Calf suet
Suet (/ˈsuː.ɪt/) is raw
beef
or
mutton fat,
especially the hard fat found around the
loins
and
kidneys.
Suet has a
melting point of between
45° and 50°C. (113° and 122°F.), and
congeals between 37° and 40°C. (98.6° and 104°F).
Its low melting point means that it is solid at room temperature
but easily melts at moderate temperatures, such as in
steaming.
Uses
The primary use of suet is to make
tallow,
although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking. Suet is made
into tallow in a process called
rendering, which involves melting and
extended
simmering, followed by straining,
cooling and usually a repetition of the entire process.
Unlike tallow, suet that is not pre-packed requires
refrigeration in order to be stored for
extended periods.
Suet is essential in traditional English steamed puddings, and in
the pastry for
steak and kidney
pudding, in which a pudding bowl is lined with the suet crust
pastry, the meat added and a lid of suet crust tightly seals the
meat. The pudding is then steamed for approximately four hours
before serving in the bowl on the table. Suet pastry is soft in
contrast to the crispness of shortcrust pastry.
Suet is also an ingredient of traditional
mincemeat (fruit mince).
Suet should not be confused with
beef
dripping, which is the collected fat and juices from the
roasting pan when cooking roast beef and is not rendered.
Availability
Suet can be bought in natural form in many supermarkets. As it is
the fat from around the kidneys, the connective tissue, blood and
other non-fat items must be removed. It then needs to be coarsely
grated to make it ready to use. It must be kept refrigerated prior
to use and used within a few days of purchase, just like
meat.
Pre-packaged suet sold in
supermarkets
is
dehydrated suet. It is made mixed
with flour to make it stable at room temperature. Because of this,
some care is needed when using it for older recipes that call for
fresh suet as the proportions of flour to fat can alter. Most
modern recipes stipulate packaged suet.
Vegetable
suet is available in supermarkets in the
United
Kingdom
, made from fat such as palm
oil combined with rice
flour. It resembles shredded beef suet, and is used as a
vegetarian substitute in recipes, but
with slightly different results from animal suet.
In religion
A bird eating suet
The
Torah declares that suet is not
kosher if it comes fromabove the kidneys or liver of
cows and sheep. See Exo. 29:13, 22; Lev. 3:4, 10, 15, 4:9, 7:4,
8:16, 25, 9:10, 19.
Bird feed
Woodpeckers,
goldfinch,
juncos,
cardinal,
thrush,
jays,
kinglets,
bluebirds,
wrens, and
starlings
are all known to favour suet-based bird feeders.
Suet, as
birdfeed, is commonlyin the
form of Suet Cakes - which can be made with other solid fats too,
such as lard. Often rolled oats, bird seed, cornmeal, raisins,
unsalted nuts are incorporated in to the fat.
Suet-based recipes
References
- Suet | Baltimore County Library System
-
http://www.attractwildbirds.com/feedingbirds/how-to-make-suet.htm
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