Shmaltz (Chicken Fat): Why Brooklyn Families Still Use It

Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat, the cooking ingredient that has anchored Ashkenazi Jewish kitchens for centuries. Made by slowly melting raw chicken fat and skin over low heat, it produces a smooth, golden fat with a clean poultry flavor that no modern cooking oil fully replicates. At Satmar Meats of Boro Park, customers request extra chicken fat and skin at the counter every single week. That demand has not slowed down in decades.

In traditional Jewish cooking, schmaltz filled the role that butter plays in French cuisine. Kosher dietary law prohibits mixing meat with dairy, which meant families needed a flavorful fat that worked with meat dishes. Schmaltz was the answer. It adds richness, moisture, and depth to dishes that would otherwise taste flat. A pot of cholent, a batch of chopped liver, a Friday night roast: all of them benefit from a spoonful of well-rendered schmaltz.

Rendering schmaltz also produces gribenes, the crispy bits of chicken skin and onion left behind once the fat has been extracted. Many cooks consider gribenes the real reward of the whole process.

The History of Schmaltz in Jewish Cooking

Schmaltz has roots in medieval Eastern Europe, where Jewish communities in Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, and Germany built their cooking traditions within the constraints of kosher law. Olive oil was expensive and scarce in those regions. Butter could not be used with meat. Chicken fat became the practical and flavorful solution.

In the shtetls of Eastern Europe, nothing was wasted. Fat was saved throughout the week and rendered in large batches before Shabbos and holidays. The process was often communal: women gathered to render fat together, producing enough schmaltz to last for weeks. The smell of it on the stove became inseparable from the anticipation of Shabbos.

When Jewish immigrants settled in Brooklyn in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they brought schmaltz with them. Neighborhoods like Boro Park, Williamsburg, and Crown Heights became centers of traditional Jewish home cooking, and butcher shops kept extra fat and skin behind the counter for customers who knew to ask.

The mid-20th century introduced vegetable oils and margarine, marketed as healthier and more convenient. Many families made the switch. But in Orthodox communities throughout Brooklyn, schmaltz never fully disappeared. It passed from mother to daughter, generation after generation, even as the broader food culture moved away from animal fats.

Why Brooklyn Kitchens Still Reach for Schmaltz

Walk into a traditional Boro Park kitchen on a Friday afternoon and there is a good chance you will find a jar of schmaltz in the refrigerator. A few reasons why families keep coming back to it:

• Flavor that modern oils cannot match. When you saute onions in schmaltz for chopped liver, the result is noticeably different from using vegetable oil. The onions develop a deeper sweetness and a rounder, more complex flavor that connects directly to the taste of traditional cooking.
• Kosher compliance. Schmaltz is the most natural fat for meat-based cooking under kosher dietary law. It adds actual flavor rather than serving as a neutral medium, which is why cooks who have the option still choose it over pareve oils.
• Generational continuity. For many families, cooking with schmaltz is about more than flavor. The smell of it rendering on a Thursday afternoon is a sensory trigger. It connects a current kitchen to a grandmother's kitchen three generations back, and that matters in communities where food and tradition are tightly linked.
• Versatility. Schmaltz fries latkes, spreads on challah or matzah, enriches cholent, and produces some of the flakiest savory pastry crusts you will ever taste. Its smoke point sits around 375°F, making it suitable for both gentle sauteing and higher-heat frying.

How to Render Schmaltz at Home

This is a mostly hands-off process that takes under an hour. The ingredient list is minimal, and the technique is forgiving even for first-timers.

What You Need

 

When you purchase fresh chicken from Satmar Meats of Boro Park, ask for extra fat and skin at the counter. The fat around the cavity, neck, and thighs renders best. Before a major holiday, it helps to call or WhatsApp ahead to 718-435-8200, since demand for fat and skin rises significantly in the weeks before Pesach and Rosh Hashana.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cut the fat and skin into roughly half-inch pieces. Smaller pieces render faster and produce better gribenes. Remove any remaining bits of meat, which can make the finished fat taste gamey.
2. Place the pieces in a heavy pot with 1/4 cup of cold water. The water protects against scorching and evaporates completely as cooking progresses.
3. Set the heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally. After about 15 to 20 minutes, the skin pieces will begin to shrink and turn light golden.
4. Add the diced onion and continue cooking on low heat, stirring every few minutes. The onion caramelizes slowly and gives the schmaltz its characteristic sweetness.
5. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes until the gribenes are deep golden brown, crispy, and fragrant. The liquid fat should be clear and golden.
6. Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean glass jar. The liquid is your schmaltz. The solids are your gribenes.
7. Cool to room temperature before sealing. As it cools, schmaltz solidifies into a pale yellow, semi-solid fat with a smooth, creamy texture.

What to Do with Gribenes

Salt the gribenes lightly while they are still warm and taste one before you plan anything else, because they tend to disappear fast. Beyond snacking, common uses include:

• Folding them into chopped liver for added texture and richness. This is the most traditional application.
• Using them as a topping for mashed potatoes, kugel, or a simple green salad.
• Mixing a small handful into matzo ball batter for a denser, more flavorful dumpling.
• Scatter them over a bowl of chicken soup just before serving.

Storing Schmaltz Properly

 

If your schmaltz develops an off smell or unusual color, discard it. Properly stored, it should smell clean and mildly savory every time you open the jar.

 

What Schmaltz Is Actually Made Of

The conversation around animal fats has shifted considerably over the past decade, and schmaltz holds up better than its old reputation suggests. The fatty acid profile is closer to olive oil than most people expect.

 

 

Schmaltz contains no trans fats and no additives or preservatives. It is a single-ingredient, minimally processed fat. At roughly 120 calories per tablespoon, it is calorie-dense, and moderation applies as it does with any cooking fat. But for families who cook with whole, traditional ingredients, it fits naturally into that approach.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Schmaltz

Can I buy pre-made schmaltz? 

Some specialty stores carry jarred schmaltz. Homemade is noticeably better in flavor, and you have full control over the ingredients. If you pick up chicken from Satmar Meats of Boro Park, ask for extra fat and skin to render your own.

Is schmaltz the same as chicken drippings from roasting? 

No. Pan drippings from a roasted chicken contain rendered fat mixed with meat juices, browned bits, and liquid from seasonings. Schmaltz rendered slowly from raw fat is purer, has a cleaner flavor, and keeps much longer in the refrigerator.

Can I use schmaltz for baking? 

Yes. It produces excellent flaky pastry in savory applications, particularly knish dough, meat pot pie crusts, and savory biscuits. The texture is similar to what butter produces in non-kosher baking, which is exactly the point.

How much fat should I ask for at the butcher? 

Start with about 1 pound of raw chicken fat and skin, which yields roughly 3/4 to 1 cup of finished schmaltz plus a generous handful of gribenes. If you are cooking for a large Shabbos or holiday meal, doubling the batch is worth it. You can browse Satmar Meats of Boro Park's chicken selection online or WhatsApp the shop at 718-435-8200 to place your order with a note requesting extra fat and skin.

Does schmaltz work for the Shabbos menu? 

It is essentially built for it. Schmaltz appears in nearly every traditional Shabbos dish: chopped liver, cholent, kugel, chicken soup, and roasted poultry. If you are putting together a full Shabbos spread, the fat from your weekly chicken order is the natural starting point. Satmar Meats of Boro Park is located at 5301 New Utrecht Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11219, and carries fresh cuts, prepared Shabbos foods, and specialty items to cover the full menu.