Is bear fat worth rendering?

[Seabass]

Just recently learned that, at one point in our history, bear fat was so valuable it was used as currency and even had its own measurement for trade.

[WoodHacker]

I would not let any of the fat go to waste. This one gave me 46 pints from about 50# of fat.

[hunter399]

I would not let any of the fat go to waste. This one gave me 46 pints from about 50# of fat.

That is Alot of bear grease 😲

[krolelov]

I would not let any of the fat go to waste. This one gave me 46 pints from about 50# of fat.

This looks amazing!

[logola512c]

I would not let any of the fat go to waste. This one gave me 46 pints from about 50# of fat.

Did you can it with a pressure cooker to keep it from going bad? 

[jrebel]

I would not let any of the fat go to waste. This one gave me 46 pints from about 50# of fat.

Did you can it with a pressure cooker to keep it from going bad?

We freeze ours to keep it good.  Curious if canning is an option. 

[logola512c]

Do you freeze it in jars or vacuum sealed bags?  I saw jars in the original post and immediately thought canning since I always think of jars breaking in the freezer.  But maybe that's not true with rendered fat? 

[NRA4LIFE]

If you use real canning jars (not mayo or others) they will not break in the freezer.  I've frozen just about every imaginable substance in canning jars, including bear lard.

[jrebel]

Yeah we use canning jars (1/2 pint) for our lard and they have not broken in our freezer.  Works great als last a very long time. 

[dilleytech]

Do you freeze it in jars or vacuum sealed bags?  I saw jars in the original post and immediately thought canning since I always think of jars breaking in the freezer.  But maybe that's not true with rendered fat?

Jars break due to the expansion of water when it freezes. Oil doesn’t expand at all. It will actually create a seal when the oil cools. I have frozen hundreds of jars with bear oil and haven't had any break. Every now and then I try freezing canned stock and get reminded why you don’t do that without leaving the jar loose.

[logola512c]

Do you freeze it in jars or vacuum sealed bags?  I saw jars in the original post and immediately thought canning since I always think of jars breaking in the freezer.  But maybe that's not true with rendered fat?

Jars break due to the expansion of water when it freezes. Oil doesn’t expand at all. It will actually create a seal when the oil cools. I have frozen hundreds of jars with bear oil and haven't had any break. Every now and then I try freezing canned stock and get reminded why you don’t do that without leaving the jar loose.

That's helpful.  I think I've tried it with bone broth in jars and ended up with broken jars.  Makes sense that rendered fat wouldn't expand the same.

[krolelov]

Clay Newcomb claims that bear grease may be stored at room temp for 1.5 years without spoiling. I keep mine in the freezer and I am happy with the results.

[logola512c]

Clay Newcomb claims that bear grease may be stored at room temp for 1.5 years without spoiling. I keep mine in the freezer and I am happy with the results.

The last jar of mine started to go rancid in the refrigerator after about 6 months.  Maybe it was contaminated somehow -- started to turn black from the bottom of the jar in a part that hadn't been exposed to air?  But hard to believe that could be the case since it went straight from the slow simmer pot (through a cheesecloth screen) into a clean jar...

[Rob]

I just tried my hand at rendering bear fat.  I saved about 8 pints of fat and got about 5.5 pint of lard.  I was surprised that the rendering process was mostly oderless (a little like browning burger on a skillet.).  The finished lard has zero oder.

I will have to try making some biscuits with it.

I noticed it only stays semi-solid at room temp.  Does that sound  about right? 

[jrebel]

I just tried my hand at rendering bear fat.  I saved about 8 pints of fat and got about 5.5 pint of lard.  I was surprised that the rendering process was mostly oderless (a little like browning burger on a skillet.).  The finished lard has zero oder.

I will have to try making some biscuits with it.

I noticed it only stays semi-solid at room temp.  Does that sound  about right?

That sounds correct....hard as a rock when frozen, at room temp it is like scooping a sherbet.  It hardens up in the fridge but is easily managed.  We freeze our pints and keep one in the fridge.  As we use that one up we rotate.  If I need it soft, I take it out of the fridge and leave it for an hour. 

We also have one in the fridge that is used exclusively for leather boots, gloves, belts, etc.  Use an old rag and store the jar and rag in a ziplock for whenever we want to touch our leather.