For you Heart and Liver fans??

[quadrafire]

I have 2 steer livers and 2 hearts frozen that were given to me. Is it worth the effort to try to prep them for table fare. I've never prepped it from a frozen state before.
How bout some ideas?

[Blacktail Sniper]

Can't speak about the liver, mainly because I can't stand it!

But have done so many times with heart, just treated it like any other "steak" I pulled out of the freezer and was good to go...

[elkboy]

Beef liver* can be great, with a few changes of milk.  Heart of any kind is excellent table fare, grilled or in a "parmigiana" recipe (PM me if you want one).  I would thaw them until half frozen and do the slicing- slices much more easily.

*My recipe for deer liver is to carefully grasp it, at the moment of field dressing, pull back my arm, and fling that thing as far into good coyote habitat as I possibly can.     

[lokidog]

   They make good crab bait also.   

Heart is awesome.  I would thaw it enough to slice, then sautee withonions in some butter.  I trim out valves and other tough bits after steaking.

[elkboy]

Ouch, Loki, now you're just rubbing in the fact of your *excellent* proximity to prime seafood gathering.   
For us wheatlanders, crab sits on ice and costs $20+ a pound! 

[Smokepole]

Deer Liver I just love, but beef is a bit strong for my taste.  I have some beef liver frozen and been wondering if there is a better way to prepare it.  Maybe soaked & smoked or make liverwurst.  Wish I knew a good way...

[quadrafire]

Thanks guys.

[bobcat]

Liver is good for dog food if you're not going to eat it yourself. (If you have a dog)

[quadrafire]

May have to pick a weekend when my wife is not around to do a little experimenting with these. She's not a fan.
I love liver and onions, and have eaten deer heart a few times. Even pickled one once 
Just a little overwhelmed with the size of these things.

[Stein]

For both, don't overcook.  Tacos is my favorite for heart, liver is good with onions and veggies or even in a stew.

My dog will eat any part of the animal except the liver, be careful or you might have blood spots to clean out of the carpet where they spit it out.

[fastdam]

??   Heart is great eating. If you dont want to prep it, throw it in your "grind pile".  Liver is a treat to me.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Heart boiled, chilled and sliced thin is excellent sandwich meat, like Loki said just trim out the valves.  If I'm short of time it goes in the grind. 

[Red leaf 67]

Too bad you can't find someone to make liverwurst for you. I developed a taste for haggis when I visited Scotland, now I make my own version, but without the lungs, & not cooked in the stomach (also light on kidney) So basically, made with meat, heart, liver,bacon fat, spices & plenty of steel cut oats, small amount of kidney. Deer, Sheep, Lamb,Elk all work. I have made it with Lamb & ground beef when I don't have game meat/organs. My Wife calls it offal, even though she will eat about two Tablespoons of it with rutabaga & potatoes.

[Rich_S]

#-4 times a year my DW will fix us Liver and Onions. One of my favorite dishes. Doesn't matter if it's beef, but deer liver is our real favorite. She likes the heart as well, but as an old paramedic, I just can't do it. Too personal, I guess.

My son and his wife are just the opposite, so he saves us the liver and we save the heart for him. Liver is not good if you're watching your cholesterol. I am, but I'd rather take the chance than live without liver. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

P.S. We don't bother with any of the rigmarole of soaking it in milk, etc. We fry it just as it is, dredged in flour with salt & pepper. Fried potatoes on the side. One of the few meats I use ketchup on.

[Buckewe]

I love heart just slice thin and fry it up. I have ground up an elk heart mixed 50/50 with ground goose and made sausages and it was awesome.

[birddogdad]

the liver needs time in the fridge thawed to neutralize the bile with the natural enzymes, typically I like 5 days... and just barely cook it, very rare in middle.. don't eat a lot of liver but this makes it tolerable..

heart is very choice table fare.. can even pickle if you like snack foods..

next time ask for the tongues too!!, pressure cooked is awesome!

[WSU]

You can make some good sausage with liver.  You might try that.  It's a good way to use up a lot of liver.  Last year my friend used a beef liver I had, plus a couple elk livers and a couple deer livers.  It made a lot of sausage even after everyone had a few meals of liver and onions.

[Remnar]

  My mom used to make a dish remaki (i think is how its spelled )with chicken livers . So I made it out of a nice young deers liver one christmas  Even the non liver liking camp agreed that they liked it ,or at least didnt mind eating it .
 
Cut liver into roughly 1" cubes . Take a slice of canned water chestnut and place on cube .
Take thin sliced bacon and wrap the thing and skewer with toothpick .
 Bake at say 420 until bacon is done .
  Make a dipping sauce (basically a light teryaki) with soy, bit of brown suger and black pepper .

[quadrafire]

Well, I thawed one of the livers this weekend. Thing was huge. I sliced a small portion of it about 3/4 in, soaked overnight in milk, floured and fried. Still pink in middle. Served over sauteed onions. Very mild, tasty. I will search for some other recipes as I have so much. I re-froze the remainder (will see how that turns out).
Did find a recipe for liver chili, but I don't think that's gonna happen. 

[pianoman9701]

For both, don't overcook.  Tacos is my favorite for heart, liver is good with onions and veggies or even in a stew.

My dog will eat any part of the animal except the liver, be careful or you might have blood spots to clean out of the carpet where they spit it out.

  Saute thick slices of floured heart in some peanut or sesame oil and just a little bit on each side, enough to brown it. serve it with onions and chopped garlic. Salt & pepper. Can't beat it.

[Bean Counter]

*tag* 

[206]

Had a couple elk liver meals already.  Mom showed me a trick.  The membrane can be pulled off with a paper towel just like the membrane on pork ribs.

Good stuff.

[quadrafire]

Here is one for heart that looks pretty darned good.
The pictures from the website look awesome.  http://thehealthyfoodie.com/mushroom-spinach-stuffed-beef-heart/

MUSHROOM AND SPINACH STUFFED BEEF HEART
Yield: Serves 6-8

Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Beef Heart

INGREDIENTS

1 large beef heart (1.75kg)
6 thick slices of bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
454g button mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
200g fresh spinach leaves
INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse the heart well under cold running water and pat it really dry.
Cut the heart open (if your butcher hasn’t done that already) and remove any visible strings, arteries and blood vessels that may have been left behind; trim off excess fat, if any. Set aside.
In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon until nice and crispy then remove it to a plate but leave the fat in pan.
Add the onion, mushrooms salt and pepper to the pan and cook until softened and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg, then throw in the spinach, crispy bacon and chopped garlic. Stir well until the spinach is completely wilted and continue cooking until all the liquid at the bottom of the pan has evaporated. Let cool for a few minutes.
Preheat your oven to 275F
Lay the beef heart fatty side down on a work surface; spoon the stuffing over it and spread it all the way to the edge. Roll the beef heart and tie it up with a few strands of butcher's twine. You might want to run one piece across lengthwise and 2 to 3 pieces crosswise. (if like me you end up with a little too much stuffing, hang on to it: you can reheat it later in a small skillet and serve it alongside the roast)
Melt a fair amount of cooking fat in a large oven-safe skillet set over scorching high heat. Sear the beef heart for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until a nice golden crust forms. When the meat is nicely seared all around, transfer the skillet to the oven and cook the beef heart uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes per pound, depending on desired doneness (rare to medium-rare)
Remove the roast from the oven, tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

[elkboy]

Man, Quadra, way to make a guy hungry at work!  I might have to try this- we have a few deer hearts left in the freezer. 

[KopperBuck]

We've made jerky out of beef heart because there was so much of it. Turned out great. Just another option. I would never do it with a deer or elk heart - too good.

[Blacklab]

Not a fan of liver at all. Heart on the other hand is  . Pan fry with s/p/ g/o powder. Throw it on a plate or between two pieces of bread. Tacos are now on the short list to do. Lucky for me all my friends pony up their deer and elk hearts. Telling me, they don't eat organs 

[snarkybull]

Try anticuchos.  Peruvian delicacy.  Basically beef heart kabobs.  Tried them when I went to Peru and got hooked.  Elk heart is thawing right now

http://perudelights.com/anticuchos-cows-heart-kebabs-flavor-on-a-stick/