suet vs. hide fat

[Raw Kyle]

I got the impression from a lot of people on this forum that for some reason suet was superior to hide fat. I remember reading that hide fat is tough and hard to eat. I tried it a couple of times and didn't find that at all. It's harder than suet, more so in that it doesn't crumble and squish like suet. It seems like it might be denser as well.

Anyone else try hide fat and have an opinion vs. suet? Ever try to render it?

It's a step towards bacon I guess from suet. Any other reasons it's not as good? I might prefer it, or maybe just like to go back and forth for a change.

[lex_rooker]

I've never made any distinction between the different fats and treat them the same (except for bone marrow).  I think that suet is generally a bit harder at room temperature as it is often somewhat more saturated than hide or intermuscular fat, but this also seems to depend a good bit on the age of the animal from which the fat came.  The older the animal harder and more waxy or crumbly the suet.  The hide and intermuscular fat seem a little smoother and less waxy - especially in the older animals.

When I order fat I just tell them to mix and match with whatever they have to fill the order.  If I'm making pemmican I'll want 65 or 130 lbs.  When you want that much fat from grass fed animals, beggars can't be choosers as grass fed critters don't make a lot of extra fat to begin with.

Lex

[JaX]

Lex is right, suet is  the most saturated because it is internal fat, and the internal temperature (around the organs) is higher than the temperate closer to the skin in warm blooded animals. Look at the fat just below the skin of an animal or in muscle meats, this is often the most unsaturated and the softest. I've also found this fat to be more yellow in color than suet.

But the saturation degree (softness/hardness) and color of fat also largely depends on the breed and the age of an animal, not just its diet.

[Guittarman03]

I love fat.  I love bone marrow, ribs, ribeye, etc.  But I ordered 10 lb of suet from slankers and I've eaten like 3oz.  Don't know, I just hate the taste, despite how much I love other fat.   

[TylerDurden]

Well, I've never tried hide-fat but I've heard from Gary, a member of rawpaleodiet, who claims that hide-fat is not only richer in omega-3s than suet, but is much tastier and much healthier for you.

[Raw Kyle]

I love fat.  I love bone marrow, ribs, ribeye, etc.  But I ordered 10 lb of suet from slankers and I've eaten like 3oz.  Don't know, I just hate the taste, despite how much I love other fat.   

Suet and hide fat, along with marrow, are the fattiest foods. If you don't like those, you don't like fat.

[Guittarman03]

I do like those.  All except for suet - but I've only ordered it once, and only eaten it twice.

[Raw Kyle]

I almost always eat a bite of suet or hide fat with a bite of muscle meat. If I eat pure suet it sticks to my mouth.

[Nicola]

Well, I've never tried hide-fat but I've heard from Gary, a member of rawpaleodiet, who claims that hide-fat is not only richer in omega-3s than suet, but is much tastier and much healthier for you.

Is hide-fat from a particular part? I think muscle fat would do - I can not imagine that humans would have even known when they ate so called hide-fat that this was richer or healthier than muscle fat or suet!

http://www.eatwild.com/articles/confused.html

[Raw Kyle]

I think hide fat is the fat beneath the skin that keeps the animal insulated against cold.

[rafonly]

~ among the primal cuts of the grassfed beef i buy some weeks, brisket has hide fat whereas chuck has seam fat (intermuscular)

~ i find a good supply of visceral fat (suet) in the hind 1/2 carcass of pasture goat i buy some other weeks

[Raw Kyle]

That inter-muscular fat in the chuck is hard to chew.