Beef Heart Stew

This wonderfully tender and flavorful beef heart stew is made in the slow cooker and seasoned with cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and oregano.

It's an excellent way to enjoy meat that can otherwise be tough and gummy. Slow cooking makes it nice and tender!

I've been making this tasty stew often lately, almost twice a month. It's easy to make and it's so hearty and flavorful.

I like to eat organ meats because I enjoy their flavor and texture, and also because I believe that for meat-eaters, it's a matter of doing the right thing ethically to eat the entire animal, nose-to-tail.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty beef heart recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Cow heart: You can't typically find it in the United States in supermarkets. I either order it online or ask the butcher at Whole Foods to special-order it for me.

Beef stock: Store-bought is fine - just check the ingredients to make sure they look OK.

Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the stew could end up too salty.

Spices: I use garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano.

Butter: I use it to thicken the cooking juices into a rich gravy.

Cornstarch: A small amount to help thicken the cooking liquids.

Chopped parsley: Used purely for garnish. But it does make this brownish dish look prettier.

Instructions

So how do you cook a beef heart in the slow cooker? The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:

First, you cut the heart into 1-inch cubes and place them in your slow cooker pan. Then you add beef broth and spices.

Now cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

The next step is to strain the cooking liquids into a saucepan and place the meat back in the slow cooker, cover it, and set it to warm.

The final step is to cook the liquids with some butter until they reduce into a rich gravy. You can add cornstarch to speed things up. Serve the stew with the gravy, garnished with parsley.

Expert tip

As you can probably imagine, the heart of a cow works hard and is a tough muscle. To make it edible, you need to either slow cook it as I do here, or you can slice it into "steaks" and flash fry them - no more than 30 seconds per side, keeping the meat rare. If you overcook it, it will be tough and inedible.

In contrast, chicken hearts can be simply pan-fried in olive oil and spices, and they come out tender and delicious.

Although I do occasionally make beef heart steaks, a stew is my favorite way to prepare this cut. It's tender and very flavorful.

Frequently asked questions

Recommended side dishes

Since it's a saucy dish, I like to serve this stew on top of something that would soak up those yummy juices.

So I almost always serve it on a bed of mashed cauliflower, then add a green side dish such as roasted Brussels sprouts. It's also good on top of cauliflower rice.

Storing leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them very gently, in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.

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Recipe card

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Beef Heart Stew

This beef heart stew is so flavorful! Slow cooking ensures that the tough muscle meat becomes wonderfully tender.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 381kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

INGREDIENTS

• ▢ 1 beef heart (1.5 lb.)
• ▢ 1 cup beef stock
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• If the heart comes with a thick layer of fat, lightly trim it (but don't go nuts about it, you can leave a thin layer of fat).
• Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the heart into 1-inch cubes. Place them 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 meat to a plate, and strain the cooking liquids into a saucepan. Return the meat to the slow cooker, cover, and set to warm.
• To the liquids in the saucepan, add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons of cold water. Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat as soon as the sauce thickens.*
• Transfer the beef heart to plates. Top with the sauce, garnish with parsley and serve.

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NOTES

The heart is a tough muscle. To make it edible, you need to either slow cook it as I do here, or you can slice it into "steaks" and flash fry - no more than 30 seconds per side, keeping it rare. If you overcook it, it will be tough and inedible. Since the USDA recommends cooking organ meats to 160°F, this slow-cooked stew is a good solution if you don't want to eat it rare.

Some recipes instruct you to devein the heart, and this might be useful when you flash-cook it. But I find that slow cooking takes care of any tough parts, so there’s no need to trim them.

Trimming a thick layer of fat is sometimes easier if you first cube the heart, then use a knife to trim the fat off some of the cubes.

*Another way to thicken the cooking liquid is to add a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water directly to the slow cooker pan at the end of cooking. Mix this slurry in, cover, and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.

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NUTRITION PER SERVING

Serving: 0.5recipe | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 818mg

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