Dripping
Encyclopedia
Dripping, also known usually as beef dripping or more rarely, as pork dripping, is an animal fat
produced from the fatty or otherwise unusable parts of cow or pig
carcasses. It is similar to lard
and tallow
although tallow is an unacceptable flavor for shortening or cooking generally.
It is used for cooking
, especially in British cuisine
, significantly so in Northern England, though towards the end of the 20th century dripping fell out of favor due to it being regarded as less healthy than vegetable oils such as olive
or sunflower
.
Traditionally fish and chips
were fried in beef dripping, and while this practice does continue in some places, most shops now use vegetable oils.
Preparation is traditionally described as collection of the residue from meat roasts but true production is from such residue added to boiling water with a generous amount of salt (about 2g per litre). The stock pot should be chilled and the solid lump of dripping (the cake) which settles when chilled should be scraped clean and re-chilled for future use. The residue can be reprocessed for more dripping and strained through a cheesecloth lined sieve as an ingredient for a fine beef stock. Dripping can be clarified by adding a sliced raw potato and cooking until potato turns brown. The cake will be the color and texture of ghee
.
Pork or beef dripping can be served cold, spread on bread and sprinkled with salt and pepper (bread and dripping). If the tasty brown sediment and stock from the roast has settled to the bottom of the dripping and colored it brown, then in parts of Yorkshire
it is known colloquially as a "mucky fat" sandwich.
Animal fat
Animal fats are rendered tissue fats that can be obtained from a variety of animals.- Pet nutrition :In pet nutrition, the source of animal fat concerns food manufacturers. AAFCO states that animal fat is "obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial processes of rendering...
produced from the fatty or otherwise unusable parts of cow or pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
carcasses. It is similar to lard
Lard
Lard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
and tallow
Tallow
Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.In industry,...
although tallow is an unacceptable flavor for shortening or cooking generally.
It is used for cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, especially in British cuisine
British cuisine
English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, largely due to the importation of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India...
, significantly so in Northern England, though towards the end of the 20th century dripping fell out of favor due to it being regarded as less healthy than vegetable oils such as olive
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
or sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
.
Traditionally fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
were fried in beef dripping, and while this practice does continue in some places, most shops now use vegetable oils.
Preparation is traditionally described as collection of the residue from meat roasts but true production is from such residue added to boiling water with a generous amount of salt (about 2g per litre). The stock pot should be chilled and the solid lump of dripping (the cake) which settles when chilled should be scraped clean and re-chilled for future use. The residue can be reprocessed for more dripping and strained through a cheesecloth lined sieve as an ingredient for a fine beef stock. Dripping can be clarified by adding a sliced raw potato and cooking until potato turns brown. The cake will be the color and texture of ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
.
Pork or beef dripping can be served cold, spread on bread and sprinkled with salt and pepper (bread and dripping). If the tasty brown sediment and stock from the roast has settled to the bottom of the dripping and colored it brown, then in parts of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
it is known colloquially as a "mucky fat" sandwich.