Beef Heart

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The only time I remember cooking it I was a teenager. Mom had bought it, then got sick. Boy, what a disaster. And even then I was somewhat experienced with organ meats. I don't even remember what I did wrong; I think I tried to stuff it and braise it (using, I think, Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens as guideline). It was like I'd taken an old tire and boiled it. I'm now pushing 60 and will never buy a beef heart again. Luckily, I'm not likely to be that poor again.
 
Even tough cuts, if cooked rare and sliced very thin are tender enough. Also, they have to be cooked against the grain. But if you overcook any meat, it gets tough. Heart and other well exercised muscles are very prone to this. Or if they are cut thick, they can still be rather chewey.

Think of liver, when prepared well, it can be so tender that it's downright creamy. Then again, I've had liver that would substitute for shoe soles. The same is true of beef brisket. Cooked rare, or even medium rare, and slice thin against the grain, it can be a wonderful meat, especially grilled. But I have had corned beef (made from brisket) that was so tough, it was nearly inedible. You couldn't even cut it with a knife. But that was on a naval ship. We often said that the navy taught their cooks to take perfectly good food and make it inedible.

So, I hope that helps clear things up a bit. Like clams, or squid, for heart, cooking is - 2 minutes or two hours. That is barely cook it, or braise it long enough to break it down.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Clear as glass Chief. London Broil seems like a good example. Cooked rare and slice very thin across the grain.

Not sure it would fly around here. I haven't had prime rib in years because my wife will not eat anything thats rare.
 
It's rather bizarre, yesterday I typed up a long response and puff it disappear. But if you read Chief's post it is very much along the same lines of what I said. Funny thing I too use liver as an example.

Just want to add one thing here; there is a very fine line between cooking tough piece of meat to be rare and all of a sudden to become too tough. And I almost am talking seconds, so I would not recommend trying to do that to a novice.
 
We always cooked it in the pressure cooker and then sliced it thinly and made sandwiches. I have also simmered beef and deer hearts with some pickling seasoning added. It seems to me I let them go for about 2-2-1/2 hours. Again, for sandwiches or just sliced and eaten...
 
Bump.

I picked up 1/2 a beef heart this week (couldn't resist--it was only $3). I have it brining in a corned beef brine. My intention is to make beef heart pastrami later this week on my charcoal smoker.
 
Bump.

I picked up 1/2 a beef heart this week (couldn't resist--it was only $3). I have it brining in a corned beef brine. My intention is to make beef heart pastrami later this week on my charcoal smoker.

You need to move close to where I live, so's I can know on your door and beg for beef heart pastrami.:LOL:

I'm in El Cajon, CA today, and will be for the next week. In laws don't have a grill. How can one live without some kind of charcoal or gas grill? It just ain't natural.:mrgreen:

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Beef heart makes amazing stew. You could also braise it as described in the last post, or cook in a pressure cooker for about 45 minutes. Then, remove and stuff with bread dressing, with sage, onion, mushrooms, celery, and even a little carrot added. Use the broth to make a rich gravy. But then, I'm crazy about a savory bread dressing :mrgreen:. You might stuff with potato chunks, then braise to get that rich flavor right into the potato, or use an apple corer to take a plug out of the potato, then stuff it with diced beef heart, onion, and seasoned with salt an pepper. Cut the plug in half, and insert back into the potato on either side. Bake and serve.

I'm thinking that diced beef heart would be great in chili, or in pasties, sliced thin and made into sandwiches, etc.

Hope one of these ideas works for you, or at least gives you inspiration to try something wild and wonderful of you own.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Beef heart makes amazing stew. You could also braise it as described in the last post, or cook in a pressure cooker for about 45 minutes. Then, remove and stuff with bread dressing, with sage, onion, mushrooms, celery, and even a little carrot added. Use the broth to make a rich gravy. But then, I'm crazy about a savory bread dressing :mrgreen:. You might stuff with potato chunks, then braise to get that rich flavor right into the potato, or use an apple corer to take a plug out of the potato, then stuff it with diced beef heart, onion, and seasoned with salt an pepper. Cut the plug in half, and insert back into the potato on either side. Bake and serve.

I'm thinking that diced beef heart would be great in chili, or in pasties, sliced thin and made into sandwiches, etc.

Hope one of these ideas works for you, or at least gives you inspiration to try something wild and wonderful of you own.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
As well as being good to eat it's inexpensive and adaptable
 
I never ate beef heart until Kayelle and I went on a 12 hour culinary tour in Lima,Peru.
At our first stop , for lunch they served a series of interesting foods
[FONT=&quot]Top left: green tamale (made with cilantro)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Top right: causa (potato, mayonnaise, avocado, and chicken) [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bottom right: cheese and yucca balls[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bottom middle: Anticuchos (sliced beef heart topped with chili sauce)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bottom left: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Papa Rellena ([/FONT][FONT=&quot]potato stuffed with beef)[/FONT]
 

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Very fine and dandy, folks. I'm brining this 1/2 heart and hoping to make it in to pastrami. I've been a fan of beef/venison heart since I can't remember when. Stepping off the dock this time and brining it and turning it to pastrami, I hope.

Have braised it, chopped it, pressure cooked it, sliced it & grilled it, cubed it, dredged it, fried it, potted it, but have never brined it and smoked it. Let's hope this works. I love beef heart, it has just gotten so darned expensive.
 
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Very fine and dandy, folks. I'm brining this 1/2 heart and hoping to make it in to pastrami. I've been a fan of beef/venison heart since I can't remember when. Stepping off the dock this time and brining it and turning it to pastrami, I hope.

Have braised it, chopped it, pressure cooked it, sliced it & grilled it, cubed it, dredged it, fried it, potted it, but have never brined it and smoked it. Let's hope this works. I love beef heart, it has just gotten so darned expensive.
Expensive? They can't give it away here. It usually goes with the meat waste to the processing plant. The customer who wants it has to order it to be sure of getting it.
 
Expensive? They can't give it away here. It usually goes with the meat waste to the processing plant. The customer who wants it has to order it to be sure of getting it.

Exactly why it is so expensive. It is the same here. And if you want it, butcher is going to butcher your wallet to give it to you.
 
You need to move close to where I live, so's I can know on your door and beg for beef heart pastrami.:LOL:

I'm in El Cajon, CA today, and will be for the next week. In laws don't have a grill. How can one live without some kind of charcoal or gas grill? It just ain't natural.:mrgreen:

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Chief--what would you suggest for the rub? I'm going to smoke this on Saturday, just not sure about the rub...no matter what, I love beef heart and I'm sure this is going to be tasty. When at home, you're only about 12-14 hours away (it takes me 12 hours to get to Marquette).
 
Chief--what would you suggest for the rub? I'm going to smoke this on Saturday, just not sure about the rub...no matter what, I love beef heart and I'm sure this is going to be tasty. When at home, you're only about 12-14 hours away (it takes me 12 hours to get to Marquette).

Pastrami is simply corned beef that has been smoked. So, make the pickling brine, and let the heart sit in it at about 40 degrees F. for 2 weeks. When ready to cook, rub cracked black pepper all over the outside, and smoke slowly over a divided bed of charcoal, with vents all half closed, or in other words, over a slow fire by indirect heat. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the meat is cooked to medium rare. It should be pink in the middle. If you desire it to be fall-apart tender, remove it from the grill after it's been smoked, and place in a slow cooker over night, or in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

Woods that would work with this include any of the fruit woods, i.e. apple, cherry, etc., or maple, birch, alder, mesquite, or walnut.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Pastrami is simply corned beef that has been smoked. So, make the pickling brine, and let the heart sit in it at about 40 degrees F. for 2 weeks. When ready to cook, rub cracked black pepper all over the outside, and smoke slowly over a divided bed of charcoal, with vents all half closed, or in other words, over a slow fire by indirect heat. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the meat is cooked to medium rare. It should be pink in the middle. If you desire it to be fall-apart tender, remove it from the grill after it's been smoked, and place in a slow cooker over night, or in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

Woods that would work with this include any of the fruit woods, i.e. apple, cherry, etc., or maple, birch, alder, mesquite, or walnut.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Okay, then I better plan on doing this next week. I was thinking pecan since I have some. I have apple, cherry, birch, maple, and walnut as well.
 
You need to move close to where I live, so's I can know on your door and beg for beef heart pastrami.:LOL:

I'm in El Cajon, CA today, and will be for the next week. In laws don't have a grill. How can one live without some kind of charcoal or gas grill? It just ain't natural.:mrgreen:

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Nope, it's not natural chief. :ohmy: I bet they're the only people in California who don't have some kind of a grill. How do they eat?:ermm:
 
Bump.

I picked up 1/2 a beef heart this week (couldn't resist--it was only $3). I have it brining in a corned beef brine. My intention is to make beef heart pastrami later this week on my charcoal smoker.
Used pecan wood, after it smoked for about 3 hours at 250, I then wrapped it in foil, poked holes in the foil and steamed it. OMG. This my "go to" for heart. Even when I put the meat in the smoker, it already smelt like pastrami...yum, yum. A bit more salt than I'd like, so I'll address this next time. But this is definitely s/thing I'll do again. Oops--gotta go check on the tofu I put in the smoker.
 
Nope, it's not natural chief. :ohmy: I bet they're the only people in California who don't have some kind of a grill. How do they eat?:ermm:
Pre-cooked bacon, pre-cooked suasage, TV dinners, pre-cooked "meals", and tacos from their favorite taco place. Nope, I couldn't live that way.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Bump.

I picked up 1/2 a beef heart this week (couldn't resist--it was only $3). I have it brining in a corned beef brine. My intention is to make beef heart pastrami later this week on my charcoal smoker.

first, you bought a broken heart. and now you plan on eating it?


geez, women a cruel.
 
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