IT ALL BEGINS WITH FAT
I grew up in a culture that was completely anti-fat.
Really, in the 90’s we were all eating fat-free cakes and cookies in the name of health, bike shorts, and shoulder pads.
I consumed buckets of air-popped popcorn, bottomless bowls of fat-free pasta, and my favorite snack was salted, sourdough, hard pretzels dipped in spaghetti sauce (all fat-free, of course).
It wasn’t until many, many years later that I realized how important fat is to health. And these days, my meals always start with fat.
Most folks think that fat makes you fat. It sounds logical enough.
But that’s a lie.
FUN FACT: Fat does not make you fat. Consuming sugar and processed foods will (including refined oils like canola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, and cottonseed oil).
FAT FOR THE WIN
- Your body needs fat for energy and to process certain vitamins and minerals.
- Children need fat for brain development.
- We all need fat to feel satisfied and curve hunger.
Fat is not the enemy, the wrong kind of fat is the problem.
Consuming the right fats will not only satisfy your appetite and keep you feeling fuller longer, good fats are incredibly good for your heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
IT ALL BEGINS WITH FAT
At our homestead, all of our meals start with fat
- Eggs are fried in raw butter.
- Burgers and steaks are fried in lard or tallow.
- Fish is fried in lard.
- Yeast bread, pies, cakes, and all baked goods start with raw butter, coconut oil, or crystal white lard.
We even prepare our vegetables with a healthy helping of nutritious fats
- Sweet potatoes and baked potatoes are topped with heaps of fresh butter.
- Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens are infused with bacon fat.
- Asparagus, squash, carrots, zucchini, and peas are all seasoned with plenty of raw butter.
- Salad dressings are prepared with an abundance of cold-pressed olive oil.
- Potatoes are cooked in bacon grease.
WHERE TO FIND FABULOUS FATS?
We all could benefit from incorporating more animal fats into our diet. One easy way to do this is is by rendering your own lard (pork fat) or tallow (beef fat).
It can be hard to find organic tallow or lard at the supermarket. Not to mention, if you do find a great source, it is often expensive.
On the other hand, it can be much easier to find a hunk of fat.
Really. Many folks who have their hogs or steers butchered do not take home the entire animal. In fact, the bones and fat are often left behind. This is a tremendous bonus for those of us looking for a good source of pastured animal fats.
Phone a few processing plants near you and see if they have any lard or tallow they’d be willing to sell you.
If you’ve never rendered your own fat, you will not believe how simple it is.
Rendering is simply melting.
That’s all.
Either on the stovetop or in the oven, rendering fat is simply warming fat to a temperature so that it melts slowly.
RENDER YOUR OWN FAT
The easy way to render fat:
STEP 1
Cut out any pieces of meat from the fat. Cut the fat into 1-inch cubes. You can also use a meat grinder to grind up the fat. Grinding will speed up the rendering process but is not necessary.
STEP 2
Place all the pieces of fat (or ground fat) into a large roaster and bake in the oven at 250 degrees.
STEP 3
Stir the fat occasionally to ensure it melts evenly. You can use a potato masher for this as well. Stir or mash the lard every 30 minutes or so until it is completely melted. This process will take a few hours.
As the fat melts, it is a good idea to strain the liquid into mason jars. Use a fine-mesh strainer, a tea towel, or milk filters for straining. Doing this will produce the cleanest, clearest lard or tallow for baking and cooking. Straining off liquids as you go will also make the rendering process go faster. As you reach the end of rendering, if you accidentally cook the fat too long (or burn it), if you have been straining throughout the process, you will not have ruined the entire batch.
STEP 4
When the small bits of meat and cracklins begin to turn golden brown, you are done rendering. Strain the remaining fat.
Strained fat can be stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for several months or in the freezer indefinitely!
- How to make Lard HERE
- How to make Beef Tallow HERE
- How to make tallow candles HERE
- How to make butter HERE
- How to make honey butter HERE
Fat Wins
The more I research fat, the more I am convinced that it is an integral part of a healthy diet.
Avoiding fat can add unwanted pounds to the midsection. Not only is consuming full-fat foods more slimming, but it will also keep you feeling fuller longer – which prevents over-snacking and attributes to weight loss.
- More fat = more good fats (Omega-3, CLA, AHA, DHA)
- More Fat = more filling
- More Fat = Smaller waistline
- More Fat = Less food consumed
- More Fat = More satisfied – less hungry – less snacking
- More Fat = Stabilized blood sugar levels
When I eat full-fat foods (like whole milk, heavy cream, real butter, ribeye steaks, fresh eggs, avocados) I am supremely happy and satisfied. I don’t get hungry. I don’t want to snack. The extra ‘padding’ in my waistline disappears. I don’t have food ‘cravings.’ I can tell a huge difference.
XO,
CJ
