Fat

Meat

Fat

Beef fat includes external cover fat, intermuscular seams, and hard kidney suet. Rendered beef dripping fries potatoes famously well; suet makes traditional British puddings and pastry. Wagyu and highly marbled cattle produce softer, more prized fat; dairy cull fat is firmer and more neutral. It is prized as a cooking medium and flavour carrier, and for pastry structure when cold. Render slowly, strain, and store. Suet should be fresh and free of blood and membrane. Not all fat is equal—yellow grass-fed fat tastes different from white grain-finished tallow.

Track this ingredient

Unit

Cuts & parts

Characteristics

Preparations

FreshFryingRenderedRoastingSuet Grated

Traits

AdiposeBastingFlavour CarrierHigh Smoke When CleanPastry Structure When ColdRender Or PastryRichSuet And Cover

Nutrition and pairings

Nutrition

Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.

Nutrition Facts

Per 100 g edible portion

Calories 673

Amount per 100 g

  • Total Fat 73.4 g
  • Saturated Fat 58.2 g
  • Trans Fat 0.2 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat 12.8 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat 2.35 g
  • Cholesterol 82 mg
  • Sodium 58.2 mg
  • Salt 0.14 g
  • Total Carbohydrate 0 g
  • Dietary Fibre 0 g
  • Total Sugars 0 g
  • Complex / starch 0 g
  • Protein 3.17 g
  • Water 14.8 g
Detailed nutrients

Rendered or depot fat is nearly pure lipid energy with negligible carbohydrate.

Grading systems

Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.

United Kingdom

AHDB / EUROP

History

GB

Suet pastry and boiled puddings made beef fat central to British cookery.

Industrial tallow and dripping supplied frying and soap, then declined as vegetable oils rose.

Nose-to-tail and “beef tallow fries” revived interest in quality rendered beef fat.

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