Post by: 4T on May 09, 2014, 11:34:05 PM
Post by: Blacklab on May 10, 2014, 04:50:48 AM
Yeah not a fan of liver. Doesn't matter how it's cooked or who cooks it for me it's nasty :twocents:
Post by: Fl0und3rz on May 10, 2014, 05:29:04 AM
Dad loves it. I cannot stand it.
Post by: ICEMAN on May 12, 2014, 07:22:37 PM
Liver is top notch if taken care of in the field and prepared well.
Ice it down, get it to camp, rinse, trim off anything irregular, cut into 1/2 slabs. Cut out any sinew, let rinse multiple times in cool water, drain, then soak in milk for an hour or so.....
Pre-caramelize a ton of onions in some bacon grease.
Cook the liver lightly floured with a pinch of pepper in bacon grease. Cook till no blood comes from the liver when you press on it. Cut a piece to inspect, liver is done when just a hint of pink is left....
Serve over a mess of caramelized onions.
Best at camp night of kill.
Do not leave laying in the woods, you can always find a hunter nearby who cherishes and respects this delicacy.
Post by: ICEMAN on May 12, 2014, 07:26:00 PM
Heart is equally good. See other thread... :chuckle:
Post by: Blacklab on May 12, 2014, 07:37:22 PM
Post by: ICEMAN on May 12, 2014, 07:39:57 PM
Oh now the heart is in a different category :drool:
Stuffed with 50/50 apple and onion with pepper and a pinch of salt, baked till a tinge of pink remains, cut into chunks...yum. :EAT:
Post by: pd on May 12, 2014, 08:11:13 PM
4T, what you describe is very common. There are a lot of hunters who just cannot bear the thought of liver (whether it is the texture, the aroma, or whatever). But Iceman is right: We owe it to the animal to show the utmost respect for the most flavorful (I didn't say tastiest) cut of meat. Along with the heart, the liver must not ever be wasted. If you cannot bear to eat it, please take care of it and give it to somebody else.
I will repeat what Iceman states: Carmelize the onions by slowly cooking in a medium skillet. Remove the onions, and cook 1/2" slices of liver (breaded in wheat flour with salt and pepper only, no egg wash) in oil (we use olive oil, not bacon grease) on both sides. After all of the liver is cooked, return the onions to the same griddle (cover the liver), cover and slowly cook until the sliced potatoes are ready. You did bring potatoes to camp, didn't you? Cabernet, zinfandel (not the pink one), merlot, cabernet franc, they are all great with liver. Given that this is a celebratory dinner, beer or whiskey is fine, too. :hello:
Post by: Blacklab on May 12, 2014, 08:12:56 PM
Post by: ICEMAN on May 12, 2014, 08:26:21 PM
Post by: 4T on May 12, 2014, 09:19:43 PM
I have never heard of a hunting camp without spuds before. I'm sure there are some out there's but there is no shortage at our camp.
Post by: BKMFR on May 12, 2014, 09:24:43 PM
Post by: ICEMAN on May 12, 2014, 09:33:41 PM
Liver and Onions... throw away the liver and eat the onions :chuckle:....I don't eat guts :IBCOOL:
Do you eat hotdogs?
Post by: BKMFR on May 12, 2014, 09:51:44 PM
Post by: klikboom on May 12, 2014, 10:06:41 PM
http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/liver-and-onions-recipe/ (http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/liver-and-onions-recipe/)
Post by: superdown on May 12, 2014, 10:08:10 PM
Post by: Bullkllr on May 12, 2014, 10:17:28 PM
Shame on you liver haters!!!!!
Liver is top notch if taken care of in the field and prepared well.
Ice it down, get it to camp, rinse, trim off anything irregular, cut into 1/2 slabs. Cut out any sinew, let rinse multiple times in cool water, drain, then soak in milk for an hour or so.....
Pre-caramelize a ton of onions in some bacon grease.
Cook the liver lightly floured with a pinch of pepper in bacon grease. Cook till no blood comes from the liver when you press on it. Cut a piece to inspect, liver is done when just a hint of pink is left....
Serve over a mess of caramelized onions.
Best at camp night of kill.
Do not leave laying in the woods, you can always find a hunter nearby who cherishes and respects this delicacy.
Liver cooked like this...can't imagine anyone not liking it. Delicious. Maybe my favorite meal from a deer or elk. Key is not over cooking it. Follow Ice's directions; you will like :EAT: :EAT:
BTW, if you are judging all liver by store-bought beef liver, don't. There is no comparison. Beef liver is typically rubbery, funny-colored, tough,strong-tasting, veiny, hormone & anti-biotic-laden, not-so-fresh crap. For all you know its could be from a downer 25 year old dairy cow. I would NEVER eat it.
Young calf-liver is okay, if you can get it very fresh.
Fresh deer or elk liver is a totally different story; fine-grained, mild, tender, almost sweet-flavored. Man... I'm hungry for some right now...
Post by: RadSav on May 12, 2014, 10:20:01 PM
Benefit's to eating fresh elk or deer liver in camp are that it increases your sense of concentration. Add in some fried oysters and you'll have the concentration and endurance needed to be one dangerous killing machine :chuckle:
Post by: floatinghat on May 12, 2014, 10:23:26 PM
I am with those liver is nasty! Just nasty, but I know people who love it and we make good work of the animal. Liver, Heart, tongue etc it all gets packed out...
Post by: Noiro on May 12, 2014, 10:50:29 PM
Post by: washelkhunter on May 13, 2014, 12:36:26 AM
Dudes I'm kind of in between when it comes to liver but my wife just cooked my spring bear liver with onions it'sAWESOME! Way better than deer liver.
http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/liver-and-onions-recipe/ (http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/liver-and-onions-recipe/)
Apparently eating bear liver could prove to be fatal, and not just the polar bears.
Post by: RadSav on May 13, 2014, 01:06:21 AM
Apparently eating bear liver could prove to be fatal, and not just the polar bears.
Yeah, I usually stay clear of carnivore livers! Probably just fine in small doses as is catfish and other bottom feeding fish in areas with high mercury content. But, when you figure the liver is the bodies filter I'd prefer to just stay clear of it.
If you do eat it cook it well! Though I think most of the folks that don't like liver probably had it cooked well. Not many things worse than over cooked liver, halibut and peas. Not many things better than fresh peas, halibut and liver cooked just right!
I've also been conscious of liver from deer and elk in the major herbicide spray areas. Animals feeding on treated grasses have been known to have concentrated pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals in all organ meats, and most heaviest in the liver. I would also stay clear of liver from an animal with any type of infection. Especially Hoof Rot!!! Again primarily due to the function of the liver being a filter.
But I still love my liver and onions! I'm just cautious when deciding what liver to keep for consumption and when to feed it to the ravens.
Post by: 206 on May 13, 2014, 07:25:31 AM
Liver cooked like this...can't imagine anyone not liking it. Delicious. Maybe my favorite meal from a deer or elk. Key is not over cooking it. Follow Ice's directions; you will like :EAT: :EAT:
BTW, if you are judging all liver by store-bought beef liver, don't. There is no comparison. Beef liver is typically rubbery, funny-colored, tough,strong-tasting, veiny, hormone & anti-biotic-laden, not-so-fresh crap. For all you know its could be from a downer 25 year old dairy cow. I would NEVER eat it.
Young calf-liver is okay, if you can get it very fresh.
Fresh deer or elk liver is a totally different story; fine-grained, mild, tender, almost sweet-flavored. Man... I'm hungry for some right now...
Yeah, All of That
Post by: elkboy on May 13, 2014, 08:14:36 AM
If anyone is in SE WA and A) wants my venison livers this year, or B) wants to show me firsthand how to do justice to this part of the critter, then I'm game.
Post by: lokidog on May 13, 2014, 08:29:43 AM
I am with those liver is nasty! Just nasty, but I know people who love it and we make good work of the animal. Liver, Heart, tongue etc it all gets packed out...
:yeah:
Except I don't mess with the tongue, though I like cow tongue. I really like heart. I do know people that like it though and save it for them. It makes good crab bait too.
Post by: pd on May 13, 2014, 12:33:36 PM
Yeah, I usually stay clear of carnivore livers! Probably just fine in small doses as is catfish and other bottom feeding fish in areas with high mercury content. But, when you figure the liver is the bodies filter I'd prefer to just stay clear of it.
I've also been conscious of liver from deer and elk in the major herbicide spray areas. Animals feeding on treated grasses have been known to have concentrated pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals in all organ meats, and most heaviest in the liver. I would also stay clear of liver from an animal with any type of infection. Especially Hoof Rot!!! Again primarily due to the function of the liver being a filter.
I agree with RadSav on both points. Liver from an omnivore needs to be thoroughly cooked. Liver from a suburban herbivore (....island deer, if anybody is counting....) is the only exception that I make to my rule to respect and devour the organ. I don't want to eat a deer's liver if that deer has been eating herbicides or fertilizers. The liver is a wonderful organ (for all creatures) because it removes toxins from the blood stream. Unfortunately, it also keeps those toxins. I won't eat a suburban deer's liver for this reason. (My hunting buddies say that it makes great crab bait, but I wouldn't know about that.)
Post by: WSU on May 13, 2014, 12:51:38 PM
One other idea is to make it into sausage. I had a steer killed a couple years ago. The liver was huge. I ate a bunch as liver and onions, gave some away, and still had a lot left. I had a friend of mine make it into sausage with kalamata olives and feta cheese. Good stuff!
Post by: klikboom on May 13, 2014, 01:16:57 PM
Post by: washelkhunter on May 13, 2014, 01:38:07 PM
Post by: Curly on May 13, 2014, 01:43:18 PM
I am with those liver is nasty! Just nasty, but I know people who love it and we make good work of the animal. Liver, Heart, tongue etc it all gets packed out...
:yeah:
Except I don't mess with the tongue, though I like cow tongue. I really like heart. I do know people that like it though and save it for them. It makes good crab bait too.
I'm surprised Loki, that you don't like liver. That merganser must really be good if you will eat that but not liver....... :dunno:
I like liver ok enough to eat it once a year. I love heart and tongue too, just haven't bothered with tongue from wild game........though I think I might try elk tongue sometime.
Post by: CP on May 13, 2014, 01:46:15 PM
Post by: tonymiller7 on May 13, 2014, 02:45:14 PM
Post by: RadSav on May 13, 2014, 03:23:13 PM
Anyone got any documentation on bear liver being bad? Its really delicious. I'll throw it out if its bad for me but i had never heard such a thing. I did see the polar bear toxic concentrations of vitamin stories.
All bear meat should be cooked well if taken is areas known to have trichinosis. Not so prevalent on the coastal bears, but occurrences increase as you move east. Most of the time bear should be good as they eat a lot of grasses, berries and grubs. And in most circumstances they won't eat rotten fish unless extremely hungry. But you just never know what they have been eating in the prior months and what toxins that feed may have included. Cooked sparingly and well done I don't expect there would be a problem with blackbear. Just error on the side of caution IMO.
Should be easy to find articles on trichinosis and parasites in black bear over the internet. Wild Bison, and wild boar should all by on that same list of proceeding with caution when eating organs. And it would also be advisable to wear gloves when field dressing all the above! Having hunted with a former guide who was treated for trichinosis it doesn't sound like much fun at all!!
Post by: Rich_S on May 13, 2014, 05:31:53 PM
Chicken livers wrapped in bacon and marinated in soy & teriyaki, then broiled in the oven is mandatory a couple times a year. Just something to get the cholesterol numbers up, y'understand.
Put us down on the "yea" side of the vote. Oh -we don't touch Elk or Bear liver though. I've seen Elk liver just crawling with liver flukes. We won't take a chance with those two.
Post by: lokidog on May 13, 2014, 10:18:43 PM
My wife and I have come home from a hunting trip with our kids with a deer or two and 4-6 livers. I tried to tell my son that the backstrap was really liver, but he didn't fall for that one. Wife and I love liver fried with onions (+potatoes, but in a separate pan). She makes an outstanding deer liver pate, too.
Chicken livers wrapped in bacon and marinated in soy & teriyaki, then broiled in the oven is mandatory a couple times a year. Just something to get the cholesterol numbers up, y'understand.
Put us down on the "yea" side of the vote. Oh -we don't touch Elk or Bear liver though. I've seen Elk liver just crawling with liver flukes. We won't take a chance with those two.
Yeah, my mom and dad ate liver in the day back in WI, until the year every single one had flukes... :puke: I'm not sure they've kept a liver since, and that was back in the early 80's.
I am with those liver is nasty! Just nasty, but I know people who love it and we make good work of the animal. Liver, Heart, tongue etc it all gets packed out...
:yeah:
Except I don't mess with the tongue, though I like cow tongue. I really like heart. I do know people that like it though and save it for them. It makes good crab bait too.
I'm surprised Loki, that you don't like liver. That merganser must really be good if you will eat that but not liver....... :dunno:
I like liver ok enough to eat it once a year. I lover heart and tongue too, just haven't bothered with tongue from wild game........though I think I might try elk tongue sometime.
Mergs are not even close to being as strong as liver. Maybe it's a Fry family thing, those liver-lovers. :chuckle:
Post by: RadSav on May 13, 2014, 11:20:42 PM
Mergs are not even close to being as strong as liver. Maybe it's a Fry family thing, those liver-lovers. :chuckle:
>:(
If your wife loves liver we are the only two Fry's I know that do. My parents and brothers don't even want to smell the stuff. When I was growing up I had to go over to my friend Bone's house to cook my elk liver. Although even his folks wouldn't let me cook mergs or scoutters :chuckle:
Post by: lokidog on May 13, 2014, 11:27:38 PM
The only way I have ever been able to stomach it is with lots of well carmelized onions and about a pint of ketchup.
Post by: bobcat on May 13, 2014, 11:31:19 PM
Post by: RadSav on May 13, 2014, 11:53:39 PM
The only way I have ever been able to stomach it is with lots of well carmelized onions and about a pint of ketchup.
There is your problem. Pints of Fosters is what you want with liver not ketchup :chuckle: Brown mushroom gravy ain't too bad either.
Grandpa Paul passed away when I was too little to remember him. So not sure if he liked it or not. I'm thinking not as grandma Fry would snarl like a rabid cat if you even mentioned the word liver. I don't remember us spending much time with any other Fry's. So I guess my information there is limited.
I'm off to the store. All this talk of liver is making me hungry. I'm going to pick up some liverwurst and Munster cheese. Going to have a toasted sandwich for a midnight snack. Mmmmm Yummy! :drool:
Post by: RadSav on May 14, 2014, 02:15:29 AM
I'm off to the store. All this talk of liver is making me hungry. I'm going to pick up some liverwurst and Munster cheese. Going to have a toasted sandwich for a midnight snack. Mmmmm Yummy! :drool:
Had to settle for creamy Havarti :( Still the best late snack I've had in a long time :drool:
Post by: bowhunterforever on May 14, 2014, 02:54:20 AM
Post by: Song Dog on May 14, 2014, 08:14:19 PM
2 Lbs. Deer or elk liver
2 lbs. pork butt
1 sweet onion
2 Tbs. of tender Quick curing salt (Kosher or canning salt can also be used)
1 Tbs. White fine ground pepper
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. sage
4 cloves garlic
1 cup ice water
In a medium size bowl mix the salt, pepper, allspice, marjoram, sage, and powdered milk together and set it aside. Cut liver into chunks small enough to fit into your grinder and boil it for about 20 minutes. It should still be pink, remove and allow to cool. This can be done the night before. Cut pork into 1" cubes, run pork and liver through grinder, then cut onion and run onion and garlic through grinder. Add ice water to the seasoning and mix then add to the meat, mix all together and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Run all ingredients back through the grinder again then stuff into 2" casings. Bring a large pot of water to just a boil and place stuffed sausage into water until the sausage reaches an internal temp of 152 degrees. Apply a light smoke if desired.
Post by: washelkhunter on May 14, 2014, 08:43:03 PM
Liver is one of the best parts of the deer :drool: soak in salt water for a couple rinses, then bread and fry with onions :drool: liver,heart and backstrap the best part of deer and elk.
I don't get the salt water soak, are you intentionally trying to draw water into the liver? Me, I'll let it soak overnight sliced 1/2 inch thick in half & half. take it out of the bag and dredge thru Panko seasoned with Montreals, then fry in cast iron w/good oil. YUM!
Post by: TheHunt on May 14, 2014, 08:49:34 PM
I give it away if I am near someone who wants it.
Post by: Bigshooter on May 15, 2014, 04:43:56 AM
Post by: Pacific on May 15, 2014, 09:10:30 AM
Post by: pd on May 15, 2014, 10:02:31 AM
The problem I have with liver is .......it taste like liver no matter how you cook it. I hate the minerally irony taste of it. And you can not get rid of that taste I don't care what any of you say.
BigShooter is correct. His well developed palate recognizes the "irony" taste of liver; many people get hints of that taste, but just can't identify it. Liver is a great source of iron, and ladies with heavy menstrual issues are often encouraged to eat more liver, to replace lost iron (I know this all too well)--but that only works if the patient can bear the taste of the meat. BigShooter's point about masking the "minerally" or "irony" taste is also spot on.
I would really like to like it, but for me it's the smell of it cooking.....that smell makes me GAG big time. If someone in the neighbor hood cooks it...3 or 4 houses away, even....I pretty much have to leave the area for a few days :puke:
Pacific highlights the other major problem with liver--the aroma. His sense of smell is keen, and call literally smell liver a mile away. You are right: You just can't hide this smell.
There you go: Liver does have a particular taste and smell, and no amount of proselytizing on our part will change that for many of you. So if you can't endure a meal of liver, please treat this meat with great respect (remove it from the carcass immediately, bag it and put it on ice, freeze if necessary), and give it to somebody else. Trade the liver for some beverages with your neighbors in the next camp?
Post by: Pacific on May 15, 2014, 12:27:10 PM
Post by: nater74 on May 15, 2014, 03:35:57 PM
Post by: Stein on June 13, 2014, 07:57:13 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on June 13, 2014, 08:25:48 PM
Post by: akirkland on June 16, 2014, 10:37:42 AM
Post by: Curly on June 16, 2014, 12:15:13 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on June 18, 2014, 09:49:34 PM
Please....give me your disgusting livers and hearts. I will put them to good use. Kidneys too. The absolute best part of beef, deer and elk. These photos are all from deer liver. In one photo you will see a dark piece of meat at the top of the plate. That is kidney. Amazingly good. I love a good plate of liver and onions but why eat it that way every time. Liver can be cooked in many ways.
Not a problem I will just need your tenderloins and backs traps for the filter, heart, and kidneys! :chuckle: