Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Beef-Heart & Liver (Experiment 4)

By now, you know I am conducting a few experiments, preparing for when I receive my lovely locally grown, grass fed Pure Angus beef....Yep, I ordered a full beast...But I need to know what; if any of the organs I shall keep. A bit of planning is in order......I have already blogged about the Tongue., and it is delicious...
and I have just blogged about the tail...and that's a keeper...and the Tripe not so flash.......


Next on the list of experiments is the Heart and Liver....... 


Left: Heart    Right: Liver 
Soaking in water with
a tablespoon of salt and a dash of vinegar
to draw some of the blood out of the meat.
Drained after about 10 hours
salt added again
Repeat the soaking process
and into the fridge overnight
I had planned on making this into pies...but hubby is disappointed that I have mixed the two together..as he knows that the liver has a minerally taste. I on the other hand, have no idea what either the heart or the liver taste like.......Seeing Hubby wants to taste the heart on it's own.....I will separate the meats....luckily it is easy to identify the two. So I guess I will make some Hearty Pies...and do something with the liver.....


To be continued......................


What do you suggest I do with this meat? 
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10 comments:

  1. tylasnanAugust 31, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    Narelle we had lamb liver last night and this is how I cooked it. Fry together a sliced onion, two rashers of bacon and some sliced mushrooms until onion is transparent. Meanwhile dredge the liver in seasoned flour. Lightly fry liver pieces until brown all over. Add onion mixture and give a good stir to combine. Add water to make a gravy and cover and simmer for about ten minutes.

    We also like beef liver and the simplest way is to cut into slices and soak in milk. Then just lightly fry. My neighbour says she does hers in egg and breadcrumbs but I have not tried it yet.
    Also liver on the barbie is yummo!

    Cheers, Karen near Gympie.

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  2. Brenda The Bregle Rebel Bag LadyAugust 31, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    pate!

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  3. AnonymousAugust 31, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    Hmmmm? When we were young and had a whole beef in the freezer, Mom did this:
    Tripe - never saw the stuff.
    Kidneys - never saw the stuff.
    Heart and Tongue - slow cooked, cooled, sliced, and salted for sandwiches - it was delicious.
    Liver - liver and onions - it was delicious, though I've tried to make it myself and it's never turned out like my Mom's. The liver is sliced, breaded in flour/salt/pepper and pan fried, then sliced onion is simmered in the pan drippings, while you somehow miraculously keep the liver warm and return it on top of the onions toward the end. If someone is good at this, I'd like to hear the secret.
    Tallow - was kept to be rendered into lard. Some of it got rendered, and some had to be disposed of - it's a big job.

    One time my Mom purchased calf brains (apparently this doesn't work with more mature brains - ???) and prepared "Brains and Eggs" for us for breakfast. I liked it. My Mom wasn't raising any wusy kids and was always trying to expose us to a broad range of tastes/experiences. In my opinion, your taking on these experiments/challenges is way cool.

    Don't know if this is of any help, but that's my 2 cents worth.

    brenda from arkansas

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  4. Susan@minicrochetmadAugust 31, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    I don't like heart, to me it tastes like blood but Liver and Bacon? Yeah!! Even if you don't have mushrooms on hand like Karen suggests, with plenty of bacon it's heaven. I slice the liver very thinly and coat with flour. The heart? High in taurine, excellent cat food.(raw of course) For kidneys, Steak and Kidney Pudding is the way to go.

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  5. Kids and Canning JarsAugust 31, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    All I have left to ask is are you doing the brains also? You could make "head cheese" Shockingly gross. The pioneers used every ounce of animals they slaughtered. From rendering the fat to the brains. Of course they used the furs to keep warm or as carpets. You most likely know all of this. Your amazing.Melissa

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  6. AnonymousAugust 31, 2011 at 1:04 PM

    Check this out....

    http://ruhlman.com/2011/08/how-to-cook-beef-heart/

    Cheers, Lee.

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  7. nellymarySeptember 1, 2011 at 5:56 AM

    Tylasnan: Hi Karen, Bacon, Onion & Mushrooms sounds like a good combination...Thanks.

    Brendie: I'm not sure I am ready for pate yet...lol..the only pate I like is trout, but that is using the trout flesh, no livers.

    Brenda: Your recipe for liver is the same as my Mum used to make it, but I never tried it back then....I think these experiments are way cool too...Thanks.

    Susan: I did see some kidneys in a butcher yesterday, but they were frozen...so I gasve them a miss....I will source more 'meats' once I finish this lot.

    Kids and Canning Jars: Great Melissa! Now you got me thinking about brains.Yuck!...lol....but they ARE part of what I could keep from my ordered beast...so I guess if I don't find any fresh to try before hand....Ewwwww I will have to keep them to try them....OMG I can't believe I'm saying this, but yep! I'm up for it....I was thinking about the hide yesterday. I think I want it, but will need to check out having it tanned.

    Lee: Thanks for the link, off to check it out.....What a great site, lots of good advice, thanks!

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  8. RobynLouiseSeptember 1, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    You may have to pay for the hide as most abattoirs keep this and deduct the value from the kill fee e.g. $50 kill fee minus(currently) between $18-30 for the hide depending on it's size. Don't expect the hide to be clean on the inside either so I hope you have a strong stomach!
    Cheers,
    Robyn

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  9. nellymarySeptember 1, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    Thanks Robyn for that info..I'm sure there would be extra costs...and I would rather leave the hide with them to send on to the tanner....I'm sure it will stink...But for now, I'm just going to enquire about it.

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  10. BruceOctober 25, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    Wow looks yummy.
    Christmas Mince pie recipe

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