Organ meat newbie


(Shannon) #1

I’m thinking of adding organ meats to my diet, but other than at restaurants, I’ve never really eaten much of it, or cooked it for myself. I’ve been reading about the positive effects of beef liver, but I’m a bit afraid of it. I searched through this forum a bit and saw posts about soaking it in milk or vinegar/lemon ahead of time to reduce the bitter flavor. Or, perhaps mixing it with ground beef? Then, I saw some recipes for chicken liver that looked appealing. But, are there any tried and true recipes you all use?


#2

I usually just fry liver but I like liver… Not all of them and the ones with a strong taste are too much to me sometimes and I may mix them with muscle meat and an egg and fry it… But just a bit at a time is fine, nice variation, nutrients…
It’s very individual which liver you like, my SO wouldn’t eat beef liver while I LOVED it when I tried (once. I should try to find it again). We both are okay with chicken liver though. And I love pork but not the liver…

Milk or cream sounds a good idea, I plan to try that once and it didn’t happen yet.

But I ate rabbit liver today, for example. Home-raised young rabbit. It’s very very very mild, lacking the usual strong liver flavor. But I found beef liver mild and sweet too…


(Shannon) #3

What do you fry it with, oil or butter or something else? I’ve also seen how it’s important not to overcook it.


(Megan) #4

I just fry it too, when cooking a steak. Usually use a bit of dripping. I slice it thinly when I cook it and cook it until it’s not pink inside, but still tender. I cut off a bit and put it on my fork along with a bit of steak. I usually cook more than I need for one meal and keep it in the fridge. I almost enjoy it more cold from the fridge as a snack during the day. Sometimes I’ll eat it with a thin slice of cheese.

Lamb liver is a bit milder but I’ve come to enjoy beef liver as much as lamb. Liver is the only organ meat I don’t mind eating tho. Michael (@Naghite) eats a variety of organs. Perhaps he’ll chime in here.


(Laurie) #5

Beef Liver

I buy thin-sliced beef liver (that’s just how it’s sold here). I melt butter on medium-low heat, low enough so the butter won’t brown. Then I put in the liver. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan, or you’ll have a watery mess. If liver covers 50% of the pan, that’s probably enough.

Turn a few times. When the blood stops rising to the top of the liver, it’s done.

No need for soaking in milk or anything like that.

Chicken Liver Paté

I used to buy chicken liver because that’s what was sold in my previous location. Cut off any gross stringy bits. Cook slowly in butter (same as for beef liver).

Transfer chicken livers and melted butter to glass bowl. Mash with a potato masher, adding a bit of yogurt, cream, or extra butter for consistency. Season as desired.

(I can’t remember what seasonings I used, but you can try onion or garlic, thyme or oregano, brandy or sherry, black pepper, etc.)

The paté was pretty foolproof. I kind of made it with whatever I had on hand.


(Gabe “No Dogma, Only Science Please!” ) #6

I just saw this and have 3 suggestions:

  1. Chicken livers. Just fry them in butter or tallow. Add salt, garlic, whatever to taste. Delicious.

  2. Lamb brain. Hard to get because they’re small and butchers usually only get 1 or 2 brains in at any one time – if at all. Once again: just fry it in butter or tallow. Add seasoning to taste. Amazing texture.

  3. Chicken giblets. Toss in the instant pot with some chicken bones/frames, salt, maybe celery and onion, pressure cook for whatever the relevant time is for chicken (12 mins I think) and you have a DELICIOUS chicken soup with keto-friendly dumplings. Because that’s what giblets end up as.


(Michael) #7

I had not chimed in as I do not do recipes. I put the organ in the oven or frying pan, cook a bit and eat. I do not do spices or sauces. Beef tongue or hearts are mild tasting and an easier start than liver. Long slow cook tongues, flash fry heart so mostly raw is best. I flash fry my liver as well to cook outside and keep inside raw. You can check out my organ photos in MOOvember Carnivore


#8

I am a lard gal :slight_smile: So I fry my liver in it, no matter what kind of animal.

Beef liver don’t need much time. I fry my chicken liver for 30 minutes or else it’s not good for us (I don’t eat the too raw liver only 10 minutes produce, ew!!!) but it’s very individual and I don’t use high heat, the liver would go crazy even with a lid on… I like when the liver gets some different reddish brown color where it touched the pan, lightly pink or brown inside and tender :slight_smile: Chicken liver is always tender unless one manages to fry it for super long, surely that’s a thing, it dries out eventually… But it would take hours or one can turn it into charcoal earlier if the heat is too high…? But my chicken liver always was tender I think. Pork liver is the harder one, I don’t like that and never learned to make it well. It must be some tricks as I had edible ones but even then, I prefer chicken and especially beef liver.
Or rabbit but it’s super mild. And that needed 20 mins too yesterday but I rendered lard in the same pan and needed a low heat (maybe it’s not the way to render lard but I do it that way. the cracklings were already browning and I won’t stay over it so I kept the heat low).

I fear I gave too much information and about my own style that seems to be incompatible with everyone else…

I never saw dairy in pâté recipes before (that’s definitely not a thing in my country or I just didn’t met it when I looked at many recipes and the ingredients of store-bought ones) but it easily may make the strong liver flavor less noticeable… I will try it out.

Never thought of them that way before! :wink: But you have a point :wink:
I like chicken organs, all of them are at least easily edible for me (unlike bigger animals’s lungs, nope!) and the textures offer a variety. Gizzard has too much chewy part so I never buy a full pack of it (it is a thing in my country) but one or two are fine.
The other thing I like besides liver is the heart. We often can buy chicken hearts and livers together but the ratio (1:1 in pieces) isn’t good enough for me. But if I used the same weight of them in a stew… That’s a thing here as well, chicken liver and heart stew :slight_smile: It must be nice, I love Hungarian stews (onion, lots of paprika) and the liver are strong flavored and tender while the heart is a tad chewier but still soft enough and has a different flavor (I like muscled organs, they are close to normal muscle meat but still special… tongues are my fav organs, hands down. I only eat liver much more often as it’s way more available and quicker to make. and it lasts longer, we eat up 2 pork tongues in no time… super good! beef is similarly good and so big, I only found it once this far. pork is better though if you ask me but I am a huge pork fan)…

Liver stew exists too but it isn’t such a big improvement for me and it’s not carnivore… I used to eat my fried liver with onions but I quickly realized it’s not strictly needed. But often better that way.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

Don’t overcook it. I just recounted the story in another post, so I won’t repeat it here, but the short version is that liver is delicious, if it’s not cooked too long. Unless it’s an unusually thick piece, give it no more than 90 seconds on each side. Try that, and see what you think. The bitterness you mention means the liver you tried was overdone.

P.S.—I fry it in bacon grease. And often dredge it in some almond flour, but I have to say that it’s not quite as tasty as wheat flour.


#10

And/or that’s it is that type of liver.
Rabbit liver never gets bitter at all and I am extremely sensitive to the bitter taste (how I can love coffee I don’t know but I only can stand the less bitter kind and super weak).
I found no hint of bitterness in beef liver but that was the only time I ate it - and I used little time as it obviously didn’t need more, it was too clear even for me :slight_smile: But I can’t imagine such a sweet, not bitter at all item becoming bitter before it turns charcoal… That is bitter.
And pork and chicken liver is always slightly bitter in their liver-y, not necessarily unpleasant way. It’s more like just very very strongly liver flavored. Strong flavors are often bad for me, too salty things are practically always horrible to me and I happen to have an amazing aged cheese that has great flavor but I can’t eat it alone (or with anything if the amount of the cheese isn’t super tiny) as it’s overly strong. It only works well as spice. I have this with certain kinds of liver. Lovely taste but I need to dilute it or else I will stop after 1-2 bites. But sometimes I handle it better than another times…

But maybe these (bitterness changes) are individual perceptions and I don’t have it with liver… Items may change texture but they never change their flavor… But others must be different as they say they even experience a changing taste when they get full while I don’t… Maybe there is such a thing with liver too.


(KCKO, KCFO) #11

Liver, any liver is fine if not overcooked as stated above. I am a big fan of liver, always have been since early childhood. If you don’t enjoy the taste, frying up with thin sliced onions is a traditional way to eat it, the taste is masked that way. Just google liver pate to find even more ways to enjoy it. Laurie had a good basic DIY method above. You can also add a touch of wine to a pate recipe. Grocery stores like Whole Foods often have good pates especially during the holiday season, I have some duck mousse pate in the fridge right now.

Beef heart is a great organ meat, treat it just like a lean roast.

If you can get gizzards, just fry them in bacon grease or butter whichever you prefer. The are chewy and some prefer to cook them under pressure. I like chewy, so I just fry mine. .


(LS Conway) #12

Chicken livers wrapped in bacon are amazing!!


(Shannon) #13

I shall have to try the chicken livers & bacon! I did finally make myself some beef liver, and I just used butter and onions and I made sure not to overcook it. They were better than I expected, and no bitter taste really. I’ve been getting chicken livers because I’ve recently put my dogs on a raw food diet, so I use those for them. I’ll have to try them myself next time.


(LS Conway) #14

They are yum! I make them every Christmas and Thanksgiving… a family fav. I wrap the livers and put a toothpick in them. Place in dish and bake. I do have to drain them because I make so many. I start out with foil over them first and then bake on high without the foil to get the crispyness. You can also do them on the stovetop. Hope you enjoy!!


(Sammy J Shuford) #15

Just the livers, no flour?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #16

I use almond flour instead of wheat flour. It works pretty well.