Tender Tallow Beef

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If you’ve never cooked with tallow, you are in for a treat. If you look at many pieces of meat in the supermarket, you’ll notice many without any fat, in particular chicken. This is a shame because fat equals flavor.

What is Tallow?

Ruminant animals (cows and sheep) have suet, which is a dense fat close to the animal’s loins and kidneys. When rendered for production, it returns to a solid afterward and lasts nearly forever when stored properly. The most common use for tallow is as a kind of cooking oil, as you’ll see here. Using it on roasts is one way to get that deep-brown gravy we all love.

If you cannot find tallow for this recipe, use red wine or beef broth instead.

And Beef Shank?

This is the leg portion of a cow. It’s a heavily used muscle, so it will be tough if not cooked slowly over an even heat. It’s usually a budget-friendly type of beef, so if you have patience, you’ll be rewarded with pull-apart, melty meat.

Flavors for your Barbecue Rub

Some of the herbs and spices that pair well with beef include rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaf, oregano, garlic, coats ground pepper, and ginger. Using ginger has the additional benefit of acting as a tenderizer.

Ingredients

6 lbs. Whole beef shank
2 c Beef tallow
¾ c Barbecue rub (your choice)

Instructions

Preheat the smoker to 190F
Remove excess fat from the shank, but not all of it. You want some left for making the meat juicy.
Season the meat on all sides with the barbecue rub.
Leave the meat to sit for at least ½ hour before cooking. However, the flavor increases if you put the spiced shank in the refrigerator overnight.
Place the shank in a disposable aluminum pan and put it into the smoker
When the meat reaches 165F, it will be a deep brown color with a nice bark
Pour the beef tallow over the shank at this point
Increase the smoker’s temperature to 275F
Smoke for another 5 hours.
The beef should feel like it’s falling apart and reads 208F internally.
Place the shank on a cutting board
Rest the meat for 45 minutes
Shred it for whatever you have planned.

Notes

Tip: You can use the drippings to make a dipping sauce if you pour off the fat

USES

You can use the shredded shank meat in many preparations including:

As a main dish with mashed potatoes and carrots
Enchiladas
French dip
In fried rice
In stuffed tomatoes or peppers
Over noodles
Soup
Taco filling

Well, you get the idea. Honestly, it’s tasty enough to snack on just as it is.