At David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago, Chef Rick Gresh keeps a cup next to his grill with what he calls "beef love", melted beef fat trimmed from his steaks. Gresh paints the steaks with it before they go into the dining room. I have taken his method one step farther. I paint the meat with beef love before it goes on the direct heat as well as before I serve.
It enhances browning and brings great flavor to the party. To make your own beef love, just ask your butcher for a pound of suet, the term they use for beef fat. Butchers trim pounds of it every day and throw it away. It won't cost you anything. Take it home, chop it into cubes about 1/2" and put them in a pot over medium heat to medium low. Put on the lid. After a few minutes you should see tallow (liquid suet) in the pot. If not, raise the heat slightly. After about 30 minutes most of the fat will have melted. There will be some fibrous matter that doesn't melt, just throw it away.
Once your fat has melted... Let it cool to room temperature, then pour it into ice cube tray's. Freeze it and then take it out of the ice cube tray's and put it into zip-lock freezer bags. Take one out whenever you need it And melt it either on the grill or the microwave. Use it like you would canola oil or olive oil. It has a much higher burn rate than either - and beef fat adds flavor.
- Suet... https://www.flickr.com/photos/food_pictures/9162961591/
- Rendered suet... https://www.flickr.com/photos/food_pictures/9165196050/
- In the ice cube tray's... https://www.flickr.com/photos/food_pictures/9165203996/