Where can I get Vegetable or Beef Suet either near San Francisco or delivered to the Bay Area of California?
The suet is for human consumption, so bird feeder supplies would be no good.
Does suet have a different name in the USA?
Cheers, Keithy
What’s suet? I’ve heard of it as a bird feed ingredient, but that’s it.
suet is beef fat.
But not just any beef fat – it’s the hard fat found around the kidneys and loin (in lamb as well as beef). It’s usually available shredded from butchers or in packets from the grocery store/supermarket over here but I’m afraid I don’t know where you can buy it in or near San Fracisco. Maybe you could ask your butcher to save you some? They must have it but throw it away because there’s no demand for most American cooking.
Specifically, suet is (usually) the fat from inside the body cavity of the animal - the stuff the internal organs are packed in.
“shredded suet” - the form in which it is most often bought is convenient for many pastry/dough/dumpling/pudding recipes because the small granules of fat mix easily with the other dry ingredients without the need for ‘rubbing in’.
I should add that the difference between suet and lard (apart from the usual animal of origin) is that lard is rendered - melted and purified, suet isn’t - it is fat suspended in it’s own network of connective tissue (sounds lovely, doesn’t it?)
Dare I say that I want to use it in making “Spotted Dick”?
Now all the American’s will be really scared (scarred?).
Does anyone know what the ingredients in Vegitable Suet are ?
And if the same stuff can be found in USA under a different name.
Thanks for all the help so far, Keithy
I asked this question a couple of months ago, and the consensus was that Crisco is the closest U.S. equivalent to vegetable suet.
Thank’s for the Link.
Has anyone found a Canadian source that will deliver to USA?
And what vegitable oil is used to make Crisco?
The best info I can find on Vegetable Suet, is that it is made from hydrogenated palm oil. I have seen mention of solid hydrogenated palm oil, but have not yet found a source for it.
PS. the Crisco web site did not mention the ingredients in it’s vegetable shortening sticks.
Thanks again, Keithy