I absolutely love heart. It has a rich, steak-like flavor, and can substitute for muscle meat in many recipes while substantially boosting the nutritional content (sometimes when I have more heart meat than I need for a particular recipe, I grind up the leftovers and add it to taco meat or meatballs). It is very lean, except for the fat around it, and can be a bit tough. It’s best cooked rare or cooked for an extended period of time like in my Offal Stew. For this recipe, cut the heart into 1” cubes, discarding any silverskin or large vessels you encounter. You’ll see some recipes out there that direct you to cut off the fat around the heart, but if you’re buying grass-fed, don’t bother (unless you plan on rendering it for tallow). I think the fat is tasty, so I always leave it on. Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 1 beef heart (about 3 lbs), trimmed and cut into 1” cubes
- 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander Seed
- 1 Tbsp, finely chopped fresh thyme (or use about ½ Tbsp Dried Whole Leaf Thyme
)
- 2 Tbsp, finely chopped fresh rosemary (or use about 1 Tbsp Dried Whole Leaf Rosemary
)
- ½ Bottle Dry Red Wine (about 1 ½ cups; I used Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck)
1. Combine cubed beef heart, coriander, thyme and rosemary in a bowl or other container. Pour enough red wine overtop to cover the meat.
2. Cover meat and marinade overnight (and up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator. Give the meat a bit of a stir every few hours or so, just to make sure the meat is marinating evenly (but don’t do anything crazy like get up in the middle of the night for stir the meat).
3. Thread the meat on bamboo or reusable metal skewers (remember to soak bamboo skewers before using), keeping about ½” space between each piece.
4. Place skewers on a very hot barbecue for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the second side (the idea is to get a great sear on the outside but only cook to rare to medium-rare). Alternately, you could cook these on an indoor grill or in a cast iron grill pan.
5. Let the meat rest 5-10 minutes before eating (cover with tin foil to keep warm). Enjoy!
Jennifer Lissette says
I made this tonight for my family. It was our first time eating heart, which came with our share from a grass-fed quarter cow. My husband said that it’s been the easiest first offal encounter he’s had so far, which is saying a lot because his ick factor is high. My boys, ages 3 and 1, ate it without a blink of an eye. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
melissadishes says
i am looking to expand my tastes and try heart. it sounds good. I wonder if I can get Dan to eat it?
matilda says
This very similar to “anticuchos,” a Peruvian dish I grew up eating! Now I know how to make it like my father did at barbecues!
Erin says
Okay, okay! I’m trying it. Yesterday, I pulled the beef heart out from the freezer {from our half cow purchase earlier this year}, it is thawing. Do you think it’ll be okay to omit the coriander {I follow AIP}? Do you have any sub recommendations for it?
Also, I know alcohol isn’t recommended for AIP – should I be concerned or is that okay because of the alcohol burning off? Thank you for supplying a recipe for our first time with beef heart!
ThePaleoMom says
I would just leave it out… you mostly get the flavor from the rosemary anyway. You’re really just using wine to flavor and tenderize, then with the high temp cooking, there should be very, very little alcohol left. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Erin says
Perfect! Thank you 🙂 I will, for sure!
linda says
Can I use red wine if I am following a paleo diet for psoriasis?
Christina Feindel says
Yes, as long as the alcohol is cooked out. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
abennett415 says
Is there a reason there’s no salt in this recipe? I’ve just never cooked anything without it! LOL.
Carla Greenfeather says
my tip – I soak the skewers for 30 minutes than put them in a ziplock and freeze them. We have skewers ready to use.
Trina says
Isn’t coriander reatricted in AIP?
Adrienne says
Should the heart and wine be organic? i’m thinking of grapes on the Dirty Dozen list…
Kiersten Peterson says
Organic is ideal if you have access to it. -Kiersten