Beef fat is OK to add to anything you plan to eat hot...such as burger or brats. But, anything I plan to cure & smoke, such as keilbasi or snack sticks- I would use pork fat, since beef fat tends to resemble tallow when it starts warming up (think Lebanon bologna). Most stores around here DON'T carry pork backfat, I either have to beg the store to order me a case, or make the drive to the pork slaughterhouse & buy a case.