Beef Heart
Intro
Tag and Taste
Where
How To Prepare
Nutrients
Recommended Daily Amount
Wrap Up
Intro
Organ meats are the most nutrient-dense things you can eat. However, some of them can be hard to get into due to the taste.
Beef liver is in the middle in terms of taste. The worst is kidney which I never touch anymore.
The smell is just too strong and I get my nutrients from beef liver as well as beef heart. Beef Heart has the best taste out of all the organ meats in my opinion.
Tag and Taste
Like all organ meats, the price tag of beef heart is among the lowest. This is crucial for the world we live in as our money continues to lose its value. If you’re unsure about that chuck roast or sirloin just grab a beef heart. The best part is that you’re not really cutting yourself short as cooking it on a skillet will bring about a similar look and taste to the more expensive cuts of meat.
Where
Not many places sell beef hearts. You can either get it by befriending some farmers or if you have a Wildfork in your area. This is not confirmed but if you have an HEB in the area they might sell some.
One thing I’ve noticed over the past few years is that the most nutritious food, of the animal-based kind, is the hardest to find. Organ meats, unless you’re in a good area are hard to find. Raw Milk, despite numerous studies showing its benefits for kids is even worse. But everywhere we turn around there’s some CBD store, vape store, or gas station filled to the brim with frakenfood. It's as if the most beneficial food is being kept out of reach.
How To Prepare
Slicing
I chose to cut the heart into slices about half an inch thick. The thicker it is the more time it will take to cook. Occasionally, if I’m making a stew I’ll cut it into smaller pieces and throw it into whatever I’m using to prepare my meal.
Skillet
Cooking it on a skillet as you do a steak is a great option. Medium-high heat until you get a dark brown with some black on it. I still try to have the inside somewhat tender so as not to destroy all the nutrients. The juices that pour out of whatever meat you cook are not entirely blood. It is myoglobin and water. Myoblogin is a protein and it might sound similar to hemoglobin.
Hemoglobin helps blood cells store oxygen
Myoglobin helps muscle cells to store oxygen.
Myoglobin mixed with water gives red meat its red color. Therefore, don’t be worried about leaving a little myoglobin in the meats you cook.
However, if you’re a Crip, this may take some time to explain to your homeboys…
I should note that there are meats out there cooked specifically with blood.
Slow Cooker
If you’re dicing the beef heart into little cubes then the slow cooker is a great option. Most times I like throwing meat in with some black beans, some kind of potato, and some kind of cruciferous vegetable. I throw the cubed meat in on low and let it cook for two to three hours and then throw in the rest for the remaining three. On a higher heat, this time will be condensed.
Recently, I’ve started using my slow cooker for purposes I should be using the skillet for. I’ll cook burger patties in there or chuck roast on high heat and the meat comes out super tender. I’m probably gonna try this with heart in the near future and cook my heart slices in here vice on a skillet.
Heart Burgers
Given that the taste of beef heart is similar to some of the more expensive cuts I believe beef heart could make a great burger as well.
Nutrients
Below are the four highest concentrations of nutrients in beef heart. Across the board, they have lower levels than compared to beef liver. But given that beef heart is easier to consume this might level the playing field.
B12
The largest concentration of vitamins in the beef heart is vitamin B12. B12 helps with
Forming our red blood cells
Forming our DNA
Maintaining the function of our brain and nervous system
Energy production
If you’ve ever been down the carnivore/vegan dialectic you’ve probably heard of it. But yeah vegans are usually deficient in B12.
The B12 in beef heart is three times(supposedly) the daily recommended amount though not as much as beef liver but still off the charts. Therefore I wouldn’t find it advisable to eat a full heart every day. Like I do with liver I cut it up into smaller pieces and eat it throughout the week.
Iron
A mineral that is found in many foods. It…
Helps with sleep
Improves hemoglobin
Boosts Immunity
Improves concentration
Riboflavin
Also known as vitamin B2 it helps convert glucose into fuel. It also helps with
Energy Production
Improved blood circulation
Protects vision
Tissue growth/repair/maintenance
Improved digestion
Choline
A nutrient that is found in many other foods like eggs, fish, and dairy. It helps with
Brain Health
Liver function
The metabolization of fats
And is anti-inflammatory
Recommended Daily Amount
RDAs are the recommended daily amounts of different nutrients and vitamins people should be consuming every day. It got its start in WW2 by three women one of whom was mentored at one point by Harvey Kellogg who played a role in the vegetarian/vegan bais which our Dietetic institutions hold. I’m sure it’s nothing….
But I need to take some time to look into how they determined that these various levels are what make us healthy or any of the other RDA adjustments throughout history. I never enjoyed going down the rabbit hole of nutrient, calorie, and vitamin counting it makes things too complex.
Pick a handful of nutrient-dense foods to add to your diet
Workout
Sleep Well
Get Sun
Minimize blue light for the eyes and skin
Ground
And if you still feel like you’re not at 100%, tweak what you can here and there. But, I believe there are better ways to turn ourselves into an absolute unit without concerns for the RDAs.
Wrap Up
Beef liver is a wonderful-tasting organ meat to add to your diet and since it's easier to eat it will be easier for you to improve your health and vigor.
Thank you for making it to the end and let me know your thoughts below.
Until next time…
I always enjoyed eating the organs of animals growing up in the Kentucky countryside and continued into my 20’s before getting married. Nowadays at 57 years old if I were to bring a beef heart home to cook for my wife I would prob be sleeping on the patio!!! Still I agree the organs are densely nutrient pact and good for you in moderation! Great article my friend!!!
my mom also used to cook beef brains which had a very mild taste, not sure if anyone does this anymore after the mad cow prion disease scare in the 80’s.
was thinking about how organ meats are probably most consumed by the very poor as to avoid waste (my mom grew up on a poor rural farm during the Great Depression) and the elite as a rare delicacy (like liver pate), not widely available as you mentioned, limited in supply since it is a tiny portion of the rendered livestock (not to be seriously considered: lab grown 🙀)