Hunting — Fat

Overview

Animal fat is the most calorie-dense food source in DayZ, providing a significant energy boost that sustains your character's temperature and stamina. It is the gold standard for long-term survival, as a single piece of fat can restore your energy bar to full.

How It Works

When you kill and skin an animal (such as a deer, cow, or pig), you receive steaks and a block of animal fat. This fat is raw and hazardous to consume in its natural state; it must be cooked to become edible. Once baked, boiled, or smoked over a fire, the fat provides 900-1200 calories depending on the animal type, making it vastly superior to generic meat steaks.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Locate and kill an animal using a firearm, bow, or melee weapon.
2. Equip a sharp tool, such as a Combat Knife, Hunting Knife, or Kitchen Knife.
3. Approach the animal's carcass and hold the left mouse button to "Skin and Quarter."
4. Collect the steaks and the block of white animal fat into your inventory.
5. Construct a fireplace using Rags or Paper with Sticks, or use an existing stone oven/fireplace.
6. Place the fat into your hands and attach it to the fireplace's cooking slot.
7. Light the fire using matches or a hand drill kit.
8. Wait for the item's texture to change to a golden-brown cooked state before removing it.

Tips

• Always prioritize cooking fat over steaks if you are short on inventory space, as it provides higher caloric density per inventory slot.
• You can use animal fat as a cooking medium; placing it in a cooking pot with other food will prevent the other food from burning as quickly.
• Fat is excellent for long-distance travel; eating a full block of cooked fat before a journey can keep you energized for hours of real-time play.
• Keep fat in a container or dry bag to prevent it from getting ruined if your clothes take damage during combat.

Common Mistakes

• Eating raw fat, which triggers immediate vomiting and rapid dehydration, often leading to death.
• Burning the fat by leaving it on the fire for too long after it has already finished cooking.
• Throwing away fat because it looks like a "useless" crafting material rather than food.
• Attempting to skin an animal without a sharp tool, which results in zero yield.

Related Items

• Hunting Knife
• Matches
• Fireplace Kit
• Cooking Pot
• Tactical Bacon (for comparison)

Related Guides

• Skinning and Quartering
• Advanced Cooking Techniques
• Fire Crafting and Heat Sources