Beef heart

[newbienick]

My family got a side of beef last fall, and when I called the butcher to select my cuts, she asked if I wanted the tongue and the heart. I thought "sure...why not?". Yesterday, I was digging around the freezer and found the heart. I have no idea what to do with this thing. I assume that there will be zero fat, and it must be tough since it gets constant work.

Ideas anyone?

 

[chopsaw]

I know nothing about doing heart . Here's a link to some Deer heart . Should be about the same ?

Hickory/cherry smoked deer heart

I love smoking a deer heart for some delicious snacking,first you need to trim most of the the fat off. I rubbed the heart in olive oil and then covered it with a spicy rub. I smoked it for about 3 hrs with hickory and apple chips at 250 to reach an IT of 145ish Sliced some up and started...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[newbienick]

Got it... So you smoked it similar to a pork loin, taking it to 145F and pulled it.

How tough is it? What would you compare it to?

 

[atomicsmoke]

Is good rare or slow cooked , braised.
Also makes a good organ sausage (use livers too).

 

[GentlemanJerk]

One thing that I really like to do with either beef or deer heart is to slice it fairly thin, about 1/4" thick and brine it overnight. The next day rinse it and cut it into strips for stir-fry or cheese steaks or tacos or whatever you want to put it into.

The brine and thin cutting helps alleviate the toughness of the heart. You could always smoke the slices before cutting them up smaller if you want that smoke flavor in it.

 

[chilerelleno]

Hearts, they're all tender and delicious.
They can be prepared in many different ways but they are best cooked rare to medium at most.

My favorite is fried with onions and garlic.

Carefully trim and clean the heart, remove the upper part consisting of blood vessels and atriums.
Then trim the tops/outsides of fats.
There are a lot of of tough/fiborous inter-connective tissues in the ventricles that need to be carefully trimmed out, a pair of kitchen shears makes us very easy.

 

[sandyut]

Beef heart takes me back to college. I met this girl who i was very interested in "getting to know better" as things progressed she invited me to meet the fam. her dad was a farmer and cattleman. I thought nothing of this meeting till i met him...I was a longhaired dead head type.... So we sit for supper and he whips out the cow heart and says "all new men at the table much share the heart with me." I was scared. I ate it. it was fine. he was intimidating to a young man. I chased the girl around CO and CA and then gave up. never truly "got to know her" in the manner desired... its a funny memory...to me...hopefully there is some entertainment value for others.