This is actually one of my best kept secrets (until now) for my gumbo. You can render the fat out into an oil, which will be the base for a roux. Roux will thicken any gravy, stew, gumbo, etc. It'll also add a wonderful depth of flavor that thickeners like raw flour or cornstarch can't compete with.
Take all your trimmed pieces, put them in a large pot of water, and let them boil over low heat for several hours (or even better, overnight. You can also use a crockpot.)
Strain all the liquid through a colander into a different container and allow the liquid to cool a bit. Refrigerate.
After a few hours, the top layer of rendered fat will form a solid. Remove it with a spoon or butter knife. The rest of the liquid in the container can be used as beef stock or braising liquid.
The solid fat is what you're after, though. There's 2 different ways to “clean” it. One is to remelt it, then pour it through a coffee filter. I usually do a “water wash” instead, though, which involves remelting it in a pot with some more plain water.
Once your “hockey puck” fully melts back into liquid, bring to a boil, then re-pour it into a container. Again, let it cool, and refrigerate.
This time when it solidifies, all the remaining impurities will have been filtered out into the water (which you can discard). You'll be left with a nice solid piece of pure rendered beef tallow.
That little black spot on the bottom is the rest of the impurities. They can easily be scraped off; it's a very thin layer. What I'm holding in the picture above is exactly one liquid cup that's been solidified.
Now, when you get ready to make your roux, start by melting the fat back down into liquid over medium heat. Then, slowly stir in your flour. For 1 cup of fat I use about 1 1/4 cups of flour (roux is one of the only things I ever measure). Stir frequently over medium heat. You'll slowly see it change color from light:
To darker:
You can keep going to darken it more, or stop there. I use a bit of lighter roux for thickening up my chicken and dumplings, and for wild game gravies like for deer or squirrel. A dark roux is what I prefer for gumbo, beef gravies, and most savory stews. For the dish I'm making, chicken and sausage gumbo, I prefer mine a little darker than copper (or a bit darker than peanut butter):
It's important to keep stirring often, as if it rests too long it'll burn on the bottom. If you start seeing little black flecks in it, throw the whole batch out; burnt roux will overpower any dish, and it's very bitter.
You can use all your roux immediately, or you can jar it and save it for later use as a thickener. Personally, the amount above is perfect for my gumbo pot. Before adding it to my liquid stock, I'll tender some celery and bell peppers in it to give them a nice flavor.
Whatever you choose to use it for, roux gets some of its flavor from the oil it's made in. Beef fat gives it a nice, savory undertone that you really can't get from other oils.
Thanks for Reading
0 Comments