How to Cook Beef Heart

How to cook beef heart in a pan, slow cooker, air fryer or pressure cooker to tender with caramelized onions for dinner is here. An easy way to cook organ meat that you will love. If how to cook cook cow tongue was already a hit, you have got to make this lightly breaded next.

Beef Heart Recipe

If you want to make it with onions (best of all) I would suggest in a skillet on the stove. You can make it in the oven but that takes longer. In the air fryer will give you a crisp on the outside if that texture is what you prefer. No matter what you don’t want to over-cook it so stay close.

If you’re into buying beef in bulk and when you do they give you ALL the pieces, you might be scratching your head on this one. If cooked correctly you can make this so good that if your kids didn’t know what it was I bet they would like it too. 😉

All you need for this one is a skillet but you could use the instructions for Instant Pot liver and onions too. They both cook at the same rate really so there are two different methods to choose from. Either one is the best with some savory and sweet softened yellow onions for sure.

So this is what one looks like whole. If you bought it at the store it may have already been sliced or sold cut in half. You are going to want a decent amount of seasonings to cook heart meat to tame the “meatiness” and flavor the flour coating. Yes you could leave off the breading but it wouldn’t be as good.

How to Cook Beef Heart in a Pan

For the best flavor you are going to want to marinate your pieces in seasonings for a few hours. Keep this in mind when you are planning for dinnertime. You just coat the outside, sit in a bowl in the fridge for a while and then start the process of breading and cooking in a skillet. Same prep goes into how to cook beef liver too.

I have instructions for other methods too if you want to try out a few and see which is your all time favorite. Personally I think texture is a big one. If soft and tender all the way around isn’t for you then seared or air fried might be your best bet. Try them all I say!

Ingredients

• Beef hearts
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 tsp granulated garlic
• Paprika and ground coriander
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper

You’ll want a plate to coat and a skillet, I love cast iron, if that is your method of choice. The third method you could try to see which is your favorite is to air fry your pieces too. This will add another level of crisp to the edges which you might like. You’d still need a pan to saute the onions though separately.

We have a Crockpot recipe below you can give a whirl as well. If you want to see which you like best I’d use two whole since you’d want at least 3/4 of one to make the slow cooking method with gravy.

Beef Heart Nutrition

There are tons of benefits to this cut of meat. It is packed with protein, folate, iron, Vitamin B’s, zinc and is said to protect against heart disease in humans. It is high in cholesterol so this should be eaten in moderation but healthy for the most part.

How to Cook Beef Heart in a Slow Cooker

Slow cooking is a great way to make this too. Organ meats and other muscle meats get nice and tender if you go at them low and slow. You can also cut it into large bite size pieces and make a great beef heart stew this way too. You’d just use that and follow our Crockpot stew with onion soup mix to make that meal.

1. Cut meat into 1.5″ pieces and toss with seasonings
   • 1/2 tsp
     • salt
     • garlic powder
     • cumin
     • paprika
     • oregano
2. Pour in 1 cup of beef broth and add your meat
3. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours until tender

If you want to make a killer brown onion gravy out of the drippings just pour the liquid out of the pot when done into a pot on the stovetop. Set to medium high heat whisk together 1 tbsp cornstarch with cold water and when drippings boil whisk this in and stir until thick. Sauces will help tame the gamey flavor.

Instant Pot Beef Heart

Set on a trivet with 2 cups broth in pot. Season top to your liking. Cook on high pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes on high pressure. Allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes before letting the rest out.

Air Fryer Beef Heart Recipe

If you want to try another method you could. You’d follow the same directions as shown below or in the recipe card but preheat your air fryer first instead to 400 F. for 5 minutes. Spray the tops with olive oil instead of adding it into your pan and cook for 12 minutes total flipping halfway thru. Timing will depend on how thick your piece are.

Pan Fried

• Rinse and pat dry the beef heart with paper towels, cut off excess fat and membranes. Cut the heart into small slices 3-4 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. Put the pieces in a bowl.
• Add 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and spices on top of them. Mix thoroughly. You can leave for 1-3 hours in the refrigerator, covering the bowl with a lid to season the best.
• Pour the flour into a plate. Cover each piece of beef heart in flour to coat completely. Transfer the beef heart pieces to a pan with hot olive oil.
• Fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side
• Cover the pan with a lid each time to flip them over to get it nice and tender.
• Timing when cooking beef heart steak will vary depending on whether you want it well done or medium rare which might need just 3 minutes per side.
  • refer to our steak temperature chart to get it done right
• Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil. Cut the onion into thin strips and fry in olive oil for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the onion is soft, add sugar and continue to fry for another 5 minutes until the onion turns brown and soften. Transfer the beef heart pieces to a plate, top with caramelized onions with brown sugar on top. We like this over a bed of mashed potatoes too if you want a comfort food side dish with it.

How to Cook Frozen Beef Heart

If yours is rock hard you will need to follow the slow cooker or pressure cooker timings. I have yet to try grilling beef heart quite yet but it would be similar to other beef recipes. You want to keep a close eye on it as over-cooking it will dry it out and make it tough. Under a bit is better for the texture. As far as “regular” or grass fed beef we always buy the latter for it’s health benefits.

How long does it take to thaw a beef heart?

The best method is to put into a freezer bag in your fridge overnight, then you will be set in the morning to get started. If you want a faster method, set your bag in a bowl of cool water and replace every 30 minutes until it is thawed to the center. This will take about 30 minutes per pound so it depends on weight.

I will say that organic does have a more pungent beef heart taste but with the breading and seasonings it will tame that a bit. If you do buy or plan to purchase half a cow and don’t want this included you can specify that you want it used to make the overall ground beef percentage if you’d rather. It’s worth it to try at least once though.

How to Reheat Leftovers

If you do have leftovers you should let it cool and then store in a container with some gravy and/or cooked onions on top to keep it moist. Reheat within 3 days and you’ll want some sauce on top when you do so. In a pan with a lid with a few tbsp of that on top, or butter, is the best way to not dry it out. Microwaving works but will suck some moisture out in the process.

You could freeze extras if you felt like you really weren’t going to get at them within a few days. I think this would be more successful if there was no breading, that will get icky when you defrost them.