Whole Beef Heart

Beef heart is lean and contains very little fat. It weighs between four to six pounds and is incredibly nutrient-dense. It's tough and requires a "low and slow" cooking method, but it tastes robust with a pronounced beefy flavor. Before cooking, you'll want to slice off the fat pockets, which you can render into beef tallow for cooking if desired.

Cooking methods can vary for this part of the cow. You can grill it, slice it thinly and bread and fry it, pan sear it, or throw it into a hearty stew. It can even make for a delicious, juicy burger. The flesh of the heart is not fatty, so it can mix with fatty ground beef in hamburgers. If used in stew, it will take on a tougher texture than other bits of meat.

Consuming beef heart has many health benefits. It's rich in folate, iron, zinc, and selenium. It has several B-vitamins, which can protect you against heart disease.