The Uses of Animal Fat

Rendering

Before fat can be used it must be rendered. Scraps of fat trimmed off the meat during butchering are placed in a pot with a small amount of water and heated for several hours. The fat must be stirred constantly to keep it from burning. The fat slowly melts down to a liquid form and bits of meat and other impurities sink to the bottom. When the fat is completely liquid, the pot is set aside to cool. As it cools, the purified fat forms a solid layer on top with a layer of water and impurities at the bottom. The fat is now ready to be made into soap, dubbin, candles or salves. Rendered sheep and beef fat is called tallow and rendered hog fat is called lard.

Candles

Lard is too soft for making candles so they must be made of sheep or beef tallow. Beeswax can be added to the tallow to harden it and make the candles burn longer. Candles can be made in a mold or they can be dipped by hand. We dip ours by hand. Because candles are made of tallow and beeswax which is hard to come by, we only burn our candles once in a while when we really need to.

Soap

Soap is made from fat and lye. Lye is made by leaching water through wood ashes. Ashes are packed into a barrel with a hole in the bottom. Then water is poured on top and it slowly trickles through the ashes. The lye that drips out at the bottom is a reddish brown colored liquid that can burn skin like an acid. Lye is strong enough for making soap when a fresh egg will float in it.

Soap can be made from the fat of cows, hogs and sheep. Rendered fat and lye are boiled together in a pot to make soap. Salt is often added to separate excess lye and harden the soap. The finished soap is poured into a wooden box lined with damp cloth to cool and harden. Lye soap must cure for several months before it can be used or it is too strong.

Dubbin

Dubbin is used to protect shoes and other leather goods. It is made of equal parts beef tallow, cod liver oil and beeswax. The ingredients are heated in a pot while stirring until melted, then allowed to cool and applied to leather with the hands.

Cooking

Lard was used in frying and to baste roasting meat. Minced suet, the fat from around the kidneys and loins of cows and sheep, was used in boiled puddings, dumplings and pie crusts.

Food Preservation

Rendered fat was often used to seal jars of pickles, potted meat or other preserved food. Melted fat was poured into the jar and as it cooled it formed a solid layer at the top of the jar which prevented air from getting to the food.

Medicinal Uses

Lard and suet were used in ointments and salves for external use. The fat was usually boiled or heated with crushed herbs to extract the herbs' essential oils. Beeswax and turpentine were often added.