# How to cook a heart **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537 "2019-10-27T04:17:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/41 "2019-10-30T15:27:04Z")
In the book Rosemary’s Baby, she finds herself alone in the kitchen at 3 a.m. eating a raw chicken heart. When she sees her reflection in the toaster, she promptly puts the heart down, goes over to the sink and vomits. Which is what I would most likely do in that situation. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/42 "2019-10-30T19:34:23Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > How about still beating, after being ripped from the body of your victim. That’s what I’ve…heard. HEARD. Yes. Anybody in this thread who is going to make a heart needs to reach for it while chanting “Kali Ma” at least once or else! ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/43 "2019-11-03T16:13:11Z")
This reminds me of high school, when my biology teacher ran around the room squeezing a cow heart so it shot water at us. Then he cooked it into a stew on the burner he kept set up in his classroom. (His wife wouldn’t let him live at home, for many reasons.) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/44 "2019-11-03T20:25:41Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > In the book Rosemary’s Baby, she finds herself alone in the kitchen at 3 a.m. eating a raw chicken heart. When she sees her reflection in the toaster, she promptly puts the heart down, goes over to the sink and vomits. Which is what I would most likely do in that situation. In Polanski’s movie, she throws a raw steak into a hot skillet, cooks it for a couple seconds a side, then wolfs it down. Then vomits. Watching an actress consume raw chicken hearts onscreen may have been seen as off-putting. Also Mia Farrow may have had a say in it. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/45 "2019-11-03T20:46:15Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Eat it raw, like Rosemary Wodehouse (but only if you are pregnant with Satan’s child) Its actually great in a tartare. I mix it 50/50 with chuck or some other fattier cut to get the right richness. Adds a rich, savory beefiness without overtly tasting like offal. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/46 "2019-11-03T21:05:21Z")
This doesn’t help OP, being in possession of a beef heart, but churrasco restaurants roast chicken hearts on a skewer and they are fantastic. Many years ago, Publix used to sell canned mock turtle soup, and apparently the mock turtles were diced beef hearts. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/47 "2019-11-04T15:52:50Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I worked at a Coney Island chain when I was in high school. the chili/coney sauce definitely listed beef heart as an ingredient. I know National sells their sauce in some supermarkets, next time I see it I’ll try to remember to take a look. nope. it’s ground beef and textured vegetable protein. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/48 "2019-11-04T16:02:13Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > The Poor Man’s Surf n’ Turf! More like Heart and Sole. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/49 "2019-11-04T16:07:10Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > In Polanski’s movie, she throws a raw steak into a hot skillet, cooks it for a couple seconds a side, then wolfs it down. Then vomits. > > Watching an actress consume raw chicken hearts onscreen may have been seen as off-putting. Also Mia Farrow may have had a say in it. In her memoir What Falls Away, Farrow says that, despite being a vegetarian at the time, she ate the raw beef take after take. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/50 "2019-11-04T16:12:14Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > nope. it’s ground beef and textured vegetable protein. While it may not list it, it seems [heart is allowed in ground beef](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pgvd9y/beef-heart-has-been-allowed-in-burgers-for-decades), with the caveat only the muscular portion is used. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/51 "2020-08-08T01:48:39Z")
I still need to do something with this. It has to disguise the fact that it’s heart, so my husband will eat it. It also can’t be rare, which is too bad, because all the recipes I found that look good to me are “not overcooked”. “Texture of a chicken gizzard” isn’t going to be popular… I don’t have any special tools to grind meat. Can I mince it in a food processor and turn it into Keema, or will it be too tough? Maybe I should plan to cook it a week from Saturday, and reserve a small slice to sear and eat rare, for my lunch. It’s big – it’s gonna take several days to defrost. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/52 "2020-08-08T02:53:05Z")
Your are a brave girl. Not me. Mr.Wrekker claims he ate the heart of the first deer he killed as a kid. Yuk! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/53 "2020-08-08T03:37:41Z")
What I did the last time I cooked one: large stainless steel pot 2 cups cider vinegar 4 cups water 2 T whole peppercorns 1T whole cloves 1T salt 2 bayleaves bring to a boil (with the heart in it) turn down the heat, and simmer for about three hours; turning occasionally because that wasn’t enough liquid to cover. put in fridge for the night, next day remove fat, fatty bits, and skin, slice, put most in freezer, some in fridge, and some in a sandwich for lunch. My notes say this came out pretty well, but might have been better with more vinegar, or more salt, or a bit of hot pepper or ginger. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/54 "2020-08-08T04:09:51Z")
So, you just sliced it up and ate it in a sandwich? Hmm, how well does it freeze? Maybe I could eat all of it over a few months, and avoid having to make it palatable to the rest of the family. I can’t remember the last time I had a meat sandwich. I haven’t made one for myself (as distinct from getting it in a box lunch or something) in… decades? But I do eat meat sandwiches in boxed lunches and stuff. There’s no reason I couldn’t do this… Did you clean and cut up the heart before or after you boiled it? ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/55 "2020-08-08T12:27:00Z")
There’s two correct ways: 1. Hold it up to the sky then take a bite like it’s an apple, then throw it in the dust. 2. Show it to the still-conscious victim, then drop it into a white takeout bag, neatly fold over the top, and hand it to him to go. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/56 "2020-08-08T17:14:41Z")
I’m thinking I might make keema, from one of Madhur Jaffrey’s recipes. Any thoughts on that idea? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/57 "2020-08-08T19:15:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > So, you just sliced it up and ate it in a sandwich? Hmm, how well does it freeze? [. . .] > > Did you clean and cut up the heart before or after you boiled it? Makes (at least to my taste) a good sandwich meat, yes. And it freezes fine. I cut it up after I cooked it. Having read Toxylon’s post early in this thread, next time I might cut it in half and rinse out the inside first; which might also increase the permeation of what’s basically a sort of marinade (except that I used it as the cooking liquid) through the meat. I do the same thing with beef or lamb tongue; in fact, often cooked in with the heart, to minimize waste of time and marinade. – I’m usually getting both of them at the same time, along with a quarter or side of meat – even if it’s a quarter, I can often get the whole heart and tongue as often the people getting the rest of the animal don’t want it. But I grew up eating pickled lambs’ tongue (among other things of course) and don’t think of either as an unbearably weird thing to eat. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/58 "2020-08-08T19:55:05Z")
We had stew the other day. Made it in the crockpot, the same way we would normally make beef stew – only difference was the cut of beef we used. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/59 "2020-08-08T20:32:33Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I grew up eating pickled lambs’ tongue I grew up eating pickled (“corned”) beef tongue, and I still like it. 🙂 I’m leaning heavily towards the keema. We used to make it with ground beef, but it was far too fatty. We tried ground turkey once, since it’s much leaner, but it tasted wrong. Despite all the spices, it tasted like blah turkey, and not like rich yummy beef. So grinding up some very lean beef might make a nice keema. And it has the virtue of disguising where the meat came from, so my husband says he’ll eat it. (So long as I don’t mention how I made it during the meal.) But that sounds nice, and it will be my fall-back. If the heart is too big for a single batch of keema, I’ll probably reserve the rest and make pickled heart for me if the keema isn’t popular. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537/60 "2020-08-08T20:39:51Z")
At the end of the day, a beef heart is still beef. It’s a big ol’ muscle. It’s lean and a little tough, so cook it low and slow. Do make sure to trim it well. I don’t know the keema recipe, but I have two or three Madhur Jaffrey cookbooks and I know you can’t go wrong with her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-heart/842537.md?page=4)