"Nose to Tail" Carnivore/organ meats - prep tips needed

#1

I have good access to grass-fed organ meats and am intrigued with expanding my comfort zone. I listened to an interesting podcast about “Nose to Tail” Carnivore compared to mostly-muscle-meat carnivore (i.e., steaks, ground beef, etc.). I’d like to move toward a more carnivore-based diet, and like the idea behind Nose to Tail, so I’d like to try it out.

However, while I have no problem with liver at all, I am a little iffy with getting my head (and taste buds) around spleen, kidney, eyeballs, pancreas (!), brain, and heart. Other than making sausage and spicing the heck out of it, any words of encouragement for trying some of these more exotic pieces? Any foolproof preparation methods, such as perhaps soaking in cream, stir-frying with tons of onions, and lemon, etc.? I think I’m more concerned about the mouthfeel and the mental anxiety than I am the taste. (For example, cottage cheese is an utter no-go for me simply due to mouthfeel. :nauseated_face:

(Judging by the price of these organ meats, I think I’m in rare company as there doesn’t seem to be alot of demand…!)

#2

If you’re wondering about the podcast, it’s Paleo Magazine Radio episode 276 with Dr. Paul Saladino. Transcript here: https://paleomagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/PMR276_Dr-Paul-Saladino.pdf

More info here: https://omny.fm/shows/biohackers-lab/why-is-nose-to-tail-eating-so-important-dr-paul-sa

(Sheri Knauer) #3

You can always buy ground beef that already has organ meat ground into it, which can be rather pricey, or if you have a good butcher, you can ask them to grind up the ground beef with different organs. Don’t know what to tell you about the eyeballs though…

US Wellness meats sells ground beef with organs as does NosetoTail.org

#4

Nice, thanks Sheri! That’s a good call. I didn’t realize as many places sold them ground up like that. That’s definitely an option, but the downside for me is my local farmer is willing to hold/freeze pieces for me at ridiculously low prices. Another downside of buying pre-ground from the web is quality/quantity control (I wouldn’t know how much of what is in there). Nonetheless, your post is very helpful and got me thinking that I probably should think about buying a grinder and grind my own blend (not sausage, per se, but custom ground beef blend). (P.S. Just bookmarked NosetoTail! Great website… :smiley: )

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

I love brain, much tastier than liver. And second place for nutrients including a massive dose of omega3. Actually it doesn’t have much taste and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Kind of an egg like texture. Brain combines well with scrambled eggs.

Heart pretty much tastes like steak I’ve heard many say. I haven’t had experience with the other stuff you mentioned, maybe tasted sweetbreads 35 years ago. I have heard about people doing a milk soak on kidneys to remove any residual urine smell or taste.

I personally can only eat a little beef liver without burnout. I like pork liver better. Chicken or pork liver pâté is good, again without bread I like it in Scrambled Eggs. One strategy with liver is eating an ounce per day.

Beef tongue isn’t bad. I also enjoy tendons that are cooked for a long time, and ox tails. Gotta give testicles a shot one of these days.

I like chicken gizzards if they are cooked a long time and tender.

If you’re going carnivore onions and lemon aren’t animals. That’s the one issue I have with going full carnivore, spices and herbs. I don’t know if I could ever adapt to salt only cooking. I’m too much of a cook for my own good! :man_cook:t3:

:cowboy_hat_face:

#6

Thanks, David. Great insight. So, brains have the same consistency of scrambled eggs, or slightly firmer? I think I might try those first.

I have an Instant Pot, so that’s how I’ll likely attack the tougher cuts. I have some idea for that.

And, good point about lemon/onion. I’m still on the fence as to which way I’ll try. I’m a jump-in-the-pool-and-get-it-over-with kind of guy, so I might try salt only first. If I can’t take that, then I’ll go the spice/sauce route.

(Cristian Lopez) #7

some may argue, but there also so sweet debatable options on carnivore (varies on how carnivore you are)
for instance

boiling water + fruit extracts + stevia + dash of apple cider vinegar salt + beef gelitan powder = jello.

porkrinds + cinnamon + stevia = cinnamon toast crunch!

(Bunny) #8

Tip: Don’t forget marine life with that; I would highly recommend roe and caviar with that nose to tail carnivore diet!

#9

Yes! Indeed. I live on the ocean so I have great access to fresh fish and shellfish. I also enjoy sardines as well. Good reminder that carnivore is a broader category than one would think.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #10

I will eat just about anything but brains. They have a terrible mouth feel and I have not found them enjoyable. I ate them as a child, but even then I didn’t care for them. It was at my Great Auntie, you had to take 3 bites of something before you could refuse to it it. I turned down brains. Gizzards, all the livers, heart, tongue, Kidney, chicken or pigs feet, & chitlins, I was always fine with any of those. Still am. Guess I grew up with the nose to tell thing, that same auntie raised chickens and pigs and traded for beef. Oh and she made her own caviar from fish eggs, from the fish she caught at the local lake.

(Polly) #11

It can be inexpensive to grind your own meat to mix with the offal.

This is available near me and something similar could be available where you are.

#12

Yes, the brains seem to be one of those things that would requiring alot of spicing and mixing with something else to hide them. I guess at that point, why bother?

Yes, I was just surfing Amazon, who has plenty of inexpensive meat grinding options. That’s definitely a possibility! :slightly_smiling_face:

(Bob M) #14

You can also get things like liverwurst from US wellness meats, which is great. You could likely make your own, though I have not done that.

I have not found anywhere with brains for sale.

I eat liver, heart, and kidney all the time. For the heart, I’ve been sous vide-ing it for 24 hours at 145, to make the fat edible. The liver, I sear for a short time. Others eat it raw. The kidney, I usually cook a bit, but I might try putting it in milk for a while, to reduce the strong flavor.

(Parker the crazy crone lady) #15

Oh boy, the pancreas is a real treat is you prep it right! I grew up loving it, gross as it sounds.

#16

That’s near the bottom of my list, but on it! Any prep tips or cooking suggestions?

(Scott Telfer) #17

I’m from Northern Europe so offal eating is really normal to me. I make my own pate every couple of weeks.

Slow fry a chopped pack of bacon and 1/2 kilo ground beef in entire pack of butter and pork/beef/duck tallow.
Chuck in whatever mixture of offal you want- I usually go for about 3/4 kilo of chicken liver 1/2 kilo of heart and some kidney. But really if you like taste or nose to tail then you can put anything you want in :slight_smile: Cook for about ten minutes.
Turn off the heat and chuck in half a dozen eggs and stir till the residual heat cooks them and absorbs the fat.
Throw everything in a food processor and blend till a pate consistency- spoon into ramekins and refrigerate.
I typically spread it on thin minute steaks like Melba toast! I

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#18

I think we now have the secret to making nose-to-tail doable! :grin:

(Parker the crazy crone lady) #19

I love them! First soak them in milk, then blanch to remove the fibery membranes. Then coat in something with a flour texture (I would try parmesan/almond flour), salt and pepper, and gently fry them for a short time. Tender, rich and delicious! Look up “sweetbread” recipes for other ideas. Now I need to go to the local butcher and order some!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #20

The mad cow disease put a stop to that, because the prions are not destroyed by cooking.

I just want to put in a plug for beef tongue. The way it’s served in Jewish delis is a lot like pastrami, but I like the flavour even better. Sliced thin like pastrami, its texture is not an issue.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #21

Love me some tongue.

I also love all this talk of offal. Maybe next ketofest, there should be offal cooking demos, or at least one, but how to decide, so many choices.