Liver Pills and Beef Tallow, Oh My!

I don't like liver.  There I said it.  I know people who love it and I know people who hide it in their meatballs or hamburgers.  Neither worked for me.  I have had liver sitting in my fridge for months, taunting me.  I know it is good for me but I did not know how to get it down.  Enter the great idea of liver pills.  I don't really remember where I saw it first but I think it was Liz from Cave Girl Eats that suggested cutting the liver up in tiny cubes and swallowing them.  But, I was still chicken.  Finally, I decided to give it a try and you know what?  It worked!  It was super easy to make and I did not taste the liver one bit.
Why liver you ask?  Liver is full of vitamins.  Now, I am not talking about the liver you would pick up at the grocery store.  I am talking about 100% grass-fed, local beef liver from a reputable farmer.  These livers are full of vitamin A, B vitamins, folic acid and iron just to name a few.  For more info on liver check out this The Weston A Price article.

So, here is what I did.  I defrosted the liver in the fridge just a little so it was still partially frozen.  I then sliced the liver into pill size portions.  I put them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to flash freeze them.  That is it!  I then put them in a container and I keep them in the freezer.  I am taking about 3 liver pills in the morning.  If you use fresh liver, it is advisable to keep the pills in the freezer for 2 weeks before consuming to kill off any pathogens or parasites. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

Now, time for the beef tallow.  When I was at PaleoFX, I bought some tallow body lotion.  It was fantastic!  You can buy it here-Kasandrinos Olive Oil.  But, I thought to myself, I should try to make this.  I love experimenting and making my own products.  So, I ordered some beef fat from my farmer-Yonder Way Farm.  The rendering was easy but very time consuming.  Now, I understand why the lotion was expensive!

I cooked mine on the stove but I am going to try the crock-pot next time.  It will take longer but I won't have to stir it as often.
I defrosted the fat in the fridge for a few days.  It was still solid, kind of like a block of butter.  I cut it into tiny pieces taking out any meat or anything that wasn't fat.  I put all of this in a pot on the stove and set the burner on low (I have a gas cooktop).  I stirred every 15 minutes for 3 hours!  Everything turned to liquid except for a few brown pieces floating on top that are called cracklings.  Some people like the cracklings but I did not.  My dogs have enjoyed them though!
I skimmed the cracklings off and set them on a paper towel.  Next, I poured the hot oil into a colander covered with a tea towel (you can also use cheesecloth) over a large bowl to get out any impurities.  I then poured the oil (still very hot) into a quart size glass jar.  I kept it on the counter overnight.  It can go in the fridge when it is cool.  So, I think I had about 5 pounds of fat and that rendered one full quart for me.

I have not made the lotion yet but I am going to experiment with lavender and lemon essential oils for the fragrance and olive oil for the oil.  I will let you know how it turns out!