Leaf lard vs. beef tallow

[dogmom327]

I feel like I won the lottery! I currently have a great source for pastured leaf lard (I just have to render it down) at $2 lb. It looks like I'm about to have a good source for ready to use pastured beef tallow ($20 a gallon plus shipping).

Is there any reason to use one over the other? Are there significant differences?

Is the beef tallow shelf stable or would it need to be refrigerated? How long would I have to use it before it spoils?

TIA!!

[cristeen]

I render my own fats, seal them in canning jars while they're hot and then just stash them in the pantry. They do fairly well when kept in a dark cool place. I'm not sure how long is long, but my last batch went at least 6 months.

As for the difference between the two, when I've tried them, tallow is stronger flavored than lard, and therefore would be unsuitable for something sweet (like apple pie crust), but if you were making pot pie, would work just fine. Biscuits that were going to be served with gravy would be good with either, but if you wanted to put jam on it, I'd stick with lard, etc. Tallow is also usually firmer than lard. Lard is a soft fat, even straight out of the fridge it is usually scoopable, where tallow is more like butter, in that when it's cold it needs to be cut rather than scooped.

For general use in cooking, I'd use whichever one matches your purpose, they're both excellent.

[dogmom327]

Thanks! Maybe I could just keep the tallow at room temp. I don't know how I would cut it out of the bucket it comes in

[mbravebird]

Leaf lard in particular, even in comparison to other kinds of lard, has a mild taste.

Make me some pie? Mmmm, the crust is the best part.