Beef, New Zealand, imported, intermuscular fat, raw

Intermuscular fat, sometimes called seam fat, is the fat found running between individual muscles in a cut of beef rather than the layer sitting just under the skin. Butchers trim it away when breaking down imported New Zealand beef into retail cuts, and cooks render it the same way as other beef fat trim, slowly over low heat, to produce tallow used for frying, roasting root vegetables, or enriching pastry dough in place of butter or shortening. It can also be added in small pieces to a stockpot for extra body and flavor in a beef stock or broth.

Keep this trim refrigerated for a few days or freeze it for longer storage, then render it by cutting it into small pieces and cooking over low heat until the fat melts out, straining the liquid through cheesecloth to remove any solids. It is low in sodium at 32 mg per 100 g and contains essentially no carbohydrate at 0.01 g per 100 g. At 602 calories per 100 g, largely from its 63.8 g of fat, it also carries 6.97 g of protein per 100 g, about 14 percent of the daily value, from the muscle tissue attached along the seam.