Are Lard and Tallow Good Fat?

Last Updated on February 1, 2024 by Michelle

We all need good fat in our diet every day. But what ARE the good fats and what do we need to know about them?

My friend, RuthAnn Zimmerman, and I chatted about this in great detail today. I hope you join in our conversation, via youtube or the podcast.

Table of Contents

I’m in Love with Lard

We’re pig farmers here on our little New England farm & sugarbush, so I’m pretty enamored with lard. Lard is, quite simply, pig fat from their back and around their organs that has been heated up (“rendered”) and then strained, cooled, and stored. I’ve written a lot about it…

A Complete Guide to Pork Lard,

How to Render Lard,

How to Bake with Lard, and

I’ve shared recipes like Chicken Pot Pie &

Chocolate Chip Cookies made with lard.

My Friend, RuthAnn, is in love with Tallow

While I could talk on and on about lard (yeah, I know I’m weird like that), I know very little about tallow and have never rendered it or used it… except for the amazing tallow face serum and tallow balm that I love. (Use code SOULYRESTED to save on these if you’d like to experience the amazingness of what tallow does for your skin.)

So when I knew I wanted one episode in our current podcast season to focus on good fat, I immediately asked my friend, RuthAnn, if she’d join me for a deep dive into this topic.

Our whole season is focusing on Things we need in our diet daily & what we don’t know about them, from salt to veggies to sugar and fat. Follow the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy podcast on your favorite podcast player for all the goodness this season. Find links here if you need them.

Join in on my fun conversation with RuthAnn via youtube or listen in on Apple Podcast here.

Here are some of RuthAnn’s insights into tallow:

What is tallow?

Tallow is made from fat that is sourced from a cow’s kidneys and heart (called “suet”). This is the purest fat on the cow. You can use other fat from the cow (found on their back and in other areas) but it will taste a little more “beefy” than the pure tallow.

Does tallow taste different than butter or margarine?

Yes, tallow has a deeper, richer taste than what you’re used to if you bake with margarine, shortening, or butter.

What color is tallow?

Because it has some Vitamin D (but much less than lard), tallow can be a rich, yellow color, similar to butter, if the cow has been exposed to sunshine for many years.

Tips to rendering tallow?

RuthAnn Zimmerman’s full directions are here, in this video.

Don’t be deterred from trying it; it’s easier than you think. Low and slow is best, and patiently strain off any pieces of meat & break up large chunks of fat.

Realize that any beefy smell in your kitchen while rendering is good… this means the “beefy” taste is dissipating into the air.

Consider asking butcher if they can grind your suet, but ask if there is additional charge for this.

Feel free to toss your frozen suet right into your roaster for processing. It will melt and render fine in the pan.

For the best taste, avoid letting your tallow smoke as you’re rendering it.

Best uses for tallow?

Tallow is great for seasoning cast iron and using to make moisturizer/lotions.

Is tallow shelf-stable?

Yes, if it is rendered correctly tallow will not go rancid and is very shelf-stable.

More thoughts on good fats

Listen in as RuthAnn and I chat all about our love for these two good fats on S7 E4 of the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy Podcast.

More details you dont’ want to miss in this episode:

What hydrogenated oil is still in the recesses of RuthAnn’s kitchen? And why can’t she totally give this bad fat up?
What does RuthAnn see as the most important reason to use good fats in her family’s meals?
RuthAnn’s thoughts about her kids eating processed potato chips.
If RuthAnn used tallow or vegetable oil when growing up in a Mennonite home.
RuthAnn’s insight into how she knows when she’s “mastered” a recipe or new thing in the kitchen.
Why RuthAnn never goes cold turkey with the family when switching out ingredients for healthier options.

What are the good fats to eat?

The best fats to include in your family’s diet are the real fats, from animals. And any fats that are natural and not hydrogenated.

Good fats include:

What fats should you avoid?

Any fats that are highly processed and hydrogenated should be avoided, if possible. This includes, but isn’t limited to, vegetable oil, canola oil, margarine, and shortening.

Which is considered a good fat?

My favorite fats to use… in fact, honestly, the only fats I’ve used for a few years now, are lard and avacado oil.

I use lard much more often than avacado oil. Typically I only find I need that for drizzling over things, such as my air-popped popcorn (before adding popcorn salt and popcorn flavorings) and my garlic-pepper Brussels sprouts.

I chat with the Chief Experience Officer of Azure Standard about good fat options, and much more, in this podcast episode: 3 Ingredients You Should Rethink (S5 E18)

How much good fat can you eat?

Overall, foods that are considered good fats (NOT hydrogenated ones) should make up about 1/3 of our diet. In general, the other 2/3 should be from protein sources and carbohydrates. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are the 3 macronutrients that our body needs.

What happens if you eat too much good fat?

While good fat is essential for our body, it is certainly possible to eat too much of even a good thing. Consuming too much healthy fat will result in weight gain.

What are 10 good fats?

These 10 food/fat/oil choices are all sources of good fats:

Fish, avacado, nuts and seeds, ground flaxseed, eggs, olive oil, and beans, lard, and tallow.

Ingredients I Love Using–including Good Fats

While tallow isn’t on my own pantry list, it’s a great fat to have and use. Go here to purchase great tallow at the best price I’ve found.

Organic cane sugar — when I learned about the chemicals used on the sugar cane fields during harvest I decided if all our sugar couldn’t be all-natural, it had to at least be organic. This is the best price for a good sugar.

If you can’t render your own (see directions below), this lard is the next best thing.

I use avocado oil for almost everything in my kitchen, it’s extremely versatile, has the highest smoke point of all oils, and is my favorite fat to cook with, after lard. Period.

Redmond’s Real Salt–the only salt mined in the US–is never heat processed and stripped of their natural trace minerals. Use code SOULYRESTED to save with every order.

Sourced from world-renowned orchards, the organic vanilla beans make this a flavorful vanilla that will become your favorite.

Maple sugar is delicious, all-natural sugar that you can substitute for refined sugar in every way, 1:1 ratio

Soft white wheat berries make the best baked goods. (See my grain mill below.)

Basmati rice is the only rice I buy. It’s rich in all 8 essential amino acids and folic acid and has a nutty aroma and fluffy texture.

This organic, all-purposed, unbleached flour is as good as you’ll get if you aren’t milling it yourself.

Pssst… Want in on my real food secret? I get all the best ingredients & healthy snacks by doing my monthly food shopping with Azure Standard. Their quality and prices can’t be beat, I haven’t found quality wheat berries anywhere else anywhere near their prices, and we love to get staples there that I can’t even find at the local grocery store. See if they deliver near you.

And take 10% off your entire first order with Azure (of $50 or more) with code SOULYRESTED10

More on Good Fats

RuthAnn’s Shoofly Pie recipe, from her Mennonite heritage (article)

My previous talk with RuthAnn Zimmerman, about Comfort Foods (podcast)

Comfort Food and the Mennonite Culture (video)

Baking with Lard

Grab (for free!) my complete Pantry Checklist, which includes my favorite good fats

“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9

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