How to cook a Heart (Nose to Tail Cooking)

Heart is my favorite cut of beef and venison. It is very tender and succulent. It has a good strong meaty flavor with a hint of blood iron.

When you get a heart from an animal you killed or from the butcher, cut it in half and rinse it out in cold water to remove any blood.

You can make it as a roast tied up with herbs inside, marinate and grill it, or smoke it dry for later use.

To make a tied roast, put sprigs of rosemary, some lemon rind, thyme, and oregano inside, season the outside with salt and pepper. Roll it up and tie it like a roll roast. Then bake it slowly at about 300 F until it is well done. Don't eat organs raw, you can get parasites.

The marinade I like is cider vinegar, sherry or red wine, cumin, thyme, oregano, parsley, and a couple of whole cloves. Marinate for about 4 hours, then grill it until totally done.

For smoking, you cut it into strips and hang it in the smokehouse, you want gentle heat, very dry, and moderate smoke, preferably from birch, alder, or oak wood. Once it is fully dry, it will be very hard and shelf stable for a long time if kept in a cool dry place. It is recommended to shave off or chop into small pieces with an axe and use it to make a simple soup with potatoes, carrots, fennel bulb, leeks, and cabbage or turnip. The smoked meat puts a lot of flavor in the soup. Lightly salt it, and serve with rye toast and a tart unsweetened jam. Blueberries and cranberries can be made into a fresh jam on the stovetop with just their own selves and a pinch of salt.

A fellow heart eater! We have friends that butcher a cow once in a while. I let them know that I'd love to have the heart. They look at me funny. Same with fellow hunters who get venison.
I just remove the stringy ties inside, slice it in 1/2" slices. The outside 'pocket', I flatten and use a sharp knife to score deeply, on both sides. Then, I just pan fry hot,  in butter and season on the plate.  Adding the seasonings first sucks the juices out. It needs to be cooked rare or you will get something approaching the consistency of a boot sole.
My young nephew, a very picky eater was staying with us and I made him some. He wolfed it down. I then understood that parents can have a negative influence on eating pickiness. They walked in just as he was finishing and exclaimed: You ate THIS??!!. It was like my name was Borgia, or something!
My hubby, who used to have his mom cook venison to the max for him quickly adapted to tender, juicy venison heart "steaks". He didn't know venison could be this good. Well, duh!
I also do kidneys in Madeira sauce, with mushrooms, but only when hubby is gone. He says he can't stand the smell.
I don't know if we have a thread on using the lesser portions of meats, like chicken gizzards etc. The so-called offals [awfuls?] or saving the raw lungs for cats. Maybe we should.