mutton tallow recipe, please

[tom deinek]

Got some mutton fat from the halal butcher. They were really interested in what I was doing with tallow & guns! Guess they're mostly Hakim & AK types.

How many times do I boil the fat?
Anybody got a recipe? I'm guessing I need to add something to make overcharge/pistol cylinder lube.

tia

 

[Blizzard of '93]

save the mutton fat for some kind of traps. use Crisco and beeswax mix with a drop or 2 of olive oil (or linseed oil)for over ball lube in them revolvers.

 

[jtmattison]

Mutton tallow recipe:

Ingredients - one mutton

Instructions - Squeeze mutton to remove tallow. Discard mutton.

:haha:

Seriously, beeswax and olive oil will do the trick and you don't have to boil it down.

If I were rendering tallow I would boil it in water for a few minutes and let cool so the fat can be removed easily. Repeat as you see necessary so the tallow is clean. I don't know the consistency of mutton tallow but I'd venture to guess you will still need to stiffen it with beeswax.

HD

 

[BrownBear]

Got some mutton fat from the halal butcher. They were really interested in what I was doing with tallow & guns! Guess they're mostly Hakim & AK types.

How many times do I boil the fat?
Anybody got a recipe? I'm guessing I need to add something to make overcharge/pistol cylinder lube.

tia

Boiling as described is a good way to free any tallow from raw fat.

I haven't tried using mutton tallow for lube, but on the table anyway, it's real similar to deer tallow. I have (and still do) use deer tallow in making my lubes.

Right now I have two that work really well- 2 parts tallow/1 part olive oil, and equal parts of tallow and olive oil. Which to use depends a lot on temp and time of year. I don't ever have to deal with weather warmer than the 70's, so the 2:1 is fine for my summer lube. If it was hotter I'd probably go to 3:1 or try adding a bit of beeswax to the 2:1.

Here's some more details for frame of reference. The 2:1 in 50-70 degree weather has a consistency about like crisco or tube type bore butter. The 1:1 is more like vaseline and melts instantly with skin contact. It's my pick for winter lube, when the 2:1 starts getting really stiff.

Keeping track of which is which is no problem. I just put a strip of tape on top of the container and write the proportions on that.

 

[Semisane]

You could just eat the mutton, scrape the tallow off of your teeth and the roof of your mouth, and use it as is. :wink:

 

[Stumpkiller]

For years I used a mix of equal parts mutton tallow/beeswax/Crisco. Mostly for patches and wads in smoothbores as it needed to be wiped between every shot with my rifles (I hate that). I still heat it on a cookie sheet in a thin puddle and roll my shotgun wads in it.

 

[J.D.]

Mutton tallow recipe:

Ingredients - one mutton

Instructions - Squeeze mutton to remove tallow.

Discard mutton.

:rotf: :rotf:


Run a search on rendering, then follow the instructions. The rendered tallow can be clarified by boiling in water.

I have used mutton tallow for hunting for many years. I use it as is. Just tallow with no additives.

For line shooting,I prefer plain old spit. It's cheap, readily available and it works.

 

[Elnathan]

Don't know about mutton, but when I was rendering beef tallow I had a lot more success frying the suet, maybe with a little water in the pan, then with boiling. Boiling took a couple hours and produced a couple ounces, frying produced three-quarters of a canning jar in about 20 minutes.

I think I filtered it with a paper towel - I do remember that a coffee filter was too fine and clogged up almost right away.

Edited to add: I am talking about the initial rendering in regard to frying. I haven't tried clarifying by boiling, as the previous poster mentions.

 

[rafterob]

I made soap for a number of years. If the fat is fresh and not rancid there is no need to boil it. Chop it into small pieces or better yet, grind it. Put it in a pot where it takes up no more than half of the volume. Cook on medium heat until the oils are rendered out (there will be a lot of oil and some browish-grey bits of connective tissue. Strain it through a wire strainer into another container. Throw away the "cracklins" or feed them to your animals. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature and then put it in your refrigerator overnight. Take it out the next day and turn the container upside down in the sink. Run hot tap water over the container to loosen the solidified fat from the container. There may be a thin discolored layer on the bottom of the fat, scrape that off and discard it. The rest should be pure creamy white.
Ready to use, experiment by blending with other fats, oils and beeswax for the best lube.

 

[Many Klatch]

The best tallow is the hard fat around the kidneys. Put the fat in a large pot with a lot of water. Boil the water and fat until everything is melted. Set the pot aside to cool. Next morning lift off the solid white tallow, discard the water and the goop that came out of the fat and sank.

The tallow will keep in your refridgerator for years. Use as needed.

Many Klatch

 

[Don B]

What changes if the tallow IS rancid, or moldy. I have some deer tallow from last season that's in bad shape, but would still like to use it for something.

Don

 

[BrownBear]

Rancidity is oxidation of the fats. Along the lines of freezer burn, but without the accompanying dehydration.

I've never had a batch go bad, even after 2 years sitting on the shelf and not refrigerated, so I can only speculate. A little bit of oxidation goes a long ways in producing the smell, but realistically it is probably only happening on the top layer. Even then I can't see where it would affect results as a lube.

I'm curious to hear if it works fine for you anyway. I bet it does.

If it was mine I'd be tempted to scrape off the top half inch or so to get rid of most of the smell and go on using it. Remelting and stirring would probably distribute any remaining smell, thinning and dissipating it in the process.

That would be another interesting experiment.

If you decide to use it, scrape and us it, or scrape and melt it, let us know how it turns out!