doing.

[@107retired]

Ya know, if one had to PAY for this teaching....well, I for one could not afford it!! You are a saint for the wealth of what we learn from you!!

[@suzipam1234]

I agree

[@StarfieldBound]

I can listen to this guy talk about this stuff all day. Very relaxing and informative.

[@sktyby]

It's great for making pemmican. I turn suet into tallow all the time. Down south we call the remaining pieces cracklin'. It's more common when making lard from pig fat, but either way, I use the cracklin' in my cornbread and it is awesome. Great video once again. I love these videos.

[@MrSharpdrop]

Wow! Foodstuffs, household and industrial applications?!? What couldn't you use this for? Maybe someone should try some suet in a cold fusion experiment! lol! This series is amazing!

[@susannahayres-thomas7185]

It sure gives me even more respect for my great-great-great grandmother & all the work she must've had to do to feed her family & care for them. Oh, & the Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cookbook has a recipe for Suet Pudding. I make it for our Christmas dessert. 'Tis Delicious indeed.

[@JCC545454]

Just fascinating.. Thank you for bringing Jas. Townsend for bringing this forgotten chapter of culinary history alive.

[@martinrumersdorfer9303]

Here in Austria greaves are used as a filling for dumplings. Quite common really. "Grammelknödel" with Sauerkraut...

[@zee339]

this channel is my new favorite

[@farvista]

My great-grandmother, born in the 1800s, always did this at hog-killin' time. She'd use it to make the soaps that they used throughout the year for everything from scrubbing floors to washing babies. My grandmother, (who died at 94, like her mother), said she missed her mother's bath soap, that left her hair so soft and smelling of the herbs her mother infused into it. It's sad that, years later, I'm left trying to reconstruct the recipes and methods my family used, in an attempt to recreate some of the wonderful things that they made.

[@eldwinc1546]

i would be gracious to have your family passed down its heirloom recipes to our community

[@annemaster5254]

I’m looking for tallow for soap, it has almost doubled at my soap store...NOT the place to buy it!. Is kidney suet diff from any other suet and does it matter the animal?. Thx, thought u would know :)

[@farvista]

@M W This is true. It's why, as much as I like homemade bread, I don't make bread for the whole family once a week, like my great-grandmother did. I have a job, whereas that WAS her job (along with keeping various critters, taking care of the garden, sewing all of their clothes, plowing...good Lord, when did the woman find time to play her banjo or to SLEEP?) But oh, it tastes SO good....

[@fishinwidow35]

That is lard and there is nothing better for baking pastries! The process is the same.

[@antilogism]

I render and keep a bit of tallow for leather---after seeing this video I've been thinking about trying it in food. Last night, while making tortillas, I ran out of lard. For the balance of the lard I cut in a 50/50 mix of suit and olive oil and it worked well. This morning I nuked and then stir-fried some frozen fries in a tsp of tallow and they were amazingly crispy and way easier than deep-fry or even baking!

[@qualqui]

After viewing that recent sausage recipe, this suet's a great product to use, and I'm betting that along with lard, instead of being hazardous to our health, its all the contrary! Thumbs up Jon and thanks for sharin'! :)

[@emmyeaster4839]

When you render suet you get a lot of the really healthy properties that things like chondroitin sulfate give. Suet for joint health!

[@truebluekit]

Hey, nice tidbit there. thanks!

[@ZimVader-0017]

Emmy Easter Oh, I need to take chondroitin for my joints, but the only supplements I find come from shellfish. I'm allergic to shellfish. I would have to ask the local butcher if he knows what suet is, I didn't even know it was a thing.

[@bobsagget823]

moron

[@alalalala57]

@@bobsagget823 no u

[@jeffbrace7876]

Old '80s 18thc reenactor... now an historical interpreter of that era and early 19thc. Your videos are amazingly well done & the info is deep & well researched. You've probably inspired hundreds to consider adding this "hobby" to their family life and for that... Huzzah!

[@Hercules1-v9m]

Watching these videos gives one a greater appreciation for how our fore-fathers lived. Never would have thought something as simple as kidney fat was so important. They used it for almost everything.

[@Krightowl]

Townsends, your entire channel is just awesome. You have done us all a great service by sharing and preserving this knowledge. Thank you and keep it up.

[@donner101]

This video was so wonderfully informative, entertaining and instructive and a valuable resource for homes cooks looking to learn new techniques. I went straight to the chip shop and bought a Pukka pie after watching it.

[@patticarey9016]

I stumbled across your channel and I am just loving it! I am a Registered Dietitian and I also a lover of history, particularly early American history. I learn something new from each of your videos and I am enjoying watching them during the Covid-19 quarantine. Thank you and keep the videos coming!

[@MrKErocks]

When I was young, I saw suet in the meat section of grocery stores. Now it's not anywhere not even in butcher shops.

[@paavobergmann4920]

Same here. Ppl went all for vegetable oil, and then mad cow disease finished all beef products other than lean muscles. I remember, it was sold by the pound, wrapped in red and white checkerd wax paper.

[@Dovid2000]

God bless you for making this educational video.

[@MelindaBarlow]

I just love your videos, Thank you love living history!

[@Pieces_Of_Eight]

My grandmother used to mention suet, particularly in regards to making pies and yorkshire pudding. Wonderful to understand what she was speaking of, and quite enjoyed the ship's bell ring when Jon cheerfully knocked on the little cast iron pot.

[@antoinegarcia5602]

The word suet comes from french, it basically means sweat in 18-19th century french. It has the same etymological root (sudare in latin) as the words sweat - suer - sueur (in english and french).

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

How did such a useful item get its name from "sweat"??? Any ideas in KZbin Land??

[@CryptoBill777]

You mean sweet lol. Sweat: to excrete moisture in visible quantities through the openings of the sweat glands. Merriam-Webster disagrees with you. Suet etymology: "Middle English sewet, from Anglo-French suet, siuet, from seu, su hard animal fat, from Latin sebum."

[@deus_ex_machina_]

@@CLASSICALFAN100 Because when you render saturated fats (that are solid at room temperature) like most animal fats and coconut oil, it melts into liquid, like sweat coming out of your skin.

[@charlesredmond5958]

Thank you! I'm right now rendering suet in a slow cooker... haven't "baked" with suet in thirty years or more. THANK YOU!!!

[@colinwilson4658]

suet can be found in every supermarket in the uk and the brand you showed(ATORA) also make a vegetarian substitute for suet

[@mikeskelly2356]

Atora is a British brand of shredded suet, which is the hard fat around the kidneys. Not really 'Vegetarian'...

[@thecook8964]

The vegetarian version of Atora, has no flavor & latest research indicates vegetable shorting is very unhealthy=inflammation

[@palhein-reim7430]

The more of these videos I watch the better I appreciate the detailed information and production quality.

[@donaldasayers]

I love the way good old Atora is seen as strange and foreign.

[@rachiti]

I'm just looking for an alternative since shipping it to the US requires a month lead time and costs a pretty penny. I grew up on flour-based dumplings but my husband won't touch them unless they're the British ones (suet-based) that he grew up on.

[@MarchingGrrl]

I just want to say that I dabble in writing semi-historical or fantastic settings. These videos have been tremendously helpful for research. Thank you so much! You are very proud of your craft and you have every reason to be.

[@so_bendy]

I use that atora suet to make dumplings for beef stew. They’re delicious and tender and fluffy

[@CyberAuntie]

Yes, Atora also does a vegan suet substitute. I used to get suet from an Amish butcher in the USA. I used to chill it to get it really solid and then just grate it on a cheese grater to get out most of the connective tissue. For puddings and dumplings, it worked fine used at that point and I didn’t need to render it.

[@deanna4814]

I love learning new things about how food was prepared and preserved before Refrigeration . God bless the work you guys are doing

[@bhubbard491]

Love the videos. They're all great! You mentioned that the rendered suet wrapped in paper and linen will last for several months. Is that >refrigerated< or at room temperature?

[@townsends]

+Brian Hubbard Room Temperature.

[@OffRampTourist]

One of the very best. Thanks for teaching me about my family's day to day life over the generations.

[@Roxy222uk]

Great video, thank you. I was so confused at first when you were explaining carefully what suet is and how butchers might not know or give you the wrong thing. In the UK suet is a common ingredient, as can be seen by the Atora packet. In fact there is also a vegetarian version that is made of hydrogenated fats, so veggies don't have to miss out. I had no idea Americans don't use it for anything! Anyway, I have a couple of questions in anyone can help. For living history purposes what kind of textile would be used to strain the rendered suet? Linen? Like scraps from worn out clothes or something? Secondly, in 17th century Britain ordinary people had no access to paper, so how might they have preserved their block of suet? Thank you.

[@christophe9602]

"In fact there is also a vegetarian version that is made of hydrogenated fats" No. Just no.

[@Roxy222uk]

@@christophe9602 Ha ha, I'm not recommending it, just illustrating that suet is important enough to Brits for there to be a market for a veggie version.

[@sarelito9202]

Pity you didn't get any answers! My guess is that they used cloth to wrap it in, possibly soaked in beeswax.

[@TamaraJohnBlue]

Muslin or something like cheese cloth.

[@fishinwidow35]

This American uses suet. I'm from New England and we were raised eating puddings and mincemeat in our family. I still make them.

[@krisinsaigon]

i/m english, and i live in vietnam where i can't buy english food, and i actually do do this myself, i go back what's called leaf suet and render it down myself so i can make pies and puddings, good stuff. thanks for posting these videos, love your channel

[@KTFRabbit]

This was very informative. I break down beef kidneys for my dogs and always see the fatty part inside of it. I did not know that was suet.

[@2degucitas]

A Rabbit Someone's gonna make suet!

[@xAzurasKnightx]

we got back at our a traditional butcher, and as I ordered calf kidneys I got them in suet... I know from the cookbook of my grandma what it was and thanks to your videos and homepage we are making suet today. Thank you so much for all this!

[@Ninjamohawk]

Fascinating. I love the outfits and the history.

[@gooboberti]

I really appreciate you showing so many examples. I know that took a little bit of work to demonstrate the different kinds of beef fat and all that.

[@bob76451]

Hi Jon, love your videos. Couple of quick questions: 1) If you're going to just strain out the connective tissue anyway, what's the point of cleaning out the connective tissue when you are preparing the suet? 2) Do you know how much of the rendered fat you get from the suet? I was going to buy some suet and try rendering it but didn't want to end up with too much or too little. Thanks!

[@townsends]

The liquid suet can get trapped in the tissue if you don't try to remove it, so it just makes it easier. As for how much you get when you render... it is probably about a 2/3 yield.

[@bob76451]

+Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc. Thanks!

[@kenfrank3782]

Haven’t seen your videos pop up on my “trending” in a few months!!! Missed it Always learn something new and interesting watching these videos. Thanks

[@AxelAlexK]

Fascinating to learn about this. Our society just doesn't use foods like this anymore.

[@coyotewalking4641]

Thank you for all of your videos Mr. Townsend. Really great educational material.

[@usmcfutball]

Subscribed. Love this stuff and this presenter. Cheers!

[@monto39]

We had a process to purify rendered suet for long term storage. ~ Once rendered, put in a pot w/ with clean water. Heat, once melted simmer gently whisking well. ~ Cool slowly until fat settles on top ~ Separate fat, put in a clean pot, heat on low for a good few hours - Temp. was ~200^F or less - This got rid of any trapped water, plus impurities formed on the surface and bottom ~ Skim the surface, strain hot through paper filter We used the same process with duck fat often, and I think lard once. The chef I worked for then said it was standard traditional procedure in France. I found a similar process described in "The Epicurean from 1893

[@jacksnyder3616]

Thank God for this guy, I've learned more American history from him and his channel than all of my public education. I wish we had the internet in my youth, I would have learned a lot more necessary skills and less politically motivated nonsense.

[@SkyNinja759]

Just found this channel. Just want to say, I am absolutely enthralled by this era of cooking and overall way of life. This channel has been very informative, educational, and enjoyable to watch. Thank you.

[@pl6867]

Really enjoy your program. I noticed that the suet you're using is rather yellow. I believe this is because you may be using grain fed beef suet. Grass fed beef in general is very different, the fats and the suet is much more white. The properties are different and the flavor is more complex. In the 18th century, they had no grain finished meat to speak of, as grains were rarely wasted as animal feeds. Perhaps you could try grass fed beef suet. I raise Lowline Angus 100% grass fed beef in Hinesburg, Vermont and I happen to have some suet in my freezer all vacuum sealed and ready to go. If you're interested I could send you some to experiment with. The results would be more authentic and I'd love to hear your critic on the comparison between grain finished and grass finished suet/tallow. Have you done a show on making hide glue yet? One of the by product of rendering suet and bones is a very useful scum that collects on the top of the liquid as it renders down. This is used to make a very useful and durable glue called 'hide glue'.

[@neildickson5394]

We're so lazy today, my they certainly used everything, like is said, front to rear. Few would, or could be so patient, unless of course we were forced to by some social conditions.

[@treysawyer]

Hello, Paul! Super interesting read of your comment, a year later. This may be a long-shot, but I noticed the Townsends never took you up on your offer. Is it possible, or if you still have any, would it be strange to ask you to send me a small amount of your suet? I'd really love to cook with it as I have yet to, and grass fed is always my favorite. I can post a video with detailed use, or send you something handcrafted in return. Or cash. Haha. Thank you, and I hope you are well. - T. Sawyer

[@nancykay8995]

How much suet do you get from a cow or sheep?

[@BBCTopgearfan]

If sending the KPH fat (what everyone is calling suet) is out of the question or if people are not responding and you find yourself wanting to try this google for a slaughter shop or local butcher shop that kills or sells half beef. Ask them for KPH (Kidney, Pelvic Heart fat) and most will either give it away or at most sell it for almost nothing. (It is a waste product and you are saving them from paying someone to haul it away)

[@BBCTopgearfan]

@Marc T as someone who grew up in the beef world you are about 75% correct. Grass fed beef and grain fed beef tend to have equal nutritional inputs based on a springtime grass diet the major differance is that like you said (somewhat incorrectly) is that the grain base has a higher Cal count per unit so they gain at a higher rate. The forcefed claim is about 60% right while being 100% incorrect. It implies that we are Force Feeding them a certain amount and that they get no choice while somewhat true each animal is given the same ration mix they do a surprisingly good job of picking out the bits and pieces that they want or need more. While in college in my ASI classes we spent way too much time analyzing the stomach contents from critters in both pasture and feedlots and every sample from the feedlots had different compositions even though they were so given the same ration. (Also you are 100% right that grass fed fat is yellow and grain is white)

[@clusterguard]

Well, this channel is fantastic. Here, I found many of the ways my grandparents used in the countryside kitchen to make things. I thank you all for your efforts. Warmest Greetings from Greenland (I am from an Italian-Irish family). Cheers!

[@tracyk3567]

In Wisc. They have it in The freezer section. Birds love it.

[@kwradar12]

I wish you had been my history teacher, I just lock onto your voice and information effortlessly. Natural born teacher you are.

[@nobilismaximus]

OK, I'm from Scotland - If a recipe calls for suet then find suet. Substitutes suck. All the puddings and dumplings DO NOT WORK WITH FROZEN LARD. All steamed dumplings suet or savory WILL NOT WORK WITHOUT SUET. This video is fantastic. BTW Aurora is great, look to the recipes from the 50 or 60's for the equivalent weaight of the industrialised product.

[@tubularfrog]

I love this. Thanks so much for preserving the secrets of the past and passing them on to us. This is all invaluable information to people.

[@baasmans]

You could, if you can check the pot every now and then, speed up the process by adding a bit of water. This way the suet renders at 100 degrees C until the water evaporates, then you can take it off the heat before the temperature goes right up. There may be a bit of splatter near the end, but that serves as a warning that your suet is almost done.

[@townsends]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

Townsends Hi, great videos. The suggested method goes very close as how schmaltz is made. And, a note: if you don't separate all those membranes and just dice the suet before melting it, you are left with some nice "chicharrones" (cracklings, sort of) that are great when included in bread dough. Spanish/Latin American/Chilean lore. :-)

[@2degucitas]

María Martínez Yum!!! Sauteed with onions, delicious!!

[@redstone1999]

I save mine for my chickens as a treat. The eggs afterwards is the best.

[@sshep86]

Water starts turning into gas at 100c (boils), but that doesn't mean water can't get hotter than 100c.

[@DelcoWineDouche]

The most wonderful channel I have found in years. This video has been one of the most interesting yet! Started with season 1 and working my way through!

[@eliakimjosephsophia4542]

Lovely, keep our cultural food going strong.

[@zhinka1]

When we butcher in the fall we render out the suet in all the cast iron,especiall newer cast iron,it is an awesome way to season cast iron and slowly heat the suet for rendering for winters use. We usually butcher out 2 steers and 3 hogs, lots of work making the suet and lard,but so worth it!

[@1978rharris]

I find it interesting that Americans can’t get suet easily like we can here in England. How can you exist without the main ingredient for dumplings, jam roly poly and other suet puddings!? Thanks Tesco for Atora! 😍

[@phydeux]

Most people here prefer using vegetable shortening. Since WWII made processed vegetable oils cheap and plentiful, and health advice went against animal fats, suet and to a large degree lard, went by the wayside. In fact, until I started watching British cooking bits on KZbin the only place I could recall seeing suet on the regular was to bind seeds together for bird feeding sticks. I've never had suet that I'm aware of, but it doesn't sound very appealing either. *shrug* I'd definitely try a bite, but it sounds weird to eat in a pie.

[@mvaguero]

simply fascinating! you have no idea how many questions your channel has answered for me. Can't stop watching!

[@theorderoforange]

what a charismatic man :)

[@briennaasher26]

Loved learning about suet and how it's done. Thank you!

[@codyrmartin]

In a different video about pemmican you said in some cases it could last 10+ years because of the suet. In this video you said it will last months. Is there another method of storing it to get a longer shelf life? Maybe that was in colder climates?

[@jessicakennedy8149]

super interesting video to watch, especially after seeing so many of mrs. crocombe's recipes over on english heritage!!

[@AllMenAreBerries]

I love this channel

[@lexilei191]

Thanks not just for the demonstration but als fr the history behind suet! I really appreciate it!!!

[@greensombrero3641]

Back in the 1970s, I wore a leisure suet.

[@jaymudie6761]

Is it weird that I've watched this more than twice? Anyway, I really enjoy your channel. Thanks for your work.

[@BoggWeasel]

As a Brit, steamed suet pudding was a part of growing up in the 50's and 60's. From savoury steak and kidney, to sweet treacle or jam puddings... always tasty and really welcome. I don't know if it's still popular these days having moved to the colonies 30+ years ago, but I have on occasion made a sweet one using fresh suet, with raisins and jam,served with hot custard, my colonial cousins thoroughly approved

[@TheKodiak72]

Always makes my day seeing your videos! If they taught history like this in school I would of loved it. So very infomational and educational.. Love your teaching style.

[@Stormlaughter]

Interesting! I've seen grated suet listed as an ingredient and wondered to myself how anyone could grate something as soft as shortening. It's because real suet isn't soft!

[@drfranklippenheimer8743]

I HAVE enjoyed this episode. So interesting, as always.

[@AirMarksman]

In the video you said suet can be stored for a few months if done properly. How can the suet when used inmaking pemmican can it last for such a long time?

[@mayamaeru]

following

[@sktyby]

Because the suet is rendered into tallow. That is what you use in your pemmican. This gives it a stable shelf life because it is now "processed".

[@redstone1999]

When rendering suet into suet tallow. You slowly heat it to a simmering boil. I remove the cooked bits by straining into a clean pot. Then continune to simmer until it hit 250 F and maintain it there until it stops bubbling. The fat is now water and oxygen free (the two main things that ruins fat). I use this for pemmican making and many other uses. I will vac-seal in foodsaver bags for long term storage.

[@waynerobinson2301]

redstone1999 redstone i wish i could somehow speak with you about these things . I would like to try my hand at making suet and processing and making pemican / when my wife and i married about 45 years ago her old grandma gave us 5 gallons of rendered lard from bear . We were very poor and that was such a blessing . I bet i ate half ton of spuds fried in bear fat . All cooking was done in that fat for more than a year im sure . White as snow it was

[@seminolerick6845]

What an eye opener ! When young, friends of my parents had acres on a mountain. They used suet in Winter, with birdseed & nuts to attract & feed chickadees & nuthatches in wire cages, by windows. I NEVER realized til now it was so widely used for human consumption & products !

[@Jack-lr4xz]

That opening song might as well be the official Jas. Townsend and Son theme song.

[@deborahbrennan4804]

I love your voice, your videos help me to fall asleep, in a good way.

[@marioncobaretti2280]

thankyou mr townsend

[@BruceMichaelAnderson]

Thank you Sir for your work, I do look toward seeing each new one, I have used your Ideas for camping trips to making home made Herb wines to smoking , salting and curing my own meats, I have yet to bake anything yet, As a kid my Grand Mother and father worked side by side an for the most part ran a very small country Slaughterhouse not to far from Historic Fredericksburg ,Va. I remember them making things like you do for farmers and hunters.

[@thomie92]

I would love to try this but I have a question.. When you make candles out of this suet, will they go bad in time? And if they do, what would happen to them? This is one of my favorite channels on youtube by the way, thanks for the content!

[@townsends]

Properly rendered suet is shelf stable at room temperature and does not go rancid.

[@thomie92]

Thanks so much for your reaction! I've shared your vids with my dad and we will try to make the clay oven very soon! I will share the results. ^^ I also think my mom will learn to appreciate your videos after I share your vids with her! :)

[@MrAwawe]

candles made from animal fats stink when they burn though.

[@unbijouparminous9168]

OMG, I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL! I was planning to sleep early tonight, but I think I'll binge-watch the videos on your channel first. Sweet 18th century dreams to me later. 😂

[@therealpomax]

If I vacuum pack the suet and keep it in the freezer, does it keep longer? (does vacuum packing do anything in terms of preventing the suet from going rancid?)

[@townsends]

Vacuum packed in the freezer, it would probably last forever. Vacuum packing it will protect it from the air, that would make it last longer.

[@FrikInCasualMode]

Also, darkness. Keep your suet and rendered fat in darkness people - sunlight destroys it and makes go rancid fast. My mom always keeps jars full of lard and tallow in the coolest and darkest place in the basement - it easily keeps for months there.

[@sktyby]

I pour my tallow into mason jars whilst hot and put the lid on. The lid sets and the jars of tallow (rendered suet) have lasted me for years.

[@roselienchen9886]

you warm my heart with your smile in each and every video! Great content !

[@DieAlphaEnte]

your channel rocks

[@crazygoatlady4287]

Thanks so much for your videos. Our family may have only had a wood cook stove but we did render in similar ways as this. When we would butcher a cow, pig or sheep we used all of it, nothing going to waste. Today we still do the same using a bit more modern methods.

[@takaditakadang]

Now suet is pretty much non-existent in America

[@darrenleroy]

This is a sad reflection on the modernisation of foodstuffs.

[@williwonti]

The only place I see it regularly is in the bird feed section.

[@sktyby]

You can buy suet at Publix in whole form.

[@shammydammy2610]

Those probably aren't actual suet.

[@poacher-ec9zo]

The suet is still used. Just not sold as suet. Believe me,they sell every part of the bovine.

[@steevinator]

I just discovered this channel yesterday and it's very interesting. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@puretestosterone9614]

Anyone got any ideas for the leftover stuff after separating the suet from the tissue things?

[@hurryslow1]

Pure Testosterone its amazing to eat as a delicacy - warmed on a slice of toast sprinkled with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Or if you like worcester or tabasco sauce. You can also add it to gravies and stews. Njam njam njam

[@puretestosterone9614]

Dahlia thanks a lot man

[@frankgogley1749]

Incredible video James. Keeping the past alive is insuring survival in the future.