How to Make Wax From Animal Grease
Render animal grease in a crockpot to obtain tallow wax, which you can use to make candles. Traditionally, people repeatedly dipped rushes or reed stems into melted tallow. These candles created a little light and were inexpensive and easy to make but had many disadvantages. Tallow candles drip more, do not last very long nor shed much light. Tallow also smells unpleasant when burned and gives off a thick dark smoke. But you can easily obtain an authentic traditional candle experience by using tallow.
Things You'll Need
- Fat from beef, lamb, bison or wild game such as deer or elk
- Knife
- Freezer
- Food processor
- Crockpot
- 1/2 cup water per pound of fat (optional)
- Metal strainer
- Coffee filters, paper towels or cheesecloth
- 1 or more wide-mouth Mason jars
Instructions
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1
Obtain animal fat, also called suet, from a butcher.
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2
Trim the fat completely. Remove all attached muscle meat and bloody tissue.
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3
Freeze the fat for a couple of hours until its texture is similar to sorbet.
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4
Pulse the fat in the food processor until it is shredded.
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5
Place the shredded fat into the crockpot. Add the water (optional).
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6
Cook the fat in the crock pot on the lowest heat setting until all that remains is a clear or golden liquid with small crisp pieces, called "cracklings," settling to the bottom. Check after an hour and then every half hour afterward. When the fat is melted, turn off the crock pot.
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7
Line the strainer with the coffee filter, paper towel or cheesecloth. Place it over the mouth of a Mason jar. Pour or ladle the melted fat into the strainer and let it drain into the Mason jar.
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8
Seal the jar. Store the tallow in a cool, dry place.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
