The Heart of the Matter…

The Heart of the Matter…  | The Story of Ranching at Grieb Ranch

Part of processing our grass fed beef means we have to deal with the organs. One of our favorite organs to consume is the beef heart. Organ meats, also known as Offal, are the liver, kidneys and heart. These are nutrient-rich food sources and can actually be delicious. Crock Pot Beef Heart is one of our favorite ways to enjoy beef heart.

On the Grieb Ranch we have three favorite ways to prepare the beef heart: Baked, fried and in the crock pot.

Crock Pot Beef Heart

Beef heart is easily enjoyed at our traditional first Sunday of the month family potluck.  The crock pot recipe is perfect for this as the heart is cooked and ready to serve as we arrive home from church.

Prepping the heart by cutting up the raw heart meat with an electric knife, may be the hardest part. Trim off the fat, and the gristle and sinew on the interior side. A 4 lb heart should be trimmed it down to about 2lbs, so just the lean meat is left. The rest is easy!


Special Memories: While looking up the family beef heart recipe Connie came across a beef kidney recipe. This brought back a clear memory: “When I was little my mother tried to prepare kidney just once.  When you walked into the house it stunk so bad that there was no way we would eat the kidney.  So, if you know a secret to preparing kidney, please let me know!”


The Heart of the Matter…  | The Story of Ranching at Grieb Ranch

Recipe for: Crock Pot Beef Heart

From the Kitchen of: Connie Grieb Willems

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 raw beef heart (trimmed down from 4 lbs to about 2 lbs)
  • 1 teaspoon “Susie Q’s Santa Maria Style Seasoning (Parsley, salt, pepper and garlic blend)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (roll to release the flavor)
  • ½ onion

Instructions:

  1. Cut well-chilled raw heart meat horizontally into one inch slices and then cut each slice into 6 to 8 pieces.
  2. Put seasonings into the bottom of crock pot and then add the heart pieces. Stir to coat the meat.
  3. Pour in ¾ cup of water.
  4. Top with thin rings of onions.
  5. Cook on low for 5 hours.

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