Dixie Gun Works Mutton Tallow?

[Ideal Tool]

Hello, I have a question for all of you who have bought mutton tallow from Dixie Gun Works in the past. I heard they lost their supplier for awhile. I just purchased some from them..and what I opened was NOT what I consider real mutton tallow. Oh it could and did probably come from a sheep..but it sure wasn't made from the desirable fat from around the kidneys. I have made tallow from this fat, and there is no smell, is quite firm..almost like a soft wax, and is pure white. The stuff I opened was a soft yellow mess, with a distinct rancid smell. Just wondering if in the past their tallow was the "real" stuff?

 

[arcticap]

Apparently mutton tallow is more liable to turn rancid than beef tallow. Also, mutton tallow that's derived from different parts of the sheep's fat tissue will have a different melting point and other characteristics too. For specific information see the following reference page:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Xt...EwBQ#v=onepage&q=rancid mutton tallow&f=false

According to Wikipedia, tallow needs to be stored in airtight containers to keep it from going rancid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallow

If it's not solid at room temperature, perhaps it was affected by some extreme heat during shipping or storage.
It wouldn't hurt to let Dixie know that the mutton tallow they shipped could have spoiled during shipping.