As a kid I didn’t eat much heart. I would have a little bit of pickled beef heart at our annual family reunion. A couple of years back I prepared the hearts from deer I harvested.
I cleaned them and cut them into steak sized pieces. Just put them on the grill and seasoned them with only salt, pepper and a good sear. I liked the results. No one else seemed to. It’s hard to describe the taste of heart to someone who has never eaten it.
Although heart is a muscle meat it has a tenderness that some people don’t like. When I bought some beef hearts it was apparent that I needed to prepare them in a different way to appeal to more tastes. I marinated and smoked them. This tenderized them in a way. The meat was much denser like cooked roast beef. This density made it perfect for a meat and cheese plate, crackers and cheese, olives or any other appetizers you might want to share with guests. Most of your guests will be surprised when they bite into the meat and don’t realize it’s heart meat.
Making the Dinner
Wash the heart and combine all ingredients, in a ziploc bag or nonreactive bowl then refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours. Near the end of the marinating time get your smoker ready to 180℉ (my opinion: offset smoker is the best choice for this). Fruit or nut wood, apple pecan works well. Smoke the heart at 180 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temperature is between 130 to 145 degrees. Take off smoker. Allow it to rest 15 minutes before slicing. Present with crackers, cheese, mustard and horseradish.
Ingredients:
- 1 Heart
- ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 Cloves of Minced Garlic.
- 2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary.
- 2 Teaspoons of Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
For Serving:
- Horseradish
- Mustard
- Cheese
- Crackers
FAQ
How long to smoke beef heart at 225?
approximately 4-6 hours at a temperature of around 225-250°F.
What is the beef heart internal temperature?
You can cook it with a meat thermometer. Smoke it until it reaches a temperature of 160°F internally.
I spent a good bit of my 20’s touring the country playing music. As a teenager, and throughout my 20’s, in between music, I always worked in restaurants, in various capacities. Somewhere in my late 20’s I realized that I was not on the cover of Rolling Stone, as planned, and so, I started thinking about my future and trying to figure out other ways to have an impact, be creative and still live a bit of that rock ‘n roll lifestyle. The restaurant industry provided me with a good bit of those things. And so, I started honing my chops in the kitchen, putting my nose in food lover’s companion, and really started to go somewhere with it.