Fat!

[Dakki]

After a weekend-long smoking session involving what I can only describe as a comically large brisket, I am in the possession of a huge pan full of water and beef drippings. I haven't measured it yet but I think there's probably over a liter of beef fat there and it seems a huge shame to throw it out. I have some questions for the collective wisdom and experience here:

1-Is it worth saving?

2-Will it keep? I put it in the fridge as soon as it was cool enough to easily handle and I could easily freeze the stuff.

3-What is it good for? Could I sub it for pork lard in recipes that call for it as an ingredient or is it only good for frying?

4-Will the smoke flavor and aroma carry over to the dishes I use it in? Currently it smells like smoked beef and fat, oddly enough.

[vice]

Depending on how hot your smoker was, I might be a little worried that the fat has started to degrade. Here's a post from Ideas in Food on the merits of smoked tallow.

[Dakki]

Thanks. Smoker was kept below 300 F at all times and below 250 F for the (much) greater part of the time, going as low as 200 for extended periods.

[Chris Amirault]

Over here I reported on a successful sous vide rendering project. Having used that lard a few times now, I also wanted to report that it's excellent quality. I'm sure that part of that involves the quality of the pork fat (which was, IIRC, Coleman shoulder), but I'm wondering if it's also related to the temperature at which it's rendered. After all, some compounds don't release at lower temperatures, and the lard is far less gamey than some I've had in the past. Any thoughts?