This tender and flavorful beef heart stew is made in the slow cooker and seasoned with cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and oregano.
This recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a beef cut that can be tough and gummy. Slow cooking makes it wonderfully tender!
I enjoy eating internal organs such as beef liver, chicken liver, and beef tongue. This beef heart stew is one of my favorite offal recipes. It's easy to make, hearty, and flavorful.
It's a simple recipe. You cube the heart, add spices and broth, and cook it in the slow cooker. Reduce the cooking liquids to create a tasty gravy (just like I do in this beef shanks recipe), and serve!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Beef heart: You can't typically find it in the United States in supermarkets. I usually order it online.
- Beef stock: Store-bought is fine.
- To season: Kosher salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano.
- Butter: I use it to thicken the cooking juices into rich gravy.
- Cornstarch: A small amount to help thicken the cooking liquids.
- Chopped parsley: Used as garnish.
Variations
- Smoked paprika is a good substitute for regular paprika in this recipe. I like the smoky flavor it adds.
- Thyme can successfully replace the oregano in this recipe. I tried both and liked them equally.
- Sometimes, I use cilantro instead of parsley. I enjoy its peppery flavor.
Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Cut the heart into 1-inch cubes.
Place the cubes in your slow cooker pan. Add beef broth and spices.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Use a slotted spoon to temporarily transfer the cooked heart to a plate, and strain the cooking liquids into a saucepan. Return the meat to the slow cooker, cover, and set to warm. Cook the liquids with butter until they reduce into rich gravy. You can add cornstarch to speed things up.
Serve the stew with the gravy, garnished with parsley.
Expert Tips
How To Tenderize a Beef Heart
The heart of a cow works hard and is a tough muscle. To make it edible, you need to either slow cook it as we do here or slice it into "steaks" and flash fry them - no more than 30 seconds per side, keeping the meat rare. Overcooking will make this cut tough and inedible (note that the USDA says to cook beef organ meats to 160°F). In contrast, chicken hearts can be simply pan-fried in olive oil and spices and come out tender and delicious.
Trim the Fat Layer
Beef heart is huge - it can weigh as much as 2 pounds. When you buy it at the butcher's or order it online, you'll typically get it cut into two halves and trimmed. As you can see in the photo below, the heart you get will likely have a fat layer. You can trim some of it before cooking the heart if it's very thick.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! It's edible and delicious as long as you cook it correctly - either cut it into steaks and quickly grill or fry them; cube it, thread it onto skewers, and grill; or slow-cook it until very tender.
This cut has a gamey flavor and a pleasantly firm texture. Although it is stronger-flavored than muscle meat (such as ribeye steak), its flavor is milder than other organ meats, except beef tongue, which is milder.
So, if you'd like to experiment with eating offal, this recipe is an excellent place to start.
When cooking it low and slow, as we do here, there's no need for a marinade. If pan-frying, grilling, or broiling, a marinade combining acid, oil, and spices can help tenderize and flavor the meat.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a saucy dish, I like to serve it on top of something that would soak up those yummy juices. Here are some excellent options:
- Mashed cauliflower
- Cauliflower rice
- Zucchini noodles
- Baked spaghetti squash
- Mashed butternut squash
- Shirataki noodles
- Hearts of Palm pasta
I also add a green side dish, such as roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted green beans, or oven-roasted broccoli.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
More Offal Recipes
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Recipe Card
Beef Heart Stew
Ingredients
- 1 beef heart - 1.5 pounds
- 1 cup beef stock
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons parsley - chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the heart into 1-inch cubes. If they have a thick fat layer, you can trim some of it. Place the cubes in the slow cooker pan.
- Add the beef stock. Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
- Use a slotted spoon to temporarily transfer the heart to a plate, and strain the cooking liquids into a saucepan. Return the meat to the slow cooker, cover it, and set it to warm.
- Mix the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of cold water. Stir this cornstarch slurry and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter into the liquids in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat as soon as the sauce thickens.
- Transfer the beef heart to plates. Top with the sauce, garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- The heart is a tough muscle. To make it edible, you should either slow cook it as I do here or slice it into "steaks" and flash fry them.
- Some recipes instruct you to devein the heart, which is helpful when you flash-cook it. But slow cooking softens the tough parts, so trimming them is unnecessary.
- You can thicken the cooking liquid by adding a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water directly to the slow cooker pan at the end of cooking. Mix in this slurry, cover, and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.
- Keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Michelle
I’ve been eyeing the beef hearts at my local grocery store for some time, wondering how it tastes. (The grocery store I go to sells a lot of “unusual” things.)
I pulled up a recipe while standing there to see what came up, and here I am!
I am really glad I found your website, because wow! These recipes all look fantastic!
I will be back for that ox tail recipe and many more.
Thank you for sharing!
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Michelle! I hope you enjoy these recipes.
Mark Grady
As a Brit , I've always added diced spuds, carrots, parsnips, sliced onion, and finely chopped mushrooms.
Vered DeLeeuw
Sounds delicious, Mark!
Kelsey
This is a great recipe! The heart turned out perfect.
Vered DeLeeuw
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelsey!
will
I love beef heart.
Vered DeLeeuw
Me too, Will! 🙂