Where to buy beef suet

[shaffey]

I need to purchase beef suet and also have it ground for making a traditional christmas pudding. Does anyone know where I can purchase that in Rockland, Westchester, or Bergan counties?

[Mrs.Sean]

Me again - just to say that Nigella Lawson tweeted just this morning about suet substitutes - here's the link: http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-querie.... She says freeze vegetable shortening (Crisco, eg), grate it, refreeze for a while, then mix.

[Maryld]

This is a much asked question on the forums of the English chef, Delia Smith. Personally, I have never found it, even when I lived in NYC. Two alternatives are always mentioned. There is a canned vegetarian version which is sold in stores in England and there are many sites online that bill themselves as British goumet stores in the US--try them. The second option is the one I use, and it works just fine. Freeze until solid as much unsalted butter as required by the recipe. Using a box grater, grate into the batter when required, and continue as usual.

[shaffey]

Thanks for the tip.

Calling around I found a butcher (in Congers NY) that said he had it, but he was referring to the fat he trims off the steaks rather than the fat from around the kidneys. Do you think I could use this as a substitute or does it have to be fat from around the kidney to work the right way?

[Mrs.Sean]

Shaffey, I'm one of the people who posted a couple of years ago; an expat Brit in Westchester. For the past couple of years, I've bought Atora light (i.e. vegetarian) suet from Myers of Keswick in NYC, and I honestly haven't noticed a difference. I've been using the same Christmas pudding recipe for about 15 years now (Delia Smith's) and the switch from beef to vegetarian suet has not affected it.

Freezing butter and grating it is not going to work; the whole point of suet is that its melting point is crazily higher than any other fat, so its shreds melt reaaaaaaally sloooooowly, coating each piece of fruit individually. Butter will melt just as quickly once it hits the steamer, whether you freeze it or not before mixing.

If you buy fresh suet from the butcher - which I have a couple of times - make sure it's the proper stuff; the pearly white fat that surrounds beef kidneys. Meateria in Port Chester sells it. There are also quite a few Irish butchers in the Yonkers area that do, too; they just didn't have it in time for when I made my puddings. (My version of "stir-up Sunday" is to always make my puddings the day after Thanksgiving.)

If you decide to go the Atora vegetarian route, UK Gourmet in Milford, CT stocks it; again, they didn't have it when I needed it but they tell me they have it now.

[Maryld]

Having made several puddings with frozen butter, I can assure you that it works pretty well and is the standard recommendation on quite a few British cooking forums for ex-pats who can't get suet or any substitute. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

[Mrs.Sean]

You're right, Maryld, I haven't tried it. But the science SOUNDS like it makes sense, at least! ;-)