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I know liver...but what else? And should I just get my sources from Whole Foods or a better place? Should it just be beef organ meats?

On that note, once I do find my sources of whatever organ meats you deem important, I don't know if I can eat it. The thought is just so disgusting to me.

SO what are all the ways you cook your organ meats? I'll take recipes, simple preparations, etc.

I have never had organ meats before (except for chicken pate once, yuck!) and I just don't know if I can do it.

Are we missing out much by not consuming certain organ meats?

I know I am asking a lot. But thanks to whoever answers.

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Great question! – Alvaro Jul 28 at 0:22
Thank you :)!!! – YoungPaleoLover Jul 28 at 7:58

10 Answers

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I'd say, eat whatever organ meats taste good to you. There's no point force-feeding yourself offal if you can't stomach it. Could you really eat something you hated, frequently, for the rest of your life? I've cooked liver several times and have always been utterly revolted.

That's not to say you can't get used to a food you don't currently care for- but I personally can't get over my aversion to liver.

To make up for it, I order liverwurst online from US Wellness Meats, and it tastes great (similar in taste to deli roast beef IMO). It's pricey, but I felt it was worth getting since it's chock-full of vitamins and minerals. It's part beef trim, liver, kidney, and heart.

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good call on the liverwurst. yum. – karmapolicia Jul 27 at 23:50
Do you cook that on the grill or eat it just as it comes? – YoungPaleoLover Jul 28 at 7:59
I just slice off a piece and eat it (it's pre-cooked). I've heard of people cooking it but I've never tried it- I'm sure it's great. I bet it's also really good with mustard. – shtoink Jul 28 at 18:02
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Sweetbreads are yummy and not gross at all. They are delicious and easy to prepare: just poach in stock and then fry in tallow or lard.

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Try oxtails. They aren't technically organ meat as they're just the tails of the cow. But there are lots of bones and if you slow cook them you get a lot of the benefits of bone broth, like gelatin, without the blandness of real bone broth and with some actual meat you can eat.

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Hearts, tongue, and liver are what I consume regularly.

The trick for heart and liver is to not over cook them. Overcooking heart makes it very tough and destroys all the taurine in it. Liver takes on a very nasty smell.

I use this recipe and make a pate out of both: http://farmlet.co.nz/?p=199 I soak the liver in water, which I change a few times before cooking it - this seems to get rid of the smell. Also remove any silver skin off it before cooking as these tend to be stringy. Again, just lightly cook the heart and liver chunks, just for about a minute or two.

The result is very creamy, has an almost cheese like flavor. I then take this and place it in a pyrex bowl, cover it with cracked pepper and let it cool, then place it in the freezer. I then hack off a chunk of it and put it in my lunch, which is usually a salad. Since it's frozen, it helps keep the salad fresh, and by the time I eat it, it's melted and ready.

Tongue you can make the same way as corned beef, but remove the skin after it's cooked. As per Cordain tongue is similar in nutrients to brain, and these days there's a fear of CJD from brain tissue, so if you have it, make sure it's not beef, sheep, or other animals that are susceptible to it. I tend to avoid beef ox tails for the same reason since they do contain some nerve tissue. (I get most of the organ meats from Bison which seems to avoid the whole issue.)

While not organs, beef tendons are awesome when making a brother - add them in towards the end unless you want them to dissolve.

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I can't seem to bear liver either. I got a whole cow liver when my beef was slaughtered last year. You can cut it into TINY pieces and freeze it raw (or cooked I suppose..I just do raw) then you can "take" a couple/few chunks a day like pills.

Along with my nasty ass FCLO. Better than nothing!

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To improve the the taste of Liver, soak in whole milk overnight, it removes that metallic, gamey flavor – Alvaro Jul 28 at 0:25
What is FCLO? Thanks for the suggestions! – YoungPaleoLover Jul 28 at 8:00
Fermented cod liver oil. Best to buy Green Pastures. – Sigamagaw Jul 28 at 13:07
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Have you tried liver with bacon and onions? Chop the bacon, get it going and when the fat starts to render, add the onions. Once they are translucent and starting to caramelize, add the liver and sear for 2 - 3 minutes on each side. DELICIOUS.

The pork fat helps the taste for those who aren't crazy about it. This is how my mom got my brother and I to eat liver for years without realizing it wasn't just a really creamy steak. :)

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Sounds great!! So you describe the taste as creamy steak, ay? Because no one else can explain it to me! – YoungPaleoLover Jul 28 at 8:03
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eat a variety of organs. i prefer beef to pork and chicken, but i have had little opportunity to try lamb.

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Chicken hearts are amazing.

You should be eating liver even if you don't like the taste. Man up and just eat it one liver meal every other week. If you don't like pate, I don't really know of any other way to fully mask the liver taste.

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If you can, either grind it into sausage or mince it and put it into meatballs/meatloaf. I have now gotten my kids to eat liver in a 1:1 liver:muscle sausage. – blueballoon Jul 27 at 23:30
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Personally, I love chicken hearts and gizzards. I just bake them in a shallow pan at 300 for 30 minutes, then smother them in butter, salt, and pepper. I eat other bird hearts and gizzards the same way. I don't like liver, unless it's in pate. MDA had a duck liver pate recipe that I will try.

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Which ones? "All of them."

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