On the eve of the Blizzard of 2013, I decided to cook something I had never eaten before. I opened my freezer and saw the frozen little packages of grass-fed meats, organ meat, and the remainder of the Healthiest Ice Cream Ever.  And there she was in all her glory: 1 Grass-fed Beef Heart.

Mind you, I hate organ meat. I have many packages of grass-fed beef liver in my freezer and I never use it. I get brave every time I see a new recipe that promises will mask the taste of the liver, and I cook it and then….there it is. I am still hopeful I will someday get past this since organ meats are the most nutritious part of the animal. If any of you out there have a recipe for beef liver that actually successfully hides the taste of it, please post it in the comments or on my Facebook page. I would be so grateful!

Now I had heard good things about beef heart. While not as nutrient dense as liver, this baby is packed with nutrition!  Here are some of the finer points:

• It contains all the essential amino acids, zinc, selenium, potassium, iron, lycopene and phosphorous
• It has more than double the collagen and elastin of other meats (good for joint health and youthful skin)
• It has a high concentration of Coenzyme Q10 (good for immune system, heart & respiratory health)
• High in B Vitamins, especially B12

Because beef heart is a muscle meat, it tastes like a denser form of steak or a roast. I found it far easier to eat compared to other organ meats. The beef heart I purchased from US Wellness Meats was already prepared to cook with veins and arteries already removed, so it made my preparation for the meal faster. (If you purchase a beef heart, you will need a little time and a sharp knife to remove those blood vessels before cooking.) Since I wasn’t sure how it would taste, I added a lot of spices to the recipe. After trying it though, I would scale back on the chili powder since the meat itself tasted delicious!

If you are trying to incorporate more organ meats into your diet, grass fed beef heart is a great way to start! Plus, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – what could be a more fitting meal to cook for your sweetie than an actual heart? 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 grass-fed beef heart, cubed
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 white potato, peeled and cubed
• 16oz of bone broth
• 2 tbsp chili powder (I would reduce this to 1)
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric root
• Sea salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• 4 slices of bacon
• A slow-cooker

Brown the bacon in a pan and put aside. Add your cubed beef heart to pan and brown in bacon fat.

Add all the veggies and spices to the crock-pot. Break up the bacon and add that too. Once beef heart is browned, add to crock pot.

Pour bone broth over ingredients and stir.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Stir and serve!