Could McDonald's Bring Back Beef Tallow?

Earlier this month Stake 'n Shake announced it plans to use "100 percent beef tallow," or animal fat, for cooking its fries rather than vegetable oil. Vegetable oil has been sharply criticized on health grounds including by President Donald Trump's secretary of health nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The move has raised questions over whether other fast-food companies such as McDonald's could adopt similar policies, with one nutrition expert telling Newsweek such a move could "might resonate" with the restaurant chain's history.

Why It Matters Kennedy, who Trump wants to head the Department of Health & Human Services, is a fierce critic of certain types of seed oil, also known as vegetable oil, and has claimed Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by the product.

A range of companies have made moves to ingratiate themselves with the Trump administration, for example by scrapping or rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. If Congress confirms Kennedy as health secretary restaurant chains could come under direct or indirect pressure to dump vegetable oil in exchange for beef tallow.

I haven’t been to a butcher in a long time - their prices were ridiculous. I do know of a wholesaler though, but they mostly cut up chickens. I have bought beef from them, so I’ll ask next time I go.

Thanks!

Many butchers just toss out suet, unless a customer comes in wanting it for birds suet blocks. There will be a bigger interest as more people want tallow. We are fortunate to have a rural family run meat packer. Shopping in the front, slaughter and butcher in the back. Even if you are not rural there are some meat markets still around that take delivery of a carcass and then cut it up. A place like that would have cheaper suet. I am going to pick up another three pounds this next week. I’ve used ours more than a few times now. Pure white in the ca like crisco white, fries great, no smells, Drains off, the food is not greasy. You can fry at a high temp. When straining back into the cam I use two layers of cheesecloth in the strainer, but it doesn’t catch much. When cooled the tallow looks exactly the same. Have done fries onion rings, chicken tenders, very impressed and you don’t lose much. If I just cook a burger or sear a steak I use a tablespoon and I don’t save it afterwards. In a cast iron skillet a seared steak is amazing.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.