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OK the thought of brains and liver kind of freaks me out - but if I were going to start incorporating some real Paleo foods like this into my diet - what to ask the butcher for first, and how to prepare it to ease myself into stuff like this?

I used to think eel was gross too until I had it at a sushi restaurant and discovered I love it. I'll try anything once. :)

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off subject but I had baby eels at a tapas restaurant the other night. I think they may be my favorite "paleo noodle"...check them out if you ever see them on a menu. – jlharmon May 20 2012 at 4:20
Oh I love regular eel at the sushi restaurant - will have to look for this. – LianeMJ May 22 2012 at 22:34

14 Answers

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Try the chicken liver paté recipe. (Scroll 1/2 way down the page.)

It's much more mild than beef liver.

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Beef heart tastes just like any other muscle meats.

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some great recipes from marksdailyapple: marksdailyapple.com/… marksdailyapple.com/… – jake May 17 2012 at 1:31
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Beef heart was one of my favorites as a kid. Too bad a cow only has one! – Matt May 17 2012 at 2:24
mMm i <3 beef heart. I just need to find a man who can stomach beef heart on Vday... – coffeesnob May 17 2012 at 2:46
My partner finds heart to be both the "best steak he has ever had" and "the best roast he has ever had." unfortunately, I do not share his fondness. – AmandaLP May 20 2012 at 2:58
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I've tried preparing beef liver and I can't eat it but I enjoy US Wellness grassfed beef Liverwurst and Braunschweiger. They contain liver (from grassfed cows) the liverwurst has beef heart in it as well and maybe kidneys if I'm not mistaken. It's the easiest way for me to get my share of organ meats. Also you could try buying grassfed "pet burgers" which are ground beef mixed with organ meats. I've made meatloaf with pet burger mixes and have enjoyed them. You could try doing a mix with regular ground meat if you're afraid of being overwhelmed.

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Yes, liverwurst is the only way I can eat liver. And I love it! I used to make this fabulous liverwurst dip. I need to hunt that up. – Heidi May 17 2012 at 1:03
+1 for US Wellness Liverwurst. Great way to get organs. My 8year granddaughter craves the stuff on rice crackers. – scottts Aug 28 at 5:35
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You can make your own homemade liverwurst and sausages containing liver where you mix ground pork, liver, herbs and spices. It might be a good way to ease into cooking and eating liver--you could slowly increase the amount of liver too if you wanted to start out slow. I love liverwurst! Here's a decent recipe:

http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/liverwurst.html

Oh, and I hate liver plain, plus eating heart or brain still isn't going over well for me. This is about as far as I go so far, but I do really like it.

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Liver pates seconded. Also, braised chicken hearts. Use red wine for cooking it, generous amount of onions to caramelize. It's like candy.

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To me, a lamb heart tastes pretty fantastic. Tender, lamby, and not super mineral-y. I saute onions, mushrooms, parsley, garlic and spinach and then stuff the cavity of the heart (you can google this for instructions). Then I wrap it in bacon and bake it. If you can handle stuffing a heart cavity without developing PTSD symptoms, I think you are on your way to a full paleo lifestyle! I highly recommend not over-thinking what you're eating. It is just a unit of food, so packed with nutrients that your body will thank you for days. Don't think of it as a heart...

I second the above answers about liver pate. I recently made pate (by just food processing my leftover liver and onions and adding a ton of spices and some olive oil) and then wrapped ground beef around that for pate-stuffed burgers. I am telling everyone about this because it was VERY tasty and I think it would be great for someone struggling with organ meats.

If you are really against the liver taste, I suggest cooking it but then not eating it until the next day. For whatever reason, when I re-heat liver the taste is so much more mild. It takes awhile, but you will really start liking these things!

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I jumped in with both feet the other day and sautéed some calf livers in butter and Worcestershire sauce. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

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Liver was something I had to get used to. First time was awful (and overcooked → not sure if correlation or causation), but tasted better the second time and my body now asks for it weekly.

Heart was something I loved immediately. It's actually just muscle meat and in my opinion the tastiest one.

Kidneys was the one I feared the most but that seemed unnecessary.

Those are the three organ meats I eat weekly now. Tongue and sweetbreads are next on my list.

All of them I just cooked in coconut oil to see how it tastes on itself, now I mostly cook it with onions, garlic and cut up sweet potatoes. And I hope most people will remain their "ick feeling". Keeps these delicious meats dirt cheap.

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I spice my liver with Indian style spices, including corriander, cumin, allspice, tumeric, curry powder, garam masala, garlic, salt, and LOTS of Onions and Butter. I also find that the more salt I add, the less liver-y it tastes, and it tastes better the more onions I add.

Tongue was pretty okay, once I got past the "OMG I have to peel this thing, and it still looks like a tongue" etc. I cooked it in beef broth with a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies (mmm, RoTel) for a few hours, then peeled the tongue, cut it into cubes, and put everything back into the crock pot for a few more hours. The base of the tongue tasted like brisket, whereas the tip part of the tongue was kinda spongy.

If all organ meat freaks you out, try oysters, mussels, and other "whole animal" shellfish. A lot of the good qualities of organ meats are present, since you are eating the whole animal, and since it seems more socially acceptable, you may like it more.

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I used to be a huge fan of fried chicken gizzards and livers dipped in gravy...but clearly that's no longer allowed (unless I found the perfect almond flour batter, fried it in coconut oil, and made grain-free gravy-ha)

I have had cow tongue (not sure if that's considered an "organ" but I'm no scientist haha) we "peeled" it then grilled it like a steak and I thought it was pretty amazing. Even got my picky sister to try it, telling her it WAS steak.

Other than that, I too should take more advantage of the odds and ends of the meat department.

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Sweetbreads. Tender, delicious and very simple to make.

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I look at thymus glands as Level 2 organs. The texture might be a bit off-putting with the taste to less adventurous eaters; kind of like liver with the texture of scrambled eggs. Quite lovely with a cream sauce... – Blitherakt May 20 2012 at 5:29
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If you're tolerant of dairy, or more on the primal side, I'd recommend chicken liver mousse. It's fantastic by the spoonful, or spread on apple slices.

You can also go for fried calves liver. It's more "organy" than the mousse, but I quite like it. Fry up six or eight pieces of bacon and, when they're done enough for you, set them aside. Julienne an onion and Carmelite it in the bacon fat and, when nice and golden, set it aside too. Drop the liver into the hot fat and sautée it until the liver just transitions from pink on the inside. I find this takes about six minutes per side or so; your stove is probably different. Cover the liver with the bacon and onions, making sure to dump a healthy dose of bacon fat over the top and enjoy! Bacon and onion with every bite of liver helps a bunch. After a few of those, you'll love the taste of liver with nothing else.

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Made my first chicken liver pate, and am curious to know what would pair well with it? I had it with crudite tonight, but what else would compliment it?

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Liver with onions is good. I would skip on the brain.

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