Hi, it was off the www.zerocarbage.com forum under recipes. It's really
easy, just kind of putzy (to me). :)

I found an upscale local grocery store that gives me beef fat scraps for
practically nothing, and so I think they are pretty good quality. I take a
large kettle, and put them in, and add some water. I simmer them for what
seems like a long time. The water goes away, and I keep cooking it on low,
stirring it often. I'd like to say mine takes about 8 hours, but I heard you
can put them in a large pan in the oven and cook low. You know they are done
when there are bits that are really crispy, like pork rinds. You can eat
them. That is the rendering the fat part of it.

For the beef part, I buy eye of round steaks. I slice them as thin as I can,
and put them in my Nesco food dehydrator. I have the one that has 5 trays
and adjustable temperature. I've "cooked" them on low (90F) and higher
(140F) and I can't tell the difference taste wise, it takes less time with a
higher temperature, but you're supposed to dehydrate on the lower temp for
longer to help keep all the happy stuff in it good (my technical term).

Once the beef is now really crispy jerky, I put it in the food processor
until it looks like dust. It's okay if it has some bits in it.

I weigh the fat, and weigh the meat, and whatever has the lower number, go
with that weight for the other. So basically if I have a pound of fat, I add
a pound of the dry meat. I do add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder to
mine, hardly at all. I mix it all up. The fat has to be liquid but not
really hot. 

Then I put a sheet of that freezer paper on my counter, and pour the mixture
on it. I add another piece of freezer paper on top of that, and flatten it
out to about 1/4" inch. I put it in the fridge (or freezer if I'm impatient)
until it's hard. Then I break it into pieces and put in containers which I
keep in the fridge. I like it right out of the fridge the best.

Hope that helps!

Elizabeth

-----Original Message-----

Do you have a good recipe?  Where do you get your tallow?  I suspect  
it's quite a bit of effort from the instructions I've read.  But I bet  
making it at home means it also comes out really good!   I'm looking  
forward to feeling better!

Yeah, I got the ones with cherries and the ones with out cherries.   
Maybe next time I'll grab the salt free.  Or it means I'll drink more  
water.  Not a bad thing either.