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I love Braunschweiger, and chicken liver mousse/pate, all kinds of pates and terrines...

For reasons including the n-3/n-6 ratio, I wanted to try beef liver. Verdict: Nah...I just can't handle the pissy aftertaste and alien texture of beef liver.

Are foie gras, duck liver pates, chicken liver mousses and liverwursts an adequate substitute?

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try lamb liver.. little milder but still easy to find – Payam Apr 16 2011 at 2:26
Gois gois rocks and is good replacement – The Quilt Apr 18 2011 at 2:03
What the heck is gois gois? I couldn't find anything about it on google. – Futureboy Apr 18 2011 at 3:34

8 Answers

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It is all in the manner you cook it.

A couple of tablespoons of coconut oil heated. Put in the hot oil, two bay leaves and brown the leaves and then discard. Then sprinkle rosemary and thyme in hot oil. Then drop in the slices of the beef liver for only 30 sec a side then remove. Add two tablespoons of butter to the hot coconut oil and put the beef liver back in for another 30 sec a side and remove and set aside. You are looking for med rare. Turn off heat. Add to the hot mix of oils and spices 4-5 tablespoons of cream and mix quickly and pour this on the liver. Delicious.

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And the texture doesn't feel like you're eating your own tongue? That's one of the things that really turns me off plain beef liver. I can deal with it if it's ground like in a pate or a sausage. – Futureboy Apr 16 2011 at 3:31
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That texture you refer to means you have over cooked the liver. You are looking for medium rare. – Dexter Apr 16 2011 at 4:13
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No. Beef liver is magical. You need it. There's no substitute.

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I'm with you. Cooked liver is a lost cause. I downed 3/4 of a pound of beef liver this morning. I cooked some onions and bacon, then dredged the liver in a mixture of coconut flour, garlic salt, and pepper. I fried it just right. Then, I made a tamari, balsamic vinegar, and wine reduction from the remnants. The stars totally aligned on this meal. It looked beautiful, smelled great, and the prep went smoothly.

Then, I took a bite.

Not bad!

After a while, I took my 10th bite or so.

Terrible!

The liver taste started to penetrate through my deluge of fried onions and bacon... even through the ridiculously concentrated dipping sauce. It really is an awful taste and texture, as you said. I think I'm done with traditionally cooked liver for good.

I remember eating pate on crackers as a kid and loving it, and I was the kind of kid who would only eat 6 or 7 things. Hell, I was that way when I was 20 just a couple of years ago. Anyway, I think I'll give pate a shot. My advice to you: quit with the cooked liver and save yourself anymore torture.

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Bummer...I'm really hungry right now and that sounded delicious...but we know the truth. – Futureboy Apr 18 2011 at 1:56
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Seriously. You could sprinkle cocaine on liver, and even Charlie Sheen would decline. – becker Apr 18 2011 at 2:07
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I eat a lot of liver - about 15-30 oz per month, but never more than 3-4 oz in a single day. Eating 12oz in a single meal would be way too much for me. With liver, a little goes a long way and it's easy to sneak small amounts in with other meats. As Dexter and Ruby pointed out, preparation is the key: soak in lemon juice, cook rare. And try bacon, onions, mushrooms, butter. – Jack Mac Apr 18 2011 at 21:53
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You love braunschweiger? That is generally beef or pork liver. The US Wellness braunschweiger and liverwurst are both excellent, I highly recommend trying them. I really love the liverwurst; you can tell the liver is in there, but it's so delicious and all grass-fed.

I don't think there is a "replacement" for liver per se, as it has such a unique nutritional make-up, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're doomed if you don't eat it. Other organ meats, perhaps? Poultry livers are super nutritious as well, but you got the omega 3,6 a bit more... though you probably wouldn't eat more than a couple ounces at a time anyway.

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All the Braunschweiger I've ever had has always been pork livers with bacon, German style. I'll have to check out the US Wellness liverwurst. I love the stuff. I've had to back myself off eating it, as a small serving has something like 500% of the RDA for vit.A! – Futureboy Apr 16 2011 at 3:30
That's my way of upping my offal consumption. easy, tasty and mixed offal that I would have a hard time to get. I love US Wellness products! – Yoannah_offca Apr 16 2011 at 21:02
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If you really want to keep trying with the beef liver, marinate it in lemon juice for at least an hour before cooking it. Really does make a difference in the taste and texture.

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I'll try again. I feel bad now...I had a half pound, and probably tried about 1/8 of a pound, hated it, and promptly threw the rest in the garbage... – Futureboy Apr 16 2011 at 4:02
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Calf liver is a lot more mild.

For me personally I just either take little frozen raw pieces down with water like pills or I blend it up in a shake with heavy cream and a raw egg yolk and take it as a high energy shake for lunch or something. I can't stand the stuff either but there are ways to take it that don't involve savoring it. hahahaha I think the nutrition is worth muscling though it. You can buy braunschweiger which is a sort of poor man's pate from US Wellness that I haven't personally tried but I've heard some people like it. http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Detail.bok?no=827 It's too spendy for me but it might be a good way to get you acclimated to an offal taste (see what I did there?) in a more transitional way.

good luck!

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chopped shallots, salt, pepper, and lots of chopped parsley. Chervil is even better but whatever, they're pretty similar.

chop and sear your livers pink

classic and delicious. (optionally, deglazing the pan with a bit of decent brandy is extra delicious)

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According to Weston Price you need to add some vitamin D containing fats when eating beef liver since it's high in vitamin A with no or almost no vitamin D. Ingesting one without the other is not desirable. Chicken, goose and duck liver do have both.

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