A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about why plant-based cooking oils are very harmful for your health, despite what we’ve been led to believe through shady marketing. In the article, I recommended replacing popular plant oils with beef tallow in your home cooking.

Why do I recommend this? Well, tallow is anti-inflammatory, hypoallergenic, has a high smoke point, and is not a known carcinogen like many plant-based oils. It’s also loaded with nutrients. It’s rich in vitamins A, D, E, K and B1 and Omega-3’s, and it aids your body in absorbing the vitamins and nutrients from the other foods you eat. Of course, beef tallow is also high in calories, just like any other oil. So use it in moderation.

After I wrote the article, several people reached out asking where to buy tallow. It’s easy to buy over Amazon, because it is shelf stable and can therefore be shipped quite easily. However, you often don’t even have to buy tallow. If you ever cook large cuts of meat like chuck roast, then you have your own source of tallow you can make at home. All you need is some cold water and some time.

You can make your own tallow in four easy steps.

Step One: Save Your Fat

Pro tip: you absolutely should trim the fat off of your cuts of meat. It’s a myth that it’ll render and make the meat extra juicy. I mean, yes, the extra fat will eventually render, but it won’t magically make its way into your meat. Instead, it’ll find its way to the bottom of your pan, or worse, into your braising liquid and turn it into a greasy mess. So before salting, cooking, or searing your meat, cut off that big fat cap and any other large pieces of external fat.

Just so you know, the stuff that does render and make incredibly juicy meat is all the internal fat that gives the meat its pretty marbling, and also all collagen and connective tissue that holds the meat together. As the meat heats up, these tissues gelatinize and make the meat incredibly juicy (keep in mind, I’m talking about thick and tough cuts of meat like chuck roast, brisket, and pork butt. Please don’t try to render the connective tissue of your ribeye).

Step Two: Cold Water and Low Heat

Once you have your fat together and plenty of time to cook, drop it all together in a cold pan and pour cold water over it. Put it on the stove over low to medium-low heat. You don’t want the water to boil.

Keep in mind if you know you’ll be cooking a lot of meat, you could freeze your leftover fat. But it’s best to use it within a few weeks.

Step Three: Watch a Movie

It takes a long time to render animal fat. You’re using gentle heat to gradually break it down into a liquid form. So turn on a movie and have a lazy Saturday. “Sorry Denise, I can’t go look at vintage stamps with you. I’m watching my beef fat.”

Check on your fat trimmings once in a while—about every half hour. If the water evaporates, but the fat isn’t at all rendered yet, add some more water.

Eventually the fat will start to render pretty significantly. At this point, you won’t need any more water. Just continue to let it gently cook down.

At this point, you’ll probably also notice that the small scraps of meat attached to the fat have begun to sizzle. As the fat continues to render, the meat will cook. This isn’t really the point of rendering your extra fat, but those meat morsels can make a tasty snack later.

Step Four: Strain and Snack

Your tallow is done once all the fat is rendered. At this point, use a wire strainer to pour the meat into a mason jar or large glass bowl and remove any meat bits.

Voila, you have tallow! You can use it immediately to cook, or you can store it in glass jars. There are several ways to store it:

• Let it harden in a bowl, then collect it in a storage bag (this is what I tend to do).
• Let it cool, but not harden, then pour it into an ice cube tray for pre-measured portions. Store it in the fridge or freezer.
• Simply store it in a mason jar (I don’t recommend this because it can be difficult to use later).

And what about the snack? Well, those meat morsels are edible. They make awesome quesadillas. I’d recommend trying them with homemade hot sauce.