[Sca-cooks] Suet and lard

[Dana Kramer-Rolls]

First off, I am lucky enough to live in Foodie Heaven (Berkeley/San Francisco 
and environs).  I can get leaf lard and fat back from humanely raised pigs, 
readily.  Suet, now that is another issue. Kidney suet is not readily 
available.  I have been offered rendered suet (source unknown), beautiful golden 
suet from grass fed beef, at $11 lb. from The Fatted Calf, and I said no. I 
finally found similar suet at Cafe Rouge for only $5/lb, but he couldn't spare 
much because he supplied all the high end restaurants. I got three lbs, and have 
about half left in the freezer.  When I have to, I use beef fat, chopped, for 
real suet when that is all I can get.  Mostly I can't get even that because 
animal carcasses are prepared from the meat packers, but when I find a pet 
butcher at a supermarket, I can get small amounts of fat for free.  I need to do 
some serious trimming or rendering.  I use suet for my mincemeat, Christmas 
puddings, and year round, for suet crusts for boiled puddings, especially steak 
and kidney pudding, but also for tons of others. You have to hunt around and 
cultivate butchers.  And use whatever you can get.  If anybody has any other 
sources, let us know.

Sir Maythen