How to render fat from your wild game

The more we experiment with using wild fats, the more blown away we are by how well they perform in baked goods.

This is hands-down the best pie crust I’ve had anywhere. The dough is easy to work, rolled like a charm without sticking or getting warm too quickly, and baked up into the lightest, flakiest crust ever.

A primer on the characteristics and uses for the various wild fats we’ve encountered.

A “bear-y” cobbler!

Rendered venison tallow is surprisingly versatile.

Use beaver fat in place of butter in your recipe for exceptionally rich, flaky biscuits.

Deer fat, which can be waxy and coat your mouth unpleasantly when it’s cold, is transformed when it’s cut with a little flour and cornmeal.

We’ve been trying to incorporate deer tallow into more and more of our cooking in an effort to use the whole animal and have been surprised at how easy it is.

There’s not much you can’t make better with a little bit of duck fat.