Acceptable Fats
The 2 most popular meat fats that are acceptable to use when creating homemade suet cakes are Beef and Pork.
BEEF FAT: is the perfect fat to use when creating a suet cake. Pour off the excess fat into your You Do It Suet® mold when cooking ground beef. Whether you are cooking up meat for tacos, chili, shepherds pie or beef stroganoff, the excess fat can be poured off (before you season the meat) and can be used to make a suet cake.
Check out these fun recipes that use beef fat as a base: P-Nutty Feast | Worm & Nut Treat
PORK FAT: is a great addition to beef fat when creating a suet cake. When you cook up bacon, drain the excess fat into the You Do It Suet® mold. You can store the You Do It Suet® mold in the freezer between uses, and when you have enough meat fat, you can mix in ingredients to make a custom suet cake that the birds will love.
Check out these fun recipes that use pork fat as a base: Bacon & Raisin Parfait | Bacon Sundae
Other Acceptable Fats / Bases
CHICKEN FAT: is a meat fat that you will want to use sparingly as the melting point is much lower than pork fat and beef fat. This means that when you make a suet cake using ONLY chicken fat and bird seed, you will want to feed it the birds only in the colder months.
PEANUT BUTTER: Peanut butter is an excellent substitute for meat fat when creating homemade suet cakes. Wild birds LOVE peanut butter and it is also good for them! Peanut butter is packed with protein which will help keep wild birds warm and give them energy.
Check out our Peanut Butter Crunch Recipe! Learn more about Peanut Butter for wild birds Here.
COCONUT OIL: You can use coconut oil in place of meat fat when creating a suet cake to feed wild birds and chickens. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, which is better for wild birds and coconut is something that wild birds would eat in the wild while foraging for food. Only use coconut oil as a base for your suet cake when the weather is below 45 degrees or it will melt. Also try to keep the suet cake out of direct sunlight. Placing your suet cage on the North side of your house or on a tree will lessen the chances of your coconut oil cake melting from direct sunlight.
Check out the Vegan Suet Cake Recipe that uses coconut oil as a base!
Get Creative
You can create a suet cake using any combination of the above fats. As you cook meat just pour the excess fat into the You Do It Suet® mold and store in your freezer until you have filled the mold to the fill line. Once your suet cake is hardened, release it from the mold and place in any standard suet cage.
