How to: Render Poultry Fat

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Natalie Auer

Contributor at Harvesting Nature

Natalie Auer is an avid cook and new hunter/angler. She lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York State with her two sweet children and wonderful husband Jon. She attended college in Poughkeepsie New York at Marist College School of Business and studied Fine Arts. She works in banking and loves to spend as much time as she can outdoors with her family.

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Long before Proctor & Gamble introduced vegetable shortening to the American dinner table, animal fats such as tallow, schmaltz, and lard were the traditional cooking staple. I first started utilizing animal fats to enhance the flavor of the meals I was preparing but soon learned just how beneficial they are for our bodies. They’re a versatile ingredient and bring a savory element to any dish. They can be used in sautéing, frying, baking, or roasting foods. Animal fats are a good source of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K, and they can also provide essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 and Omega 6, which promote heart health. Rendered chicken fat, also known as Schmaltz in Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, is simple to prepare. With a medium-high smoke point and a velvety almost butter like taste, this will quickly become a kitchen favorite. This same process can be used to render the skin and fat of ducks, geese, pheasants, grouse, wild turkey, and any other wild or domestic poultry. Enjoy!

      Prep time: 10 minutes

      Cook time: 20 minutes

Looking for interesting ways to use rendered game fat? Try out Paul Keeven’s Pawpaw Pie with Savory Duck Fat Crust!

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How to: Render Poultry Fat

Recipe by Natalie Auer

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

0

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 5 lb Whole chicken (or wild poultry), skin and any interior fat removed

• 2 qt stainless steel pot

Preparation

• Dry skins with paper towel, then cut into 1″x1″ pieces.
• Heat pot on medium to high heat. When a splash of water on the pan no longer sizzles and steams, but instead floats around the surface of the pan, it is ready to be used.
• Place skins in the pan and sear them for 1-2 minutes before turning. Once both sides have browned, turn heat down to low and cover.
• Allow fat to render down 15-20 minutes. Skins will cook down to cracklings. Turn off heat.
• Pour liquid into a glass jar and refrigerate. Should yield roughly half a cup depending on the type of poultry you’re working with.

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