Anyone made schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)

[Hopeful homesteader]

I know this is typically made with the skin but has anyone tried with just the fat you've trimmed off the bird while processing? Is it the same process as with skin or does fat pieces need a different cooking method? Can I freeze the fat until I have enough to make a decent amount? And lastly how long can I freeze the fat in a deep freezer?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Good questions. Hopefully this video will answer some of them.

 

[iwltfum]

Yep you can do any of that. But the easiest is to just roast a chicken and collect the fat that pools in the bottom of the pan.

I have cut off the fat from the cavity and rendered it separately too but the pieces are so small, you have to have a good number of chickens to make it worth it to do that.

Ducks are of course great for their fat and the duck methods of rendering the fat would work just as well with any poultry.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I know this is typically made with the skin but has anyone tried with just the fat you've trimmed off the bird while processing? Is it the same process as with skin or does fat pieces need a different cooking method?

Actually the fat is what you want. The skin has some fat on it so it is also used. Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat. You'll find that you get a lot more fat out of an older pullet or hen than you will out of a cockerel or rooster but all if it is good to use.

Can I freeze the fat until I have enough to make a decent amount?

Absolutely yes.

And lastly how long can I freeze the fat in a deep freezer?

How well is it sealed? With a decent airtight seal, I've kept it frozen for a couple of years.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

Good questions. Hopefully this video will answer some of them.

I actually just made bone broth using one of her recipes, bones from 2 chickens made almost 6 quarts. The next day used it to make chicken noodle soup. Best soup we ever had.

I tried to save the fat that I skimmed off the top of the broth when it was finished and reheated it on low to evaporate the little bit of broth that I couldn't separate but I'm not sure if that came out right until I use it. That was my first time making broth and storing the fat so I'm still learning here. I didn't add chicken feet like Mary's recipes cause I had always thrown them away so my broth didn't come out gelatinous like hers but I'll collect some next butchering for future broth making.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

This is what I got this time.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Use both the fat and the skin. I vacuum seal everything up for freezing to make it last longer until I'm ready to use it. My favorite way it make schmaltz is to take the bones, fat, skin and any cartilage left after a roast and cook it all down together in a pressure cooker. Once it's cooled I have a beautiful golden bone broth at the bottom and the fat is rendered sitting at the top easily scooped off to be separated.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

Use both the fat and the skin. I vacuum seal everything up for freezing to make it last longer until I'm ready to use it. My favorite way it make schmaltz is to take the bones, fat, skin and any cartilage left after a roast and cook it all down together in a pressure cooker. Once it's cooled I have a beautiful golden bone broth at the bottom and the fat is rendered sitting at the top easily scooped off to be separated.

How do scoop off the fat? I had a bit of trouble with that part. I'm considering buying a fat separator that looks like a pitcher with a plug in the bottom that's connected to a button in the handle to pour out broth and then plug it when it's just the fat left but I'd like to know if there is an easier way before I buy extra dishes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm considering buying a fat separator that looks like a pitcher with a plug in the bottom that's connected to a button in the handle to pour out broth and then plug it when it's just the fat left but I'd like to know if there is an easier way before I buy extra dishes.

That's the way I separate the fat.

I'll go through a detailed explanation of how I make broth. There are lots of different ways, this is just my method.

First I hatch chicken eggs and raise those chicks to butcher age. When I butcher them I part the chicken. One container gets the parts I'll cook, the other gets the parts that are strictly for broth. The broth parts are neck, back, wings, gizzard, heart, and feet. I skin the feet after blanching them, this gets them clean enough for me to use.

I cook the parts that we eat and save the bones, putting them in the freezer. When I get enough bones, say a gallon bag, I put them in the crock pot covered with water and cook them overnight on low. Overnight is around 18 to 24 hours. I usually make three batches back to back to back and reuse the old bones each time, adding a bag of new bones each time. So I wind up with three different batches of liquid. I strain that liquid through a metal strainer to remove the bones and such and freeze the liquid. I discard all the bones after the third batch.

When I make broth I take one bag of parts for broth our of the freezer. and put that in the crock pot without thawing it. I add some herbs like basil and oregano, maybe some thyme or parsley. I add a rough cut onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a chopped carrot and a chopped celery stalk. I don't measure any of this and often just use what I have on hand. I grow my own herbs, carrots, onions, and garlic but have to buy the celery. Each batch is different since I don't measure or always use the same herbs. I cover this with the liquid I froze when I cooked down the bones from the parts we ate if I have any and top it off with water. Otherwise I just use water. The I cook this in the crock pot on low overnight (18 to 24 hours). Each batch gives me 6 to 7 pints of broth.

I strain this through that metal strainer to remove the big chunks and reserve that. Then I defat the liquid, then strain it through cheesecloth to remove the small bits. I then pressure can the broth.

I take the reserved bits that I strained out and separate the meat out. You have to be careful as there are some small bones. This separated meat can be used for tacos, chicken salad, or soup. I often make a sandwich for my lunches as it is hard to use up all that meat. I vacuum seal that meat and freeze it until I use it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I actually just made bone broth using one of her recipes, bones from 2 chickens made almost 6 quarts. The next day used it to make chicken noodle soup. Best soup we ever had.View attachment 3280706View attachment 3280707 I tried to save the fat that I skimmed off the top of the broth when it was finished and reheated it on low to evaporate the little bit of broth that I couldn't separate but I'm not sure if that came out right until I use it. That was my first time making broth and storing the fat so I'm still learning here. I didn't add chicken feet like Mary's recipes cause I had always thrown them away so my broth didn't come out gelatinous like hers but I'll collect some next butchering for future broth making.

She has a lot of good videos, some are a bit long, but she can be detailed. Her website usually has all the recipes printed with notes if you don't want to watch forever LOL
I have never rendered the fat to keep it like this but will tuck all this away for next time I process birds. Sounds great!

Oh, if you don't make bread, watch or get a few of her basic recipes for dutch oven no knead or search the google machine for recipes. Easy peasy and nice crusty homemade bread to go with that Chicken Soup. Delicious!
I'm not a fancy cook, most everything I make is just pretty much made up or I read a recipe and just mash my own together, been doing that for a long long time, but for bread, you need a recipe