A lot of people think that eating an animal’s liver is like eating the filter out of a car, to quote Dick Gregory. If the liver is the main filter in the body, then it must hold all the toxins it removes from the blood, right? Wrong. All the toxic compounds that the liver removes from the bloodstream are broken down into less-harmful molecules. Those molecules then enter blood or bile. Toxins in the blood are cleaned out by the kidneys and leave the body through urine. Toxins in bile leave the body through the digestive system as feces. It is safe to eat and may be one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world because it doesn’t store toxic waste.
What the liver does hold on to are vitamins and minerals. Those nutrients are pulled from the blood during filtration and stored for distribution to other organs. A few ounces of liver contains the recommended daily amount of vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, and copper. It also has a lot of minerals and vitamins that are hard to find in other foods, like iron, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, and selenium. According to new information, the daily recommended amounts of vitamins and nutrients may be much lower than what the body really needs. Researchers have found a link between diets from around the world, especially those of people who are farther away from the global industrial food system, and very high levels of all vitamins and minerals and good health and a low rate of all diseases. Liver and organ meats are often staples of such diets, providing a concentrated source of nourishment.
Beef liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. Ounce for ounce, it contains more vitamins and minerals than almost any other meat. However, if not cleaned and cooked properly, liver can have a metallic, overly iron-rich taste that turns people off. With the right techniques, you can enjoy all the nutritional benefits of beef liver and its rich, meaty flavor.
Why Eat Beef Liver?
Beef liver provides a powerhouse of nutrition. A 3 oz serving contains:
- Over 50,000 IU of Vitamin A – 6 times the RDA
- 60 mg Vitamin C – the RDA
- Over 1,000 mcg Vitamin B12 – over 40 times the RDA
- Over 15 mg of iron – over 80% of the RDA for men and over 60% for women
- Over 200% of the RDA for riboflavin, niacin, copper and selenium
This nutrient density provides energy supports immunity and brain health builds blood, assists detoxification and more. Our ancestors prized organ meats like liver for good reason.
Choosing the Best Liver
When shopping for beef liver, look for livers with a deep red color without many light spots. Avoid livers that are grayish with a greenish tint This indicates oxidation of the iron and vitamins. The liver should have a smooth look; odd bumps or spots can indicate defects.
If you are harvesting a beef liver while butchering, check for abnormalities and discard if anything looks amiss. The liver should have a healthy glistening look when fresh.
Cleaning Steps
Follow these steps for cleaning your beef liver:
1. Rinse
Rinse the liver under cold water. Use your fingers to gently splash water over all surfaces to remove any blood or debris.
2. Trim
With a sharp knife, trim off any large veins, arteries or connective tissue. The liver has a smooth side and a more fibrous side with visible vessels. Trim the fibrous side well.
3. Slice
Slice the liver into manageable portions about 1 inch thick. This allows you to more easily clean interior sections.
4. Check Interior
Check the interior of the liver after slicing. Use your fingers to open up vessels and ducts. Look for signs of infection or abscesses which would require discarding part of the liver.
5. Soak
Soak liver slices in cold salted milk or water for 1-2 hours. This draws out blood and mellows flavor.
6. Drain and Pat Dry
Drain the liver and pat dry with clean paper towels. At this point it is ready to cook.
Removing the Membrane
Some recipes call for removing the thin outer membrane from the liver. This is optional but can improve texture. Here’s how:
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Start with liver smooth-side up and make a small incision into the membrane.
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Use your fingers to grasp and peel the membrane away from the liver meat. Pull slowly and firmly.
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Go over the entire surface until all membrane is stripped off.
Cutting for Recipes
Slice, dice or cut the liver into the shape specified by your recipe. Uniform 1-inch cubes work very well for even cooking.
Cook Thoroughly But Not Too Long
The liver should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F but take care not to overcook. Use a meat thermometer and remove from heat just before 160°F, allowing residual cooking to finish. Pan frying over high heat works well to develop a nice sear while keeping the interior pink.
Storage Tips
Store cleaned liver in an airtight container in the coldest part of the fridge for 2-3 days. For longer storage, slice liver into meal-sized portions and freeze in an airtight container for 2-4 months. Always thaw in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.
Grinding Liver Into Ground Meat
One of the easiest ways to incorporate liver is to grind it up with ground beef or other meat. A ratio of 10% liver to 90% beef works well. Season the mix and form into patties to make fortified burgers. The mild beef flavor balances the liver.
Making Nutritious Pâté
Chopped liver blended into pâté is delicious spread on crackers or crusty bread. Sauté onions and garlic, then process withliver and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and spices like thyme. Chill before serving.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Not cleaning thoroughly – veins and ducts can leave an iron-rich taste
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Overcooking – high heat and fast cooking keeps the best texture
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Discarding the nutrient-rich broth from cooking – use it for gravy or soup stock
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Not storing properly – liver spoils faster than other meat so needs cold temps
Enjoying the Nutrition and Flavor of Beef Liver
While many are turned off by liver, properly cleaning and cooking beef liver can turn it into a delicious and nutritious addition to your diet. With very little effort, you can avail yourself of a powerful dose of vitamins, minerals, protein, and iron for better energy and health. Explore simple recipes to find your favorite ways to serve up this under-appreciated superfood.
Harvesting and Cleaning Liver
The liver is on the right side of the abdomen in all animals. It is attached to the diaphragm near the spine. When gutting an animal, all the digestive organs can be removed, leaving only the liver attached. You can remove it with knife or hand; it should easily come out with a few deliberate tugs. When you tear the liver, you won’t hurt it, but you will lose valuable pieces of the organ.
All monogastric animals (like pigs, bears, and humans) and almost all ruminants (like cows, sheep, goats, elk, and pronghorn) have gallbladders that make bile. Cervids, on the other hand, like deer and moose, do not. This means that when you pull out a liver from a whitetail or mule deer, you won’t have to worry about popping the small green bag that is attached to the livers of most other animals (horses, mice, pigeons, and lampreys don’t have gallbladders). When cutting a beautiful, shiny liver from an elk, pronghorn, sheep, or cow, you must be very careful to remove the gallbladder. You can cut under it or put your fingers under the small tube that connects the bladder to the duct and gently pull on the connective membrane. This method takes some practice.
To assess liver quality, check first for any significant scarring. Scars will look like starbursts or spiderwebs. The presence of scarring can occur from cysts, abscesses, or flukes, indicating a past or current infection. Large scars usually render the meat inedible, but more negligible scarring shouldn’t affect the taste or condition. A perfect liver will have no scars. Cut into some of the bile ducts and veins and look for small worms or pus to see if there are cysts, flukes (tiny parasites that live in the ducts), or infections. Discard the liver if you find anything other than blood.
To trim the liver for cooking, cut off all connective tissue and any large veins or ducts. The veins will hold on to blood, which can cause many of the unpleasant tastes that people usually associate with the liver. The thin membrane on the liver can be pulled off if desired. Taking off the membrane will make it easier to cut and cook, but you don’t need to do that if you want to grind or blend it.
Soaking liver in milk or saltwater can pull out any leftover blood and improve the flavor. I usually cut the liver into cubes or strips, put them in ziplock bags with milk, and then freeze each one. This method has proven to be much more manageable and effective than attempting to soak an entire liver.
Liver can be eaten fresh, seared quickly in a cast iron pan, and left rare in the middle. The taste of overcooked liver often discourages people from eating it again. Putting liver on my burger every week is one of my favorite ways to eat it (and get other people to do the same). You can also grind up other organs, like the heart, with liver, meat, and fat to make a quick and healthy meal.
Any liver I could get my hands on—goat, deer, pork, elk, beef, chicken—I would turn into pate. Any kind of liver can be cooked briefly with garlic, onions, salt, and spices, then mixed with butter and cognac to make a smooth paste that can be spread on a big piece of sourdough bread. With a few pickled red onions on top, you have the perfect meal. “Is life worth living? It all depends on the liver,” said William James, an American philosopher who lived in the 1800s. ”.
HOW TO CLEAN LIVER FOR COOKING
FAQ
Should beef liver be washed before cooking?
What do you soak beef liver in?
Does the liver have to be washed?