Beef hearts are an underrated and often misunderstood cut of meat. While the thought of eating heart may seem unappealing at first, beef heart is actually quite nutritious and delicious when prepared properly. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about beef hearts including what they are, their nutrition profile, how to cook them, and some tasty recipes to try.
What Exactly Is A Beef Heart?
A beef heart is literally the heart muscle of a cow. It is a lean, dense organ meat that pumps blood throughout the animal’s large body. Beef hearts are triangular in shape and can weigh anywhere from 3 to 4 pounds each.
While we mostly think of muscle meat like steaks and roasts organ meats like heart used to be prized for their high nutritional content. However beef heart fell out of favor over the years as commercial beef production focused more on steaks and ground beef. But beef heart is making a comeback among nose-to-tail cooks who want to reduce food waste and eat nutrient-dense foods.
Beef Heart Nutrition Facts
Beef hearts are packed with nutrients including protein, iron, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, copper, and a range of B vitamins like folate, riboflavin, and B12. Here is the nutritional breakdown for a 3 ounce serving of beef heart:
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 4g
- Carbs: 0.1g
- Protein: 24.2g
- Iron: 5.4mg (68% DV)
- Zinc: 2.4mg (17% DV)
- Selenium: 16mcg (48% DV)
- Phosphorus: 215mg (22% DV)
- Copper: 0.2mg (24% DV)
- Folate: 5mcg (2% DV)
- Riboflavin: 0.8mg (61% DV)
- Vitamin B12: 6mcg (383% DV)
Beef heart is particularly high in bioavailable iron, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins. The iron in beef heart is heme iron, which is more easily absorbed by the body compared to non-heme iron from plant sources. Beef heart is also one of the best food sources of coenzyme Q10, which provides antioxidant effects.
Purchasing Beef Heart
Beef heart can be difficult to find in regular grocery stores since it is not a popular cut of meat. However you can often special order it from butcher shops. Beef heart can also be purchased online from specialty meat purveyors.
When buying beef heart, look for hearts that are bright red in color without dried or brown spots. Make sure the heart still has its outer membrane intact. Grass-fed beef heart will have the highest nutritional content. Expect to pay around $3-5 per pound for beef heart.
Preparing and Cooking Beef Heart
Before cooking beef heart, it needs to be cleaned and trimmed. Start by rinsing the heart under cold water. Then use a sharp knife to remove any visible fat or silverskin on the outside. Slice the heart open to expose the chambers inside. Remove the tough valves and interior tendons. Rinse again before slicing or dicing the meat.
Beef heart can be prepared in many ways – here are some of the most common cooking methods:
-
Braising: Cut into 1 inch cubes and braise in broth until fork tender. This helps tenderize the meat.
-
Grilling/Pan Frying: Slice thinly and grill or pan fry like a steak. Cook to medium rare doneness.
-
Stews and Chili: Dice into cubes and simmer in liquids to soften the meat. Adds hearty texture.
-
Ground: Chop finely and mix with ground beef. Use up to a 1:3 ratio of heart to beef.
-
Skewers: Slice into chunks and thread onto skewers. Great for kebabs.
-
Slow Cooker: Add whole or chunks to stews and chilis. Cook on low for 8+ hours.
No matter how it’s prepared, beef heart should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160°F for food safety.
What Does Beef Heart Taste Like?
Beef heart has a rich and beefy flavor that is comparable to a lean cut of steak or roast. It is milder and less irony tasting than other organ meats like liver or kidneys. When cooked right, beef heart slices can offer a similar mouthfeel to steak, especially when sliced against the grain.
The flavor and texture of the heart can vary slightly depending on the age of the animal. Hearts from younger cows will be a bit more tender while more mature animal hearts have a deeper, earthier taste.
5 Delicious Beef Heart Recipes to Try
Here are a few delicious recipes that highlight beef heart:
Peruvian Beef Heart Skewers (Anticuchos): Beef heart cubes marinated in a paste of ají pepper, garlic, cumin and vinegar, then threaded on skewers and grilled.
Italian Braised Beef Heart: Braised low and slow in a red wine tomato sauce until meltingly tender. Served over polenta.
Beef Heart Chili: Diced beef heart cooked in a traditional chili with peppers, onions, spices and beans.
Korean Spicy Beef Heart Stir Fry: Thinly sliced beef heart seared in a sweet and savory Korean gochujang sauce with vegetables.
Beef Heart and Vegetable Stew: Chunks of beef heart combined with potatoes, carrots and peas in a comforting stew.
Should You Eat Beef Heart?
Incorporating organ meats like beef heart into your diet can provide nutritional variety. While heart may seem unappealing at first glance, it has a mild beefy taste when properly prepared. It can be a cost-effective way to get more nutrients from nose-to-tail cooking.
Of course, heart should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. But if you are looking to reduce waste and explore new cuts of meat, beef heart is worth considering. With an open mind and good recipes, you may just find a new favorite mealtime ingredient.
What Does Beef Heart Look Like?
The beef heart’s appearance depends on how the meat is purchased. A skillful butcher can easily cut the beef heart to look like a steak by removing the outer membrane and other tendons leaving deep dark red lean meat. If you buy half a pound of heart meat trimmed, it will look completely different than purchasing the organ meat whole.
When you purchase the heart whole, it will be large, usually weighing anywhere between 4 to 6 pounds. You will be able to see the rigid, yellowish outer membrane (the pericardium), complete with tiny blood vessels and muscular top flaps called auricles.
Once the beef heart is sliced open, it will reveal lean, deep red meat, valves, and several small tendons known as chordae tendineae.
Halved or quartered beef hearts will look similar, with the interior boasting the same deep red hue.
How To Clean Beef Heart?
We often receive this question from our customers, so we wanted to address it in this comprehensive beef heart guide. You do not have to clean beef hearts before cooking them, other than the optional trimming depending on the recipe you choose. We personally do not clean our beef hearts and have never come across any issues although we do advise against eating raw for food safety reasons.
With that being said, we know that some people may feel more comfortable cleaning organ meats.
You can do this by allowing the beef heart to steep in a bowl filled with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and cold water for one hour.
You can also steep the meat in milk if you do not have apple cider vinegar on hand. Then, rinse the beef heart under running water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Cut and Cook Beef Heart
FAQ
Is beef heart good for you?
-
Acabonac Farmshttps://www.acabonacfarms.comGuide to Beef Heart: Benefits & How to Cook It – Acabonac FarmsJan 6, 2025 — Is beef heart good for you? Yes, beef heart is generally considered healthy due to its nutritional profile and lean protein content. As an organ meat…
What animal is beef heart?
Organ meat is typically referred to with established terms used for other edible parts of the animal, such that the heart of a cow would be known as beef heart, while that of a pig would be known as pork heart.
What are beef hearts in burgers?
Beef heart meat is the muscle that’s been trimmed from the heart wall. “Beef heart” includes the meat and essentially everything else—the blood vessels, fat, and blood chambers. Beef tongue meat does not include the blood vessels or nerves.