Tallow is an ancient, natural cooking fat that instantly elevates holiday meals. With healthy fats, a high smoke point, and superb, savory flavor, it turns simple ingredients into rich, memorable dishes. As the season cools and ovens warm, consider swapping in tallow for roasts, veggies, and flaky pies—your table (and guests) will notice.

What Is Tallow?

Tallow is rendered beef fat, traditionally taken from suet and carefully melted down by skilled butchers. The process is simple and old-school: trim, melt low and slow, strain the cracklings, and let the pure fat set into a creamy, shelf-stable staple. For generations, cooks prized tallow for flavor and reliability—long before trendy seed oils and processed spreads showed up.

Looking for the good stuff? Visit The Flying Butcher in Amherst, NH. Our team renders tallow in-house with a focus on purity and taste—exactly what home cooks and pros want for big holiday cooking.

The Culinary Benefits of Tallow

• Clean ingredients, classic flavor: No additives—just rich, balanced beefiness that deepens vegetables, crusts, and sauces.
• High heat hero: With a smoke point around ~400°F, tallow stands up to searing, roasting, and frying without burning or turning bitter.
• Texture magic: Crispier potatoes, flakier crusts, and beautifully browned meats thanks to even heat transfer and stable fat.
• Smart fat profile: Tallow is rich in stearic acid, which doesn’t raise cholesterol like some saturated fats, and contains mono- and polyunsaturated fats that support overall balance.

Holiday Uses: Roast, Fry, and Sear Like a Pro

Roasting Vegetables: Melt tallow and toss with parsnips, Brussels sprouts, carrots, or squash. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then roast until caramelized. Expect nutty sweetness and crisp edges.

Frying Potatoes: For fries, latkes, or crispy cubes, tallow delivers golden exteriors and fluffy centers—perfect with roasts, gravy, and next-day turkey sandwiches.

Searing Meats: Heat tallow in a cast-iron skillet, then sear steaks or chops. Add minced shallots, baste with hot fat, and finish with a quick brandy deglaze for a luxe pan sauce.

Great tallow pairings from our case:

• Roasted potatoes & sweet potato casserole
• Mashed potatoes & baked squash
• Roasted lamb & pot roast
• Pork chops & T-bone steak
• Scrambled eggs (weekend win)
• Beef pot pie, empanadas, shepherd’s pie

Beyond the Kitchen: Traditional Uses, Modern Twists

Candles: Before paraffin, households used tallow for clean-burning, steady-light candles—still beloved by traditional makers.

Soaps: Tallow-based soaps create a rich lather and gentle cleanse; many artisans are reviving these time-tested bars.

Skincare & Hair: Natural fatty acids in tallow help nourish and protect skin and hair—now featured in balms, creams, and conditioners.

Why Cooking with Tallow Matters

Tallow belongs with olive oil and sesame oil in the “heritage pantry” club—time-honored fats that deliver real flavor and reliable performance. It also supports whole-animal butchery: rendering trimmings reduces waste and maximizes value, which is good for your plate and our food system.

Not sure where to start? Ask our butchers for quick ratios, temperatures, and pairing ideas tailored to your menu.

Find Delicious Tallow at The Flying Butcher

We render our tallow in-house, the old-fashioned way, for pure flavor and consistency. Grab a tub for your holiday cooking (and maybe an extra for a food-lover’s gift). Once you try tallow-roasted veggies or a tallow-seared steak, it becomes a tradition.

Stop by The Flying Butcher in Amherst, NH, or order online to stock your kitchen with house-rendered tallow and everything else you need for a standout holiday spread.