We have been getting freezer beef for over 20 years. In the beginning I had no idea that the heart was something desirable to get from the processor. I was missing out on something amazing. Grass-fed beef heart is extremely nutrient-dense. When I order freezer meat, I have to ask for it, but it it is part of the total price of the hanging weight, so this makes it very economical.

Beef Heart is a nutrient-dense cut of beef.

Organ meats in general are nutrient-dense. You really want the best quality organic methods/bio-dynamic, grass-fed animals, so that you have less accumulated toxins (you are what your food eats).

Beef heart is high in protein, a 3 oz portion has approximately 24.2 grams of protein, this includes all of the amino acids needed in a complete protein. It contains high amounts of elactin and collagen, nearly double the amount found in other cuts of grass-fed beef. Beef heart has zinc, selenium, phosphorus, B vitamins, lycopene, iron and potassium.

Beef heart has a highly concentrated source of CoQ10, CoQ10 stand for Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant. CoQ10 helps protect your cells and body from oxidative stress and helps your metabolism. 100 grams of beef heart has 11.3 grams of CoQ10, so it is an extremely good source of this important nutrient.

Three ounces of beef heart contains 68% of the Recommended Daily Value (RDV) of iron, 48% of the RDV of selenium, 61% of the RDV of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and 383% of the RDV of vitamin B12. It also contains a newly discovered peptide called DWORF.

Here is some info on DWORF from a published study https://www.cell.com/biophysj/fulltext/S0006-3495(22)03715-8. “Sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump SERCA plays a critical role in the contraction-relaxation cycle of muscle. In cardiac muscle, SERCA is regulated by the inhibitory transmembrane peptide phospholamban. A new transmembrane peptide regulator, dwarf open reading frame (DWORF), has been reported to displace phospholamban from SERCA. We have shown that DWORF is a direct activator of SERCA, increasing its turnover rate in the absence of phospholamban (1)” This is critical to heart health as it is known that the dysregulation of calcium is one of the key causes of heart failure and heart disease.

Preparing Beef Heart

As we know, the heart is the most used muscle in the body. The beef heart has a thick layer of fat around it and also has lots of little veins and arteries in it. It does require some extensive trimming to get to the rich, red meat. I just cut it into manageable pieces and trim it the best I can. It can be time consuming to do, but is not difficult.

Cooking Beef Heart

Our dish of choice with beef heart is stew. Beef heart taste just like any other beef stew meat to me, just it does have a slightly chewier texture. I find the best way to cook it is by braising it. A stew is the perfect dish for that. I place the trimmed and cubed meat in my stew pot and stir in some brown rice flour to coat it and cook the flour a bit. Then I add in my spices, garlic and some red wine. I deglaze the pan and add some tomato paste, my vegetables, and some beef broth. I cook it in the oven at 325 degrees F for 2 hours. It lends itself to any vegetables, but I find onion, celery, carrots and potatoes to be the staples.

Beef Heart Stew

Recipe by Lisa ImermanCourse: Main

Servings

8

servings

Cooking time

2

hours 

Ingredients

• 1 grass-fed beef heart, trimmed and cubed

• 1/4 cup brown rice flour

• 1 large organic onion, chopped

• 4 organic carrots, chopped

• 4 stalks organic celery, chopped

• 4-6 organic potatoes, washed and chopped (or how many you want). Approx. 2 pounds

• 2 cups frozen corn, optional

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 -1/2 teaspoons celtic sea salt, or to taste

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoons black pepper, ground, or to taste

• 2 Tablespoons organic tomato paste

• 1 Tablespoon dried paprika

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

• 1/4 cup organic red wine

• 24-30 ounces beef bone broth

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• You can brown the meat in a bit of avocado oil, or I just pour it in the pan and add the flour. Stir to coat and cook till flour is slightly golden.
• Add spices and garlic an stir for one minute
• Add red wine and deglaze pan
• Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes
• Add beef broth and vegetables. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Place lid on pot and put in preheated oven for 2 hours or until vegetables and meat are tender.

Recipe Video

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