RFK Jr. praises beef tallow, disses seed oils; what NJ restaurants have made the switch?

Beef tallow is the latest craze online thanks in part to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s new health czar, who appeared at Steak ‘n Shake and gave the burger chain high praise for cooking their fries in the seed oil alternative.

As the nation’s new secretary for the Health and Human Services, Kennedy has pushed to replace seed oils with beef tallow under his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

The campaign, which includes a slew of merchandise, has been hailed by supporters of President Donald Trump and even fans of Tesla, touted in this futuristic design by Steak ‘n Shake. The restaurant lauded Kennedy for “RFKing” their French fries as he chatted with Sean Hannity from Fox News as he ate a double cheeseburger and fries.

The restaurant announced on March 13 it was transitioning away from seed oils and using beef tallow to cook in their restaurants. The chain said they’d also use 100% Grade A Wisconsin butter to replace their seed-oil-based buttery blend, effective April 1.

With all the buzz around beef tallow and Kennedy’s push for restaurants to make a switch, here’s what to know about the fatty substance, and what restaurants in New Jersey have made the switch.

What is beef tallow?

Beef tallow is the rendered fat from beef, typically a byproduct of cooking. It is solid at room temperature and has a whitish color, according to the Mayo Clinic. Tallow is commonly used for high-heat cooking methods like deep frying and roasting.

Like butter and coconut oil, beef tallow is primarily composed of saturated fats, whereas oils such as olive, peanut, and canola contain mostly unsaturated fats. While saturated fats were once widely considered unhealthy, some research suggests that consuming certain types in moderation may not be as harmful as previously thought.

New Jersey restaurants that use beef tallow

Several chain or local restaurants in New Jersey say they use beef tallow or have moved away from using seed oils:

• Artemio’s Prime and Proper, Ringwood
• Tonydoms, Summit (the owners say their fried chicken is cooked in 100% beef tallow)
• 1950 Originals, Westfield (owners say they have been frying in beef tallow since October 2023)
• Burger & Butcher, Sparta (the owners operate seed oil-free, and use 100% pasteurized grass-fed tallow over seed oils when cooking their crunchy hand-cut fries)
• Buffalo Wild Wings, 28 locations in NJ (uses beef shortening made from beef fat to cook fries, tots, wings, potato wedges, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, cauliflower wings, and chicken tenders)
• Smashburger, 19 locations in NJ (fries, tots and Brussels sprouts are cooked in beef tallow, according to their nutrition content on their website)
• Outback Steakhouse, 19 locations in NJ (has been using beef tallow to cook fries, Bloomin’ Onion, mac and cheese bites, Bloomin’ Fried Shrimp and more since its founding in 1988)
• Popeyes, multiple locations (the chain uses beef tallow in their friers, at least partially, according to SeedOilScout.org)

Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.