# ISO Beef Heart Recipe



## Steve Kroll (Nov 26, 2011)

So... I am the proud owner of 2 lbs of beef heart. It was from a local farm and dirt cheap. Great!

Now what to do with it? 

I've never cooked beef heart before. Being pure muscle, and with very little fat, I'm thinking that some kind of slow braising method is in order. Maybe a stew/ragu of some sort. 

If any of you have favorite recipes to share, I would love to hear them.


----------



## CWS4322 (Nov 26, 2011)

I cook it like roast...put slivers of garlic in it...there was a thread last winter on how to cook heart...someone BBQ'd it with great results...or I boil it with bay and garlic. I love beef heart. The DH does not eat any type of organ meat.


----------



## Kayelle (Nov 26, 2011)

I havn't had it since I was a kid, Steve.  I remember Dad marinated sliced beef heart in buttermilk, and then pounded it, and breaded it, and cooked it like chicken fried steak.  Pretty durn good as I remember.


----------



## Kathleen (Nov 26, 2011)

I've never had it, but my mother use to describe a dish my great-grandmother made where she stuffed the heart with a bread stuffing and braised it in the oven.  She said it was super tender and very flavorful.  Of course, she doesn't have a recipe.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 26, 2011)

I remember slow braising, too.  Shrek won't eat it so I've haven't had it in years.


----------



## Claire (Nov 26, 2011)

Had it quite often when I was a kid.  I think Mom used her pressure cooker to get it tender.  One year, when I was a teenager, I decided to try a recipe for stuffed heart.  It was impossible to eat.  It was SO tough.  So, my recommendation is to look for a pressure cooker recipe.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 26, 2011)

Now you have me wondering if Mom made it in the pressure cooker.  I just remember I loved it!


----------



## Aunt Bea (Nov 26, 2011)

If it is a whole one you can stuff it with a bread stuffing and then pot roast it low and slow.  

Use the drippings to make plenty of gravy for the stuffing and mashed potatoes!


----------



## babetoo (Nov 26, 2011)

Kayelle said:


> I haven't had it since I was a kid, Steve. I remember Dad marinated sliced beef heart in buttermilk, and then pounded it, and breaded it, and cooked it like chicken fried steak. Pretty durn good as I remember.


 

that is what i did when i cooked it for my kids. they loved it and easy to do.


----------



## TATTRAT (Nov 27, 2011)

Kayelle said:


> I havn't had it since I was a kid, Steve.  I remember Dad marinated sliced beef heart in buttermilk, and then pounded it, and breaded it, and cooked it like chicken fried steak.  Pretty durn good as I remember.



Indeed. One of my fave preparations for it.

Heart is strong, both in flavor and texture.  A hearty stew is always an option, served over rice, or with some crusty bread. IF you have a good beef bourguignon recipe, just roll with that but use the heart.


----------



## Steve Kroll (Nov 27, 2011)

TATTRAT said:


> ...IF you have a good beef bourguignon recipe, just roll with that but use the heart.


This is vaguely what I have in mind. I love a good stew this time of year. So I'm thinking a little bacon, a little vino, a few herbs, and just oven braise it until near tender before tossing in some mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes to round out the dish.

We'll see how it works.


----------



## Steve Kroll (Nov 28, 2011)

Well, the stew is in the oven. I used Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon recipe, but replaced the cubed chuck with 3/4" chunks of beef heart. I also intentionally left out the veggies until the meat was somewhat tender. I initially thought it might take a couple of hours to reach that point but, in reality, it was only a little over an hour before it was tooth tender. No gamey flavor whatsoever. In fact, the flavor is not all that different from pot roast. A little stronger maybe.

I just added the veggies - carrots, fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, garlic, and whole baby mushrooms - and popped it back in the oven. I have to say, it really smells fantastic.

At first I thought this dish wouldn't be for the faint of heart (yeah, pun intended), but there is nothing scary about it in the least. Best of all, it was a real economical cut of meat at just over $1/lb. Definitely on my list to make again sometime.


----------



## luckytrim (Nov 28, 2011)

Oh, Well.............. late as usual.............


BEEF HEART AND MUSHROOMS
1-2 lb. boiled heart (thin sliced)
3/4 c. flour
Salt & pepper
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 c. water
1 lb. fresh mushrooms
Brown meat in oil. Shake meat slices in bag with flour, salt and pepper. Put meat in pan.
Add garlic, thyme, vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring often. Cover. Add water
as needed. Cook until tender. Add mushrooms in the last 15 minutes. Serve over cooked
rice, toast, potatoes or noodles.


HUNGARIAN GOULASH WITH LITTLE DUMPLINGS
2 tbsp. lard or shortening
2 med. onions, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 lbs. beef chuck or round, cut
into 3/4" cubes
1/2 lb. beef heart, cut into 3/4"
cubes
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. imported sweet Hungarian
paprika
2 1/2 qts. water
1 med. tomato, peeled & diced
2 green or Italian frying peppers,
cored & sliced
3-4 med. all purpose potatoes, peeled
& diced
Salt
1 egg
3 tbsp. flour
1. In a large covered casserole or Dutch oven. Melt the lard over moderate heat. Add
the onions and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the meats and continue
cooking until all traces of pink have disappeared, about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Remove from the heat and set aside. 2. Using the flat side of a heavy knife, crush the
garlic. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind with the caraway seeds and salt until the
mixture forms a thick paste. Add to the meat and stir in the paprika. Set the pot over
moderate heat, add the water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to moderately low
and cook until the soup has thickened, about 1 hour. 3. Add the tomato, peppers and
potatoes to the meat mixture, season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste and continue
cooking until the potatoes are tender, about 30 more minutes. Add water if necessary to
obtain the consistency of hearty soup. 4. To make the dumplings, combine the egg,
flour and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until a soft dough forms. Just
before serving, spoon the mixture into the boiling soup 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Cook for
2 to 3 minutes, then ladle into warmed bowls. Serve immediately.
Serves 8

HEART STEW
1 1/2 lb. pork or beef hearts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 onions, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, diced
1 or 2 potatoes, diced
Place meat in pot. Add enough water to cover about 2-inches above
the meat. Add diced onions, salt and bay leaf. Simmer for 2 to 2
1/2 hours. If water cooks down, add hot water. The last 30 minutes
add diced carrot and diced potatoes.


----------



## CWS4322 (Nov 28, 2011)

Another one of those things that we don't eat in NA--eggplant, heart, tongue, need I  go on? Let us know what you think of it--I love heart...


----------



## Andy M. (Nov 28, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Another one of those things that we don't eat in NA--eggplant, heart, tongue, need I  go on? Let us know what you think of it--I love heart...




Eggplant can be really good if it's FRESH eggplant.


----------



## CWS4322 (Nov 28, 2011)

And small FRESH from the garden w/out seeds (re: eggplant). (You didn't think I'd miss that reference to FRESH did you <g>). It is the seeds that make it bitter--not the skin.


----------



## 4meandthem (Nov 28, 2011)

This thread peaked my interest! I want to try some now.


----------



## Steve Kroll (Nov 29, 2011)

Here is the finished dish:







Luckytrim, I have to say that those recipes you posted sound delicious!


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 29, 2011)

That looks very good!  Wish I had some leftovers of that in my fridge!


----------



## CWS4322 (Nov 29, 2011)

Now I want to go to the butcher down the road and order heart...most people who have their steers butchered don't ask for the heart...don't know why, it is delicious! I find it has a really "beefy" taste....my DH doesn't like it, but the dogs and I do!


----------



## FrankZ (Nov 29, 2011)

This is a recipe I have been wanting to try:

Anticuchos (Beef Heart on Skewers) Recipe Details | Recipe database | washingtonpost.com


----------



## Steve Kroll (Nov 29, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> This is a recipe I have been wanting to try:
> 
> Anticuchos (Beef Heart on Skewers) Recipe Details | Recipe database | washingtonpost.com


Oddly enough, a friend of mine just e-mailed me this very recipe last night. Said he had it at a wedding once, and it was delicious.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Nov 29, 2011)

I purchased a beef heart and wanted to introduce it to a pot-luck at church.  I cubed it, and used it in a beef stew.  Everyone asked me how I made the stew because it had such a wonderful, beefy flavor.  I told them that I used beef heart in the stew.  They were floored, but loved it.  As was said in a previous post, heart has a stronger flavor than do most parts of the cow.  This is because it is the hardest working muscle and has great blood flow to it.  Braising for a stew will release some of that flavor into the "gravy" while at the same time, tenderizing the meat.  The meat had a fine grain to it, and was somewhat darker in color than is most of the beef available from a cow.  It is a very tasty piece of meat, when used properly.  

It would also be great in beef soups, or maybe even corned, then cooked slow and wet.

You won't be disappointed with beef hear.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Silversage (Nov 29, 2011)

Any one who is a fan of the "Coney Island" hot dogs in Michigan knows how difficult it is to reproduce the flavor at home.  I've seen people put everything in it from tomato sauce to ground up hot dogs, neither of which belong in there.

A little known fact is that it's made from beef heart, thus its distinctive flavor.  So if I had a beef heart, I'd try to reproduce the Coney sauce.

Ingredients list (off the 5# commercial brick from National): 
Beef heart meat, beef suet, water, cracker meal, wheat flour, textured vegetable protein (soy flour, caramel coloring), spices, salt, flavorings, paprika.


----------



## Kathleen (Nov 29, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> This is a recipe I have been wanting to try:
> 
> Anticuchos (Beef Heart on Skewers) Recipe Details | Recipe database | washingtonpost.com


 
You know....there is nothing stopping you from trying that.  

Sweet potatoes!  Mmmmmm!


----------



## FrankZ (Nov 29, 2011)

Kathleen said:


> You know....there is nothing stopping you from trying that.
> 
> Sweet potatoes!  Mmmmmm!



There is, I am just not sure what yet.


----------



## CharlieD (Nov 29, 2011)

I love hart, and looks awesome. Stew is definetelly is only way to go with hart. It is the best.


----------



## pmeheran (Dec 8, 2011)

Steve Kroll said:


> So... I am the proud owner of 2 lbs of beef heart. It was from a local farm and dirt cheap. Great!
> 
> Now what to do with it?
> 
> ...




I treat it much like I do octopus.  First I dissect it into manageable portions, the internal ligaments and valves are removed and any fat you don't approve of.  Then it is poached in a pot of water and some seasoning, but not till it is done.  Then I use some sort of oil coating, or you could use pam.  I am using bacon fat.  It now goes on the gas grill, for a slow grilling.  Now realize, it is a very iron rich organ and very high in some of the the necessary vitamins.  To me this is a good thing, but then again I like watching Andrew Zimmern[sp.?]  Cook the heart only as long as you want to.  Over cooking a heart is not a good idea.  By the way, the flavor of heart varies with the quality of the animal.


----------



## luckytrim (Dec 10, 2011)

Silversage said:


> Any one who is a fan of the "Coney Island" hot dogs in Michigan knows how difficult it is to reproduce the flavor at home.  I've seen people put everything in it from tomato sauce to ground up hot dogs, neither of which belong in there.
> 
> A little known fact is that it's made from beef heart, thus its distinctive flavor.  So if I had a beef heart, I'd try to reproduce the Coney sauce.
> 
> ...



MICHIGAN HOT DOG SAUCE 
 2 lbs. beef heart, ground 
3 tbsp. mustard sauce* 
2 tbsp. salt 
3 tbsp. chili powder 
1/2 c. chopped onions 
3 tbsp. garlic powder 
1 tsp. crushed pepper 
1 lg. can tomato paste 
1 lg. can tomato puree 
2 c. water 

Blend all ingredients. Simmer for 3 hours.
Serve on hot dogs


*Mustard Sauce 
3 tablespoons butter 
1/3 cup brown sugar 
3 tablespoons vinegar 
1 tablespoon prepared mustard 
1/3 cup catsup 

Combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Heat on medium; stir, heat until butter & sugar melts.


----------



## BigAL (Dec 10, 2011)

I cut out the silver skin(tough crap), rub worchest on with some s&p and garlic and smoked at 225 until internal temp was about 200 and the temp probe went in like going into butter.  was tender and juicy and tasted great.  great beef flavor, just a different texture, like all organ meats i suppose.  

what worked for me anyway.  wife and kids liked it.  is great in tortilla wraps.


----------

