The Offal Challenge


(Meeping up the Science!) #1

I was speaking to @brenda, and we are toying around with the idea of doing an offal challenge for a week. You would have to eat offal once a day only, to incorporate it in the diet. Length to be determined.

Offal is quite nutritious and has many health benefits. It is also delicious!

Anyone interested in giving this a go?


Carnivore by accident!
#2

Sounds very interesting though it’s not the greatest season for offal where I live. Could do liver-pâté or even lung stew (traditional dish in Norway) fried with bacon. I’m brought up on lots and lots of all kinds of offal.
What the heck… I’m in!!


#3

I’m having fajitas made from beef heart, bone broth and braunschweiger this week. So I guess I’m in.
Oh, I also have some crispy pork shoulder skin. And no telling what is in this summer sausage. :laughing:


(Carpe salata!) #4

:cough:

Great idea. I think I’m busy that week.

I’ll be following the progress :sunglasses:


(Louise ) #5

Same here…I’ll be watching from the sidelines!


(bulkbiker) #6

Are you eating only offal or just one meal a day with offal? Or would you be like eggs and offal?


#7

I just had eggs and pigskin for breakfast. :smile:

The original challenge sounds like at least one meal a day containing offal. Think we’re trying for a more balanced approach than the steak mono-food challenge.


(Jennie) #8

I want to play! :smiley: I read about fermented liver the other day and am totally interested in trying to figure out how to incorporate more nutrients.


(Carpe salata!) #9

Guinea Pig is right. You go first. :wink:


#10

post the recipes thus the likes of myself can understand how to use offal more e.g cooking and eating heart, brain etc would be a mental challenge for me but never say never …


#11

I don’t really do recipes, but the heart fajitas are just pre-sliced beef heart fried up in a pan then added some water and [store bought] seasoning. Simmer to make it less leathery. I’m defrosting them today and will probably reheat in a pot rather than microwave.

I could use some liver suggestions.


(Dustin Cade) #12

strange thing is that offal is not something that a lot of people can get, you can find chicken livers, chicken hearts and stuff, cow livers too, sometimes can find beef tongue though I do not think that counts as offal… I think we have moved so far away from these parts of the animal most people don’t even think you should eat it… My great grandmother and my Grandma always talked about eating souse and eggs, brains (can’t recall from which animal)…


(Meeping up the Science!) #13

I’m leaving it flexible and up to people! In my case I am eating 1-2x meals, one of which will have offal and whatever else.


(Meeping up the Science!) #14

Yes, it’s actually kind of funny. For the purposes of this, tongue and everything else can count.


(Dustin Cade) #15

when I watch Bizarre Foods w/Andrew Zimmern I get caught up in the hype of the stuff he eats, though the follow through is the challenge… I think it would be cool to see if the Dudes could get him on a podcast… he seems to have a fascinating understanding of the foods outside of the standard…


(Meeping up the Science!) #16

Oh man, that’d be awesome. There’s actually a lot of nose to tail chefs these days, which is great!


(Carpe salata!) #17

You make a good point. We are socialised to certain foods as a cultural norm. I admit that to me offal is pretty icky but I realise that I never eat it and it’s more of a psychological issue. If there was good science, maybe I would give it a go? … but not yet :raised_hand:

My mother-in-law loved sheep brains, i thought it was a bit ghoulish. She also liked beef dripping and I thought that was icky/old fashioned/crazy/unhealthy. Now I cook with beef dripping because the grass-fed version has such a good fats profile. So I can change


(Dustin Cade) #18

I think it is very strange that we can go 1000s of years eating a certain type of food and give it up in less than 100 years because we think its beneath us or unhealthy… its a great ploy though, there is way more non offal meat to bring to market… more profit from the cow… I’m not sure if that is why the change happened though i could see it being at least a surprise benefit…


#19

I’m interested! However, my source of offal is beef liver that’s currently frozen.
If anyone has any recipe ideas that are inexpensive, I could use them (and I only intend to make one dish as I’m certain I’m the only one who will eat it).
Bonus points for Instant Pot friendly recipes!


(bulkbiker) #20

I usually have lambs liver (v cheap in the UK) or chicken livers - smother in black pepper and pan fry in butter. Takes only minutes to cook.