Beef tallow

Suif de bœuf

What it is

Until 1990 McDonald's fried its chips in a blend that was ninety-three per cent beef tallow, and dropped it after a long campaign of full-page newspaper advertisements bought by Phil Sokolof, an Omaha businessman who had survived a heart attack at forty-three. The chain then had to add beef flavouring to the potatoes to win back part of the taste it had given up.

In the kitchen

Its smoke point sits near 200 °C, high enough for chips and roast potatoes where butter would burn. Render your own from suet at low heat with a splash of water and strain it twice: the water carries off the meaty smell that goes rancid first, and the fat then keeps months in the fridge.

Goes with

Potato Beef Onion Rosemary Salt Carrot

Same species

Abura-kasu Amourettes (spinal marrow) Spider steak Bastourma Flank steak Beef

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