Rendering Duck Fat

As a former vegetarian, trapped in a moral dilemma of not wanting things go to waste, I recently found myself where I never would have expected; rendering jar upon jar of duck fat.

I had no knowledge of the culinary elitism of duck fat until I did some google searches on how to get the fat separate from everything else.  What I found online was what seems to be an almost cult following for duck fat.  I had no idea what a delicacy I was about to create.

We took on this project simply because we raised ducks this fall and heard that duck fat is tasty.  I will say that I did not do this the same way that all the instructions online told me to but things seemed to work out well so I thought I would share the process.

Step 1:
Boil duck carcases.  This simply involved taking the largest pot we have, putting about 6 ducks in it and boiling it on the stove for about a day.  By the time it had cooked for a day all the fat had risen to the top of the pot.

Step 2:
Cool everything down.  In order for the fat to separate it needs to cool down.

Step 3:
Skim the fat. This is actually almost the same as skimming milk.  If you have a turkey baster, I believe it would be very helpful to use it to suck up the fat layer without getting other liquid.  If you do not have a baster you can simply use a spoon or ladle.

Step 4:
Strain the fat.  Pour your fat out of the spoon or baster into a container, straining it through a double layer of cheese cloth.

The final product, after it has cooled and solidified.

Wait for the fat to settle.  Then separate the actual fat from water that may have made its way into the mix.

If you want the bonus of broth simply strain the rest of the liquid through cheese cloth separating it from the bones etc and transfer it to a freezer container.

Enjoy!