In an effort to be more economical and I guess to be more "homemade", I started making suet cakes for my yard birds a couple of years ago. This year I learned something new, so thought it might be fun to share.
What I know...
Being an avid consumer of pork, I am very well acquainted with lard. The succulent and versatile product that results from the rendering of pork fat. If you wonder why you can't get your pie crust to be quite as good as grandma's, try using lard instead of shortening. Want killer pan roasted potatoes? Use lard instead of oil. Lard from sustainably raised pigs on a natural diet is actually a more nutritious fat than most think. Much of the horrors associate with animals fats over the past few decades have been overstated and are now known to be more associated with the overly processed vegetable fats that were encouraged as substitutes. If you're interested, here is a great article from Food & Wine and blog post by The New Homemaker that speak to the misunderstandings associated with lard. Another example of how staying as close as possible to Mother Nature's intention for our food, is always the better choice.
What I learned...
As the name would suggest, Suet Cakes, call for suet. Lard is from pigs, and Suet is from cows. When suet, the fat from beef, is rendered, the resulting product is called tallow. Tallow is beef's version of lard. I discovered that tallow, something I had never really heard of, is also a succulent and versatile cooking fat in the same way lard is. And, like lard, if sourced from a sustainably raised animal on a pastured diet, it is far more nutritious than most would think. (Just so we're clear, I'm speaking about these fats like I would of any...always in moderation and they are only a good alternative if you trust the source and know what the animal was eating. Lard and tallow from commercially raised, corn fed animals that you buy already rendered at your local chain grocery store...NOT a good choice.)
This year I got my suet cake recipe from my step-dad's 94 year old mother, Ruth. She has been making suet cakes for far longer than I, and she insists that although you can make suet cakes from lard, using suet is better and holds up to warmer outdoor temps. In an effort to do it the "right" way this year, I went in search of some beef suet.
My sources...
All of my trusted beef sources, Marr Family Farm, Fountain Prairie Farm, and Jordandal Farms, were able to hook me up. I ended up procuring 7 pounds of suet for $9 at our Saturday morning farmer's market. I shared my suet bounty with Ruth and came home with 4 pounds to get started. And let me say that 4 pounds of suet goes a very long way.
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| 4 pounds of beef suet |
Let's render...
When starting with raw fat you must first remove any un-meltable solids and impurities by rendering. Rendering can be done a couple of ways, but the key is that it must be done slowly at a low temperature to avoid burning. The smaller the pieces of fat, the faster the process. Some sites even suggest shredding the fat or putting it through a food processor. Ruth suggested that cooling the tallow after rendering, until solid, and then melting it again makes the final suet cakes even hardier in warmer outdoor temps.
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| Cut in to smaller chunks...though smaller than this would be better |
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| In a large pot for rendering at a low temp |
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| Suet beginning to render..."melt" in to a liquid |
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| After 2 hours, liquid is nearly completely extracted from solids |
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| Straining remaining solids from tallow |
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| Tallow set aside for consumption...beautiful golden color |
So let's make cakes!!
(Scroll to the end for the full recipe)
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| Solidified tallow for cakes set to be reheated for final assembly |
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| Solidified tallow for consumption ready for refrigerator |
3. Mixture should be slightly looser than cookie dough. If it is too loose, add a touch more flour or cornmeal.
The recipe calls for crunchy peanut butter, whole wheat flour, old fashioned oatmeal, corn meal, and optional items such as nut meats, currants, and raisins. I added some walnuts that had been lost in a cupboard for who knows how long, raisins, and mealworms that I picked up at the local pet store.
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| Ingredients for Suet Cakes...including ground walnuts, raisins, and mealworms |
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| meal worms |
4. Spread mixture in a 9x13 or jelly roll pan. You could also take the mixture at this point and put it in to any form that will fit your feeder. It could even be put in a regular container from which you could take scoops to fill onion sacks or netted suet feeders.
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| Suet Cake mixture ready for pressing in to pans |
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| Pans ready for refrigeration |
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| Cut cakes going in to bags for storage |
This recipe should keep you in suet cakes for a while, but it depends on how many birds you get and how hungry they are. I got approximately 10 cakes that are the size of the commercially sold cakes.
I rendered the suet and assembled the recipe in one afternoon. After letting the batch chill overnight, I was able to fill my feeder the next morning and store the rest away to use throughout the cold winter months.
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| Feeder loaded with new Suet Cake! |
Bird Suet Cake Recipe
(this recipe is from an unknown original source and has been passed down through neighbors and friends over many years)
1 lb lard or suet, rendered, or you can buy tubs of rendered fat at some grocery stores or butcher shops, you can also find plain suet cakes at some pet stores
2 C. crunchy peanut butter
2 C. whole wheat flour
4 C. old fashioned oatmeal
4 C. corn meal
optional: nut meats, currants, raisins
9x13 pan
1. Melt lard or Tallow (remember the option to do this twice if you choose) in a large pan. (Raw pork or beef fat must be rendered first to a meltable fat...lard or tallow)
2. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients, stirring well to mix each ingredient as it's added
3. Mixture should be slightly looser than cookie dough. If it is too loose, add a touch more flour or cornmeal.
4. Spread mixture in a 9x13 or jelly roll pan. You could also take the mixture at this point and put it in to any form that will fit your feeder. It could even be put in a regular container from which you could take scoops to fill onion sacks or netted suet feeders.
5. Place pan or container in the refrigerator, cold porch, or garage for a few hours or overnight.
6. After cooling, suet can be cut in to cakes and stored in ziplock bags or other containers for easy access. They should be kept refrigerated or frozen until use.
Storage...
I store my cakes in a hard plastic container in my unheated garage during the cold fall and winter. It's important that if you are going to store this stuff outside, that you properly protect it from other critters who can't resist the delicious aroma of peanut butter and fat. They WILL chew through ziplock bags...trust me.
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| Chickadee already enjoying his/her new treat! |
