Beef Hearts (How to Cook Beef Heart Recipe) (2024)

Make the best beef heart recipe- my easy pan fried beef hearts! Learn how to cook beef heart to be tender not tough, with flavor similar to steak. Cow heart is one of the least expensive cuts of beef you can buy, and makes an easy dinner. Learn where to buy raw beef hearts, the nutrition benefits of beef heart, and more!

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What does beef heart taste like? IMHO, beef heart is one of the best organ meats in terms of flavor. With good beef heart recipes, you can make this offal tender, with a taste surprisingly similar to steak.

Some liken the texture of beef heart more to beef tongue, since it’s denser than steak with a bit more chew. Either way, I think you’ll find that beef heart lacks the strong gamey flavor you find in beef liver and kidney.

There are two main ways for cooking beef heart to keep it from getting tough. The first is to use a quick cooking method, such as flash frying or grilling beef heart. The second is to use a long stewing method over low heat, such as beef heart stew in a slow cooker.

This recipe for beef heart is nutrient-dense and naturally low carb, keto, Paleo, and gluten free. You can have this cow heart recipe cooked in under 10 minutes, and it may save you money on your grocery bill.

Delicious, nutritious, and cheap... what’s not to love?

💕 Where to buy beef heart near me?

In order to make ox heart recipes, you need to first find some beef heart for sale. If you’re friends with a butcher or a beef farmer, they should be able to get you beef heart at a very good price.

Otherwise, keep an eye out at Walmart and other grocery stores. I find that my local stores only carry beef heart occasionally. I wasn’t able to get it at Whole Foods either, but the meat department may be able to order it for you.

If you have no luck with locally, you can also purchase beef hearts online. US Wellness Meats occasionally has grass fed beef heart available, which you can purchase here.

Remember that cow heart doesn’t have bones, so all you get is edible muscle meat and fat. Another even cheaper option is to purchase a mix of beef heart in ground beef. You can purchase online here, or get a blend of beef with heart, liver and kidney here.

Ground beef with beef heart is great for burgers, or use it in other recipes using ground meat. This is a great way to include some organ meats in your diet if they normally make you squeamish.

Cow heart (female beef cow) and ox heart (male beef cow) weigh 3-4 pounds (1.3-1.8 kg). Veal heart typically weighs closer to 1 lb (0.45 kg). You can use these interchangeably in the ox heart recipe below.

US Wellness and butcher shops often sell 1-1¼ lb. pieces of beef heart that have already been cleaned and trimmed. This makes this food much easier to incorporate in your favorite cow heart recipes.

⭐ Raw Beef Heart Nutrition Facts

What are the benefits of beef hearts? Here are the nutrition facts for beef hearts (per Cronometer for 4 ounces/113 grams):

• Calories: 127
• Carbs: 0 gram
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Fat: 4 grams
• Saturated fat: 2 grams
• Cholesterol: 141 mg
• Protein: 20 grams
• Thiamin: 18% DV
• Riboflavin: 60% DV
• Niacin: 43% DV
• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 20% DV
• Vitamin B6: 16% DV
• Vitamin B12: 162% DV
• Folate: 1% DV
• Vitamin A: 0% DV
• Vitamin C: 4% DV
• Calcium: 1% DV
• Iron: 27% DV
• Magnesium: 6% DV
• Phosphorus: 24% DV
• Potassium: 9% DV
• Selenium: 35% DV
• Zinc: 13% DV

Is beef heart better than beef? Beef heart is quite lean, and low calorie and low fat compared to most cuts of beef. It tends to be cheaper than beef as well, making it “better,” depending on what you’re looking for.

Beef heart is an excellent source of many B vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B5, and vitamin B12. It’s also an excellent source of the minerals iron, phosphorus, and selenium, and it contains highly bioavailable zinc as well.

In addition to the essential vitamins and minerals, beef heart provides other beneficial nutrients such as taurine, collagen, and CoQ10. If you’re looking to create a diet that supports heart health without the use of supplements, consider adding some beef heart to your diet.

How much beef heart is safe to eat?

In general, it’s safe to eat a few ounces of beef heart per day, the same as beef steak. You don’t want to eat so much beef heart that it completely displaces other protein foods and foods from other food groups. You can’t live on a diet of beef heart alone, and trying to do so would put you at risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Unlike beef liver, beef heart isn’t a rich source of vitamin A. The vitamins beef hearts are richest in are the water-soluble B-complex vitamins, vitamins that are harder to consume to dangerous levels. Thus, while I wouldn’t recommend consuming more than a small serving of beef liver daily, daily beef heart may be OK.

Can you eat the fat on beef heart?

Yes, you can eat the fat on beef heart, and after cooking you may barely notice it is there. If the beef heart is very fatty, I recommend trimming it and rendering the fat into tallow for cooking.

🔪 How to Cook Beef Heart on a Stove

Let’s talk about how to cook a beef heart! To thaw frozen beef hearts, leave them in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

Clean the beef heart (see the next section), and cut a 1 lb. (454 gram), 1-inch (2.54 cm) thick piece. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee, butter, or oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Season the heart with a mixture of ½ teaspoon of rosemary and your favorite steak seasoning. (Thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, or your favorite seasonings can also be included.)

Cook the beef heart like a steak- don't overcook it! Cooking beef heart at about 4-5 minutes per side got me medium rare. Let the beef heart steak rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into ½-inch thick slices (1.27 cm) and serving.

❓ How do you clean a beef heart?

You may not need to clean the beef heart, as many butchers will do this for you. To clean beef heart, begin by cutting it in half lengthwise, separating the chambers. Remove the arteries, valves, excess fat, and any tough stringy gristle bits.

You want a 1 lb. piece of beef heart for this recipe. Any raw beef heart that is not used can be sealed in a freezer bag and stored in the freezer.

Do you need to soak beef heart before cooking?

No, you do not need to soak beef heart. Some like to soak beef heart in a salt water solution before cooking to draw out the blood, but this is unnecessary.

How do you tenderize beef heart?

The best ways to tenderize beef heart are using a marinade, pounding with a mallet, and slow cooking. You can marinate the beef heart prior to making this recipe, if you’d prefer. I didn’t feel it was necessary.

🤔 How long to cook beef heart?

In this recipe, I’m cooking a 1-inch-thick piece of beef heart meat for 4-5 minutes per side on the stove. I prefer to cook recipes for beef heart to medium rare like a steak, i.e., 130-135F (54-57C). This is a taste preference for me, not a food safety rule.

Like beef steak, the minimum safe internal temp for beef heart is 145F (63C). This is medium to medium-well doneness. You can use a meat thermometer to ensure the food has reached the safe temp.

Ground beef heart and ground beef should be cooked to a minimum safe temp of 160F (71C).

🌡️ How long does beef heart last in fridge?

Cooked and raw beef hearts are highly perishable and can be kept up to 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Both raw and cooked beef hearts can be frozen. I recommend storing them in a vacuum sealed freezer bag for long-term freezer storage.

You can reheat cooked beef heart for about 1 minute in the microwave on high. However, like steak, beef heart is best enjoyed freshly prepared.

🥩 What can I make with beef heart?

Here are a few more ways to use beef heart:

• Cook beef heart with mushrooms and onions
• Stuffed beef heart
• Beef heart and noodles (make stroganoff or Bolognese sauce)
• Put beef heart chunks on skewers to make kebabs
• Make jerky
• Smoked beef heart
• Grilled beef heart
• Beef heart tacos
• Beef heart casserole

What to serve with beef heart?

The last time I made beef heart, I served it with air fryer frozen vegetables and air fryer frozen french fries. Here are some other side dishes for beef hearts:

• Canned Asparagus Recipe
• Costco Mac and Cheese
• Air Fryer Onions
• Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
• Vegan Spinach Salad

📋 Beef Heart Calories

How many calories in beef hearts? Raw beef hearts have 127 calories per 4 ounces (113 grams). This chicken heart recipe has 340 calories, 0.3 grams net carbs, and 43 grams protein per serving.

FAQs

How to make a traditional beef heart recipe?

You can find traditional beef heart recipes in cuisines across the globe! Here is an Italian beef heart recipe for ragu, here is one for anticuchos (Peruvian beef skewers), and here is a recipe for Japanese hatsu (heart).

How to cook beef heart in oven?

Here are the instructions for oven baked beef heart that’s stuffed with mushrooms, spinach, and spices. In short, after searing the beef on the stovetop, you bake it for 15-20 minutes per pound at 275F (135C).

How to fry beef heart?

Here are directions for making breaded fried beef heart, and it looks amazing. You can even use the drippings from frying beef heart to make a delicious gravy!

Can I eat beef heart raw?

In the US, the general food safety rule is that you should not eat raw meats, including beef heart. This will help reduce your risk of food poisoning. Some cultures do enjoy raw beef heart in dishes such as beef heart tartare.

How to make air fryer beef heart?

A good beef heart air fryer recipe will look a lot like an air fryer steak recipe. You can use my air fryer rib eye steak recipe for beef hearts. Match the weight of the meats, and cut back on the air frying time, since beef heart is thinner.

Are beef hearts good for dogs?

Yes, beef heart is good and safe for both dogs and cats. It’s high taurine content makes it especially good for pet food.

👩🏻‍🍳 Other Recipes for Organ Meats

Looking for more heart recipes beyond beef? Try these delicious organ meat recipes next:

• Chicken Hearts
• Lamb Hearts
• Cod Liver Pate with Smoked Oysters

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