Beef tallow is making a serious comeback, and it’s taking the world by storm. Once a staple in traditional cooking, this nutrient-rich fat is now being rediscovered by chefs, foodies, and health-conscious eaters alike. From its unmatched culinary versatility to its impressively high smoke point, tallow is more than just a trendy fat—it’s a powerhouse ingredient that adds flavour, texture, and richness to everything from sizzling steaks to baked goods. If you haven’t already made the switch, now’s the time to see why tallow is quickly becoming the go-to fat for those in the know.

To dive deeper into the magic of tallow, we’ve turned to our very own development chef who has been using tallow in almost all their recipes. In the rest of this article, our chef will walk you through why tallow deserves a spot in your kitchen, sharing their favourite tips, recipes, and techniques to make the most of this incredible fat.

How to use beef tallow

  • Culinary Versatility: Beef tallow is a timeless treasure in the kitchen, perfect for frying, roasting, and sautéing due to its high smoke point.
  • High Smoke Point: With a high smoke point, beef tallow ensures meals are cooked to perfection without harmful oxidation, making it ideal for various cooking methods.
  • Flavour Enhancement: This rich, golden fat enhances flavours. As a natural product from the animal, its fat adds a richness to each dish that only tallow can provide.
  • Traditional Revival: Once a staple in traditional kitchens, beef tallow is making a triumphant return, celebrated by chefs and home cooks alike for its culinary versatility.

Different recipes & methods of cooking

  1. Frying: Tallows’ ability to remain stable at a high heat gives is excellent for frying a crumbed steak or creating the perfect chip a crunchy exterior and a light and airy interior.
  2. Roasting: Tallows’ high smoke point gives an amazing result with roast veggies. Its neutral flavour allows the distinct nature of each ingredient to shine. Once you try these ‘glass’ roast potatoes you won’t roast spuds any other way!
  3. Compound tallow: Compound butter reimagined! Infuse your tallow with ingredients like garlic, chili, and thyme, to create a rich, savory medium that adds depth to your cooking. Compound tallow is perfect for basting your steak, chicken or fish.
  4. Baking: Tallow can be a replacement for butter in many recipes like short crust pastry, buttercream frosting for cakes and even cookies! Adding this instead of butter to choc chip & pistachio cookies, gives the cookies a unique and elevated flavour.

Recipe: Tallow, Pistachio & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tallow cookies on plate

 

Ingredients

  • 115g beef tallow
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 50g brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 165g plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 90g chocolate chips
  • 90g roasted pistachios

Method

Step 1

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2

Cream the beef tallow and sugars together until smooth.

Step 3

Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing well to combine.

Step 4

Add the flour and baking soda, mixing until just combined.

Step 5

Stir in the chocolate chips and pistachios.

Step 6

Roll the dough into evenly sized balls and place them on the prepared baking tray.

Step 7

Bake for 12 minutes.

Step 8

Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the tray, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.