posted 14 years ago
Rendering tallow is simple, based on my experience. It might get more complicated/dangerous for a very large batch.
The fat might not be hard enough for candles, depending on how the animals were fed.
I've read that biodiesel is about as easy to make as soap, give or take. Except that not all soap recipes call for rendered fat: some take whole scraps.
You might try storing any meat that remains after rendering as animal-grade confit. Paul was going to experiment with this, I haven't heard how that went.
"the qualities of these bacteria, like the heat of the sun, electricity, or the qualities of metals, are part of the storehouse of knowledge of all men. They are manifestations of the laws of nature, free to all men and reserved exclusively to none." SCOTUS, Funk Bros. Seed Co. v. Kale Inoculant Co.