Do you eat the...gulp...fat?

[Jerseygirl111]

Yes, I admit it. I know it is so unhealthy. But I buy pork rib chops because of the fat along the bone.. It's just so darn tasty. I am a bone sucker. I do trim the fat off chicken breasts but have been known to eat some fat on my steaks...anyone else? Wonder if it is a generational thing?

[wyogal]

Depends, if it's crispy on the outside, and dissolves on the tongue, yes!

[iL Divo]

wyogal, agree.
with bacon it's an of course but ham or pork chops with the crisped part, sure

[EWSflash]

+1, big time.

[hippioflov]

Especially on a pork roast that's seasoned with garlic, salt, and black pepper, and roasted until it's browned and crispy! Same for the skin on a roasted chicken - my daughter loves it and she's 20 so I guess it's not a age thing.

[linguafood]

The fat in the meat is what makes it flavorful. The best cuts of steak are usually generously marbled with fat.

To answer your question, yes, I eat it. I also eat bacon, pork belly, duck fat (under the crispy skin), etc. etc.

[CanadaGirl]

Nope. Don't like the texture, never have. I'm the one with the bits of fat that I have surgically removed from my steak or pork chop, neatly piles on the edge of my plate.

[cheesemaestro]

It depends. Crispy bacon fat, yes. Big chunks of fat on the outside of pork chops, no. Fat running through a well marbled steak, yes, but not the outside fat. Chicken fat, usually not. Prosciutto and serrano ham, you'd better believe it!

[Sooeygun]

I'm the same, cheesemaestro. It's a texture thing for me. Mr. S carefully trims my porkchop after cooking and takes the fat for himself. win-win
but the lovely crisp fat on bacon? Just had some this morning.

[Terrieltr]

Same here. And it needs to be still hot. Too often, it cools quickly and turns rubbery. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

[cstr]

Don't forget the duck fat for french fries!

[mcf]

Ditto for me.

[bagelman01]

don't eat pork rib chops, but the edge fat on a grilled veal rib chop or beef rib steak I eat and enjoy

[Transplant_DK]

Most definitely, as long as it's crispy and delicious.

And I'm in the camp that doesn't believe it's unhealthy to eat animal fat, so I do it without guilt.

[hotoynoodle]

happy eater of fat here too, we can camp in solidarity, my friend. animal fat has gotten a bad rap since the government caved to big ag and convinced everybody that high carb was healthier. meanwhile, americans are fatter, have more diabetes and heart attacks than ever. it's the grains that wreak havoc with your insulin, triglycerides and overall health. ditching them was the best dietary choice i have ever made.

i sometimes will cook chicken thighs when i have hankering for just the crispy skin. i eat butter and olive oil everyday. will happily dip my steak fat in bearnaise and prefer fattier, richer cuts of meat like ribs, shoulder and butt. they are also cheaper since everybody wants the lean, flavorless loin cuts.

oh, and my health markers are all excellent and i can rock skinny jeans. :) we evolved eating animals and animal fat.

[MandalayVA]

This! A perfectly roasted chicken thigh with crispy salt-spattered skin is truly food of the gods. And the fat on a slice of rare prime rib ... droool ...

[EWSflash]

Darn right.

[ericthered]

Roger on the prime rib fat....double drool!

[kmcarr]

we evolved eating animals and animal fat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Balderdash! In evolutionary terms it has been a mere spec of time that any species of homo have derived a significant portion of the caloric intake from animal sources. Also look at our closest evolutionary cousins (chimps, gorillas & orangutans), predominately if not exclusively vegetarian.

[cheesemaestro]

Well, we're not chimps, gorillas or orangutans. The evidence is that early homo sapiens evolved as hunter gatherers and were, like modern man, omnivores, not herbivores.

[cowboyardee]

The mainstream of evolutionary biologists suggest that meat was eaten to some degree by our ancestors starting about 2.5 million years ago, and that it has played a significant role in our species' evolution for about 2 million years. In other words, meat's importance in our evolution predates the species Homo sapien, and has been an evolutionary factor for most of the timeline of the Homo genus.

Of course, most of our ancestors did not eat as much meat as the average American does today, but your characterization of meat eating as insignificant is incorrect (or at least out of line with current scientific thinking).

[pdxgastro]

Wait, what? We eat more meat now? I remember a great Neanderthal documentary said they consumed about 10k calories a day. Of meat.

But it also said our brains didn't start growing until we moved to the coast and started consuming fish.

[cowboyardee]

Yes, in general we eat more meat now than our ancestors did. The Neanderthals were a different species, and technically they were probably not among our ancestors (this is still debated). Their caloric requirements were greater than ours. At any rate, they represent only a comparatively small sample of pre-modern members of the Homo genus.

At any rate, you shouldn't look at our ancestors as a cohesive group who all ate the same thing. Those who lived on the coast ate fish (usually). Others didn't. In some areas and at some times, pre-modern humans ate quite a bit of meat. But more often than not, it simply was not as available to our ancestors as it is to us.

[ericthered]

I believe if God didn't want us to eat animals he wouldn't have made them out of MEAT!

[mcf]

We must be reading VERY different sources.

[lergnom]

If the food is meant to have fat, then eat it. I like the fat on a grilled steak, meaning the fat globules along the edges.

At a Chinese restaurant, my wife ordered duck, which of course came as meat with a layer of fat. She picked off the fat. The waiter said, "You no eat best part." He was right.

[porker]

I love the fat on the edge of a grilled rib steak and pork chop. I aloso like pork skin in almost any form - chicharon, in sausage (cotechino), or crisped on a roast.
As kids, we'd scrape the fat off pig tails when eating boiled dinner, but my dad would collect it off our plates and eat it.
I like telling the story of sitting at the counter in Schwartz in Montreal. A man, about 80 years old comes in, dressed in the 50s (fedora and trench coat), sits down and orders a plate of "speck". They serve him up a plate of Montreal smoked meat fat. No meat, just fat. He enjoys every bite, smacks his lips, pays, and leaves. I asked the waiter if its on the menu, "naw, but you can order it...mostly its the old guys who eat it" It looked awesome, but I have yet the courage to eat a plate of fat.

[hotoynoodle]

omg, schwartz's! lol. we were there not long ago and totes loved the smoked meat! my b/f will be so upset he didn't know this was an option!

[porker]

I was given Bill Buford's book "Heat" a few years back. Its an interesting account of Buford working with Mario Batali. Theres a section where he describes Batali's introduction of lardo, cured pork fat. Batali knows most people cringe at the thought, so describes it as "white prosciutto".
I never heard of lardo before this and it sounded tantalizing. Sometime later, Mrs Porker and I were in Batali's Babbo NY and Lardo was part of a salumi app - I had to try. White as snow, sliced paper thin, it melted on the tongue. It was indeed similar to the fat found in prosciutto, with different flavor notes, but oh, the texture! Silky.

[ipsedixit]

Depends.

Marbled fat as part the intramuscular meat, then yes.

A lob of fat just sort of hanging out there? Nope.

[cleobeach]

I can deal with the marbled fat but absolutely positively cannot tolerate attached fat. I trim around fat like I am performing surgery.

I was born this way. Everyone in my family is/was fat eaters so I didn't learn to dislike fat. It is a texture thing. My bacon needs to be very crispy and even then, I often trim it so I only eat the meat part.

[CanadaGirl]

I think you and I are "twins". :)

[Karl S]

The meat is the condiment for the fat.

[ipsedixit]

You've never had good meat then.

[Karl S]

Oh, yes, I have. But the fat on good meat is even better....

[agoodbite]

Indeed it is. What an eloquent way of putting it. Fortunately, my husband does not agree which means more fat for me.

[Isolda]

I think it's an inborn preference, rather than a generational thing. I have always hated the fat, even as a child. No one told me it was unhealthy. I just disliked it. Ditto for the skin on chicken. I just can't get past the texture. I leave the fat on the meat when cooking it, because it certainly adds flavor, but when it comes to eating, I cut it all off.

[linguafood]

I disagree, or rather have a different experience. As a kid, I used to hate the fat on the outside of meat, so my dad would always end up with the fat leftovers from both my sister and me.

This is not the case anymore, though I am not fond of big chunks of fat on the outside, particularly when it's not seared well. Also, I wouldn't eat it on its own, but it's perfect with the meat... for me, now that I'm a grown-up (sorta).

[joonjoon]

> I am a bone sucker.

Marry me.

When I get served a piece of meat, I try to eat everything on it. Fat, gristle, whatever, it all goes down my gullet. I think it's important to eat as much of the animal as you can stomach if you're gonna kill it.

[luckyfatima]

I love the fat on Chinese BBQ duck. I love the crispy fatty skin, too.

I only like fat on steaks or meat when it is browned. Same with lamb and goat. As Wyogal said, when it is crispy on the outside and melts on the tongue.

I don't like chicken fat as much. Although I prefer the fattier thigh pieces, I don't like getting chicken fat globules in my mouth because they have this concentrated chicken under taste.

[EWSflash]

You have summed my opinions up perfectly.

[AntarcticWidow]

One of my favorites - Dongpo pork. Pork belly is cut and tied into 2-1/2 inch squares and braised for at least four hours in a mixture of brown sugar, water, shaoxing wine, ginger, soy sauce, and scallions. The long cooking time gets rid of the greasiness in the fat and you're left with the most amazing mouthfeel ... and flavor.

[Disneyfreak]

OMG I want this! I want to make this. Sounds amazing!

[brooklynkoshereater]

i admit it - when i make veal spareribs, beef spareribs, or really tender prime rib roast, i lick my plate clean. meat, fat - if it's tasty i eat it.

[cowboyardee]

Yes, always. And if I'm eating by myself or just in the presence of my long-suffering wife, I chew up the bones and suck out the marrow.

[The Professor]

I always eat the fat, especially the fat on a pork chop, a steak, or a roast. If only the fool butchers in the supermarket didn't trim the meats so much!
I save the fat for last, and savor every tasty morsel, sometimes with a bit of bread. But he bread is definitely optional.
I love pork belly too...my Grandmother used to make "paprikas szolona", which is pork belly simmered with garlic in salty water for an hour or so, and while still hot, dried off and coated generously with sweet Hungarian paprika, which adheres to the outside. It is then wrapped up and cooled in the fridge, and the next day we'd start slicing off pieces and enjoying it with some rye bread (and beer for the adults) as a snack. And maybe some cucumber salad on the side.
Not something to eat all the time, but a great occasional treat. I still make the stuff every once in a while, and it still tastes good!

[letsindulge]

One of my New Year's resolutions is to eat more lean. But yes...guilty on all counts.

[Chemicalkinetics]

To be honest, it depends on my mood. Sometime yes, and sometime no.

[Bada Bing]

It's a mood thing for me, too. Usually, I'm in the mood. But not always.

[tastesgoodwhatisit]

I love fat! As a kid I wasn't keen on it, but I've since discovered pork fat, roasted or braised until it's like creamy meat flavoured butter. Mmmmmm..... I eat the fat off steak too.

When I stew or poach chicken or duck I remove the fat and skin before cooking and toss it in a bag in the fridge, then occasionally I cut it into pieces and render out the fat (for the duck), or toss it onto a tray and roast until crispy (chicken). I also save and strain bacon fat for later use in cooking (cream of potato soup with bacon drippings as the fat), and have taken to making my own lard.

[hotoynoodle]

try cooking potatoes in the chicken fat. :)

[Harters]

More than happy to eat fat on poultry, pork and lamb. But not beef. Just something about the taste and texture.

[Karl S]

Beef and mutton suet are waxy in nature (calves and lambs fat somewhat less so): rendered, they became tallow, and were used in colder climates for the smelly, smoky candles of the peasantry. So these fats are best appreciated when warm (eg, in mincemeat - you grind up suet and melt it into the mincemeat, and always serve the mincemeat warm). Poultry fat and pork fat aka lard, by contrast, are comparatively healthy animal fats due to their fat profile.

[Motosport]

There is nothing like the, crispy on the outside, fat of a good ribe eye steak grilled on the BBQ!!

[Novelli]

I love the fat.

In fact, anyone sitting with me at the table will cut their fat and fork it over onto my plate.

Last week I made a wonderful braised chicken thighs and risotto. Before deboning the thighs, I made sure to pull off the skin and keep it. After the risotto was finished, I fried the chicken skins (weighted with a foil covered brick) in a cast iron pan until crispy, then chopped them up and sprinkled them over the lava like chicken and rice. It added wonderful flavor and a nice crisp texture.

[Motosport]

You had me @ "last week"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rosepoint]

Returned from France last month with a jar of goose fat to cook my potatoes in. Love lardo from Italy. Find that I can eat way more potato chips than fat. Once slice of lardo - wonderful and enough. One potato chip - forget about it!

My triglicerides and cholesterol levels are all in a very healthy range. Everytime I pig out on crappy white sugar/white flour carbs I gain weight. :-(

[PegS]

Like others, I like fat when it's crispy and melty, or when it's lardy. I don't like it when it's rubbery, and have found that offputting since childhood. I was the only one in my family who carefully cut all the fat away from steak because it made me gag. Now that I make my own steak, I just make sure I broil or somehow get the fat burnt enough to taste good.

[Disneyfreak]

I do! I do! I do! Not huge hunks but the fat around the edge of a pork chop or roast and crispy skin whenever possible. And when my kids leave over the good stuff I steal theirs too.

[babette feasts]

Funny how many of us are particular about different kinds of fat. I'll eat browned/crispy fat on the edge of my pork chop as long as I divide it up between bites of meat enough so the whole bite isn't fat. Melted pork fat, like in carnitas or the chunk of pork shoulder braising in my oven right now, no problem. Cheese, butter, and olive oil I can go to town on. With deep fried foods I can pretty much only happily eat french fries en masse. Battered fish and tempura sometimes sound good but get too oily too fast. I can have 2 or 3 bites of pork belly or seared foie gras before I OD on fat and my gag reflex kicks in, but do better with cool foie torchon. Bacon is best extra crispy. Poultry fat - love crispy skin even if there is a little fat underneath (crispy fish skin too - salmon skin roll, oh yeah), but I don't like too much unrendered fat left under duck skin (unless it is sliced super thin). Duck confit goes back up in the carnitas category.

When I lived in Bhutan, staff lunch at the hotel would occasionally be slices of pig skin cooked with chiles, served with rice and dal. Or rather, pig skin with about two inches of subcutaneous fat. I couldn't handle it. They didn't differentiate between meat and fat, the fat was considered white meat while the flesh was red. Even creepier when it still had stubble.

[porker]

Crisped salmon skin, yeah, very tasty.
One of the most decadent, tastiest things I ate was deep fried pork belly in Merida, Yucatan. There are specialty stalls in the public market which sell it by the kilo. You can get it fresh, still piping hot, skin, fat, and meat. Amazing. Mayans call it kastaCAN

[porker]

...and I forgot about shrimp or crawfish head fat. Love sucking these heads of fat.

[EWSflash]

Oh my, a friend introduced me to the salmon skin roll at the sushi bar, I don't care if it's considered a garbage roll or not, it's one of my favorites. I just love it.

[joonjoon]

Crispy salmon skin is one of the greatest culinary treasures imo. It makes me cringe when people throw it out.

[luckyfatima]

Oh my yes, salmon skin! Deeeelicious substance!

[laliz]

some years ago I read that the animal stores the carcinogens in thier fat. sadly, that I what I think of as I trim fat away. I have been known to scarf some anyway if it is particularly irresistable.

[mcf]

Better to buy animals raised without carcinogens.

[pdxgastro]

ZOMG! What would prosciutto be w/o the fat?

[Karl S]

I will spare you the tales of watching people trim off the fat from prosciutto. And not to eat it... (Shudder)

[EWSflash]

Thank you.

[Avalondaughter]

I was born loving fat. I'm sure fat preferences are genetic. I can remember eating meats as a kid and devouring the fat. I would also suck every last bit of meat and gristle off bones.

When I was a little older my family worried about this fat love and I can remember my mother (not Dad though - he's like me) and grandparents always harping on how disgusting fat is and how bad it is for me. I was made to excise every bit of fat (although I was allowed chicken skin) or it would be done for me.

I told myself they were right. I told myself I didn't like it. I agreed out loud that anything fatty was awful.

Then secretly I would devour any fat I could get my hands on!

I'm still a bit embarassed about my fat habit. Generally what I do in company is I make a show of trimming off the larger bits of fat, but make sure that there is still some of that fatty succulence clinging to the egdes of the meat. When I"m alone, I attack it all with gusto.

[porker]

- Hi, my name is Avalondaughter, I'm a fataholic...
- Welcome, Avalondaughter
hehe

Good story!

[scubadoo97]

Not in abundance but yes fat can be good eating. Crispy fat on a steak or the melt in your mouth fat in a good slice of pastrami just to name a few