Well-marbled meat retains more flavor during cooking than leaner cuts. Removing large chunks of visible fat helps, but small streaks remain. Slow, low-heat cooking releases this residual fat -- a process known as rendering -- where it floats to the surface of your braising liquid up to an inch or more deep. Instead of delectable roast, stew or soup, you see several ounces of grease, unless you can separate it from your dish without losing the flavorful meat juices.
Turkey Baster
Step 1
Squeeze the bulb of the turkey baster until it flattens as much as possible. Touch the tip of the turkey baster to the surface of the grease layer. Slowly release pressure on the bulb and draw the grease inside.
Step 2
Tilt the baster so that the bulb is lower than the tip to prevent the liquid from pouring out too soon. Hold the tip of the turkey baster over a metal container with its lid removed.
Step 3
Tilt the baster so that the tip faces down into the metal container. Squeeze the bulb to expel the grease into the container.
Step 4
Repeat suctioning the grease and expelling it into the grease can until you have removed all but a teaspoonful or less from your soup, stew or roast.
Step 5
Freeze the grease to make biscuits and gravy, or to pan-sear extra-lean meats.
Separating Jug
Step 1
Pour the pan juices into a separating jug, which looks like a teapot with the pour-spout mounted all the way at the bottom of one side. Allow the juices to settle for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Pour the juices from the small spout of the separating jug into a separate container or pan, stopping when you see grease in the pour spout.
Step 3
Pour the grease from the separating jug into a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze the grease for later use or discard it.
Step 4
Pour the juices back into the separating jug and allow them to settle for about 10 minutes.
Step 5
Pour the juices from the separating jug a second time stopping when you see grease in the pour spout. Pour the grease into your grease container or discard it.
Ladle
Step 1
Dip the edge of the ladle into the pot until it just barely breaks the surface of the grease layer in your pan. Allow the grease to fill the ladle.
Step 2
Pour the grease into the metal container for later use. Repeat ladling until the grease layer is too thin to ladle away without also taking the juices.
Step 3
Fold several layers of paper towel and touch them to the remaining grease. Discard the paper towels and refrigerate the meat juices until you are ready to use them.
Chilling
Step 1
Remove the cooked meat from the pan and place it on a serving tray to carve. Place the roasting pan or stockpot in the refrigerator, with a trivet, quilted place mat or several hot pads under it.
Step 2
Refrigerate the pan juices until the grease thickens or hardens.
Step 3
Don a plastic food service glove and remove as much of the thickened grease by handfuls as you can. Drop the grease into the metal container.
Step 4
Fold a wad of paper towels and run it over the jellied pan juices to absorb as much leftover grease as possible, advises Debra Jacobs, site owner of Deejay's Smoke Pit. Discard the paper towels.
Things You'll Need
- Turkey baster
- Metal container with a tight-fitting lid
- Separating jug
- 4 qt. pans
- Ladle
- Paper towels
- Trivet, quilted placemat or several hot pads
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