Adding liver to ground beef chili

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #1

Hey all,

The wife makes a mean all meat chili. We use fresh ground chuck steak. So good. Have I said lately that my favorite meat seems to be ground chuck now?

I asked her if we can grind up some liver into the mix. So I’m wondering for 5 lbs of ground chuck how much liver would you grind up in it and would you use chicken or beef liver.

I don’t have access, at least today, to grass feed liver. But Wegmans seems to have decent quality meat and I would assume the same for their liver.

I would prefer that the flavor stay beefy and not be overly liverish. We are easing into being fans of liver.

#2

The amount is going to be a personal taste, I could make the entire pot with ground liver, but would think a pound would be hardly noticed. The beef liver would be more nutrient dense.

(Marie Rhodes ) #3

I have a recipe for beef & liver chilli and the ratio there is 2lbs ground beef to 1/2-1lb (chicken) livers.

Hope that helps!

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #4

Perfect

#5

I make meatballs with about 1-1/2 lbs of ground meat (usually half beef and half pork) plus 1/2 lb. of beef liver. That’s about the same ratio as @MarieRhodes recipe.

I’m not a liver fan, so I puree the liver and then mix it into the ground meat. It makes the meatballs taste “meatier” but no liver flavor.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #6

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to try this.

I’m cooking ground chuck every week or two and freezing 8 oz portions for lunch. On IF days I eat a portion and some other protein. Maybe some olives or a small arugula salad.

Today I ground up 17 oz of grass fed cow liver and 57 oz of chuck steak. So about 23% liver. Cooked it up with salt, pepper and small amt of garlic powder. I could barely tell there was liver in it. The meat had some dryness that I think was from the Liver. Next time I’m going to ground up two chuck roasts and the same amount of liver.

I’ve made Pâté with chicken liver and bought several pork Pâté varieties from a local butcher. But I do want to have any easy way to add liver to my weekly menu.

I will limit my liver + GB portions to no more than 2 / week. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-beef-liver-good-eat-month-week-11243.html

(Bob M) #7

I usually cook liver and then eat it in one week. This week, I have both beef and chicken livers, which I’ll pair with some blue cheese. I might be able to add some beef fat, too, we’ll see. But since I have a spate of liver, then none for several weeks or more, I don’t get too concerned.

I might have to try adding some liver to my kid’s meals. Maybe in taco meat?

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #8

I have not yet developed a liking for liver without something to dilute it with.

(Bob M) #9

I used to hate liver. Everyone always over cooked it, and if you do that, it’s tough to eat.

You could do liver and onions, if you don’t mind the carbs in onions. I had a Paleo recipe I liked. I started with that, but after a while I could eat liver by itself. It’s best just lightly seared and not overcooked.

Similarly, when I started eating beef heart, I would stuff it. Now, I just cook only the heart and eat it like steak.

#10

Maybe try running the liver through a blender after you grind it.

(PSackmann) #11

Have you tried this yet? I make 5 pounds of taco meat at once and would like to add some liver to it without anyone knowing about it, without having to throw a whole batch away.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #12

I made some ground chuck roast and added ground liver to it and mixed it up well. Seared it up and I freeze 8 oz portions for lunch.

First batch as about 23% by weight liver. The texture and taste are obvious. I would drip to 10 to 12% by wt for kids and try that.

Let us know how it goes.

(Bob M) #13

I have not had time to do this. Been “mired” in home projects, and my wife has made the taco meat (and I don’t have any liver right now).

We have people coming over Saturday for “tacos” (I’ll have a bowl, but the friends likely will have corn shells, tortillas, etc.). I don’t think that’s the time to try this. :smiley:

What I would do is try something like what Eric recommended, maybe 10% of liver or even 5% (my kids are sticklers and ready to point out any possible flaw, which includes “Have I eaten this before?”). I would make like a pound of meat with liver, and the rest separate, using two totally separate pans and keeping them separate. This way, if the kids don’t like it, I could still eat it.

Since we’re having tacos Saturday, I’m not sure when we’ll have them next, but I’ll try to get liver too.

(PSackmann) #14

So about 1/2 pound per 5 pounds of ground beef, maybe a bit more with seasonings. I may try that this weekend, since the seasonings are pretty strong.

It’s a thought, I usually make the big batch in the crock pot, so there’s less smell while cooking and I don’t lose any of the fat. Maybe I’ll break it into two for comparison

(Bob M) #15

I can guarantee my kids will instantly know there’s “something wrong” with the taco meat. I’m not a betting person, but I’d take a large bet on this one. That’s why I think I’ll be eating the stuff with the liver.

We usually cook ours in a pan and leave the fat in there, add the taco seasoning and a small bit of water. My wife might drain the stuff we use tomorrow, though, since company might not be used to that. Fat is deadly, don’tchaknow?

(PSackmann) #16

My husband and son might, then again they may not. By the time they load on the cheese, salsa, and sour cream, I don’t know how they’ll tell.

(PJ) #17

Would you be willing to plead with your wife to share the recipe? I’ve been through a variety of ground beef chili recipes and so far haven’t found anything I liked well, maybe partly because they are all from high-carb sources so I can’t use the recipes very close to as-is. I love chili and it would hugely simplify my life if I could eat it more often!

(Bob M) #18

This is one we like:

This says it’s 7 grams per serving, 8 servings.

I usually put it in the oven on maybe 300F. I also add 1 pound cut (into small chunks) beef chuck, put the lid slightly ajar, cook for a few hours, cool down, have the next day or during the week.

(PJ) #19

Thanks! Are you cutting up chuck steak or chuck roast? Is there a difference?

(Bob M) #20

That’s a good question. I probably get a chuck steak, since I only need about a pound. I cut it into about one inch chunks, though you could go smaller. Leaving the lid ajar in the oven lowers the temperature inside the pot, so the chuck does not dry out. Not my idea, from Kenji Lopez-Alt.