Over the years, this recipe which was first posted in 2020, has been our most popular recipe of all time. It makes me so happy that folks are discovering the wonderful health benefits - and deliciousness of grassfed beef live.
I want to share the recipe that took me from a liver hater to a liver lover!
I think the world’s divided into three groups when it comes to liver:
A small minority who love it.
A slightly bigger group who have tried it and don’t like it.
A vast majority who haven’t tried it (and are convinced they won’t like it).
Which group are you in?
The reviews on our liver shopping page are a testament to the love affair many people have with liver.
I used to be in the middle group - but I recently realized my negative bias was based on two things - I wasn’t cooking it right and I hadn’t had my own Heartstone Farm grass-fed beef liver.
Here’s the biggest thing I can share - don’t overcook it. That right there will probably turn you from a hater to a lover. You want a bit of pink - no more, no less.
The ingredients for this recipe are bacon, milk, onions, and butter - and salt. Don’t skimp on the salt. (By the way, salt is not nearly as bad as you might have thought.)
Ingredients
1 pound Heartstone Farm grass-fed beef liver SHOP HERE
4 strips bacon
3 tbsp pasture butter
1 large onion
4 large garlic cloves
10 ounces sliced button mushrooms
Instructions
Unwrap the beef liver and lay flat on a layer of paper towels. I like to cook it and serve it sliced up.
Soak the liver in a dish or bowl of milk for 30-60 minutes. This is an important step in removing the bitter flavor from the liver.
Salt and pepper the liver generously, and leave it out at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Pat the liver dry.
Dice bacon and fry in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. When crispy, remove the bacon bits from the pan and drain on paper towels. Leave the grease and butter in the pan.
Slice onion roughly. Slice the mushrooms. You want your pieces of onion to be similar in size to a bite of liver. Saute the mushrooms and onions on low in bacon grease and butter untilthey start to soften but the onion is not yet translucent.
Add garlic for 30 seconds.
Put the onion, mushrooms and garlic to one side of the pan, away from heat.
Turn the heat up to medium and add the last tablespoon of butter
When the butter is melted, add half the liver slices. Cook until you start to see the edges cooking. They’ll turn from red to gray. When that border is a few millimeters thick (2-3 minutes, or so), flip them over.
Fry on the second side for another 2-3 minutes. Until you know how you like your liver, the best way to check is to cut into it. If it’s still red, keep flipping until it is just barely cooked through. You want just a tinge of pink so it’s cooked but still tender
Place liver on a platter and cook remaining liver in the same fashion.
Toss the bacon bits and smother the liver with them. Add the onions and mushrooms.
Serve!
I like to have liver about once a month. It’s such a healthy meat, and I think you’ll love it - if you cook it right. CLICK HERE TO SHOP FOR HEARTSTONE FARM GRASS FED BEEF LIVER
Slice your liver at about 1 cm, remove any fibrous parts, heat a pan, and add some butter. When the butter is foaming, add the liver. Cook it for a minute or two on each side, so that the center is still slightly pink, and serve immediately with salt and pepper. No resting.
Liver is extremely nutritious and less expensive than most beef products. It's very lean, so it's most often pan-seared quickly to brown and keep it from drying out, although it can also be baked, braised, grilled or made into paté or liverwurst.
Soak the liver in a dish or bowl of milk for 30-60 minutes. This is an important step in removing the bitter flavor from the liver. Salt and pepper the liver generously, and leave it out at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
The classic way to serve liver is to pan-fry it with onions. Adding beef or chicken stock and letting it simmer add flavor to the dish, which will mask some of that meat's flavor if needed. And some bacon slices on top punch up the flavor profile even more.
Do not wash or rinse raw meat or poultry before you cook it. Washing can cause bacteria found on the surface of meat or poultry to be spread to ready-to-eat foods, kitchen utensils, and counter surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinse fruits and vegetables before eating.
Do Not Overcook It. In fact err on the side of just undercooked. Even though the lemon juice makes the liver a bit more tender, overcooking can really ruin it. I cooked mine until it just had a hint of pinkness left, and then removed it from the heat.
Some chefs insist on soaking in salt and lemon water. Others opt to soak in ice water or milk to lessen the intensity from an older animal. Others suggest that you should never soak a fresh liver and that its quick preparation is part of the appeal.
If liver is to be sauteed, it should be purchased fresh, not frozen, since freezing breaks down the tissue and can make the finished dish a bit mushy. However, frozen liver, calf or beef, is perfectly acceptable for recipes that involve grinding up the meat.
Excess vitamin A and iron: Consuming too much vitamin A can cause birth defects. As organ meat contains high amounts of vitamin A, people who are pregnant should avoid it. Organ meat is also loaded with iron, which can be a problem for those with an iron overload disorder.
Having 1-3 servings per week of fresh beef liver (about 3 ounces per serving) is a typical recommendation, since this is enough to provide a significant amount of vitamins and minerals. Stick with one serving of liver supplements daily (usually about 3–6 capsules, depending on the brand), though.
First Soak your liver in milk. Yes… I have chefs that will switch out the milk 3 times before they cook the liver. It takes away that supper strong liver taste…
Dredge liver in flour. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add liver and cook until browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Serve liver smothered with caramelized onions.
Pan-Frying: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of oil or butter. Season the liver with salt, pepper, and your choice of herbs or spices. ...
Grilling: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. ...
Braising: For a more tender and flavourful result, consider braising the liver.
If you follow a strict paleo diet, you can use coconut milk instead of dairy milk; you'll get the same benefit of mellowing out the flavor. Buttermilk is also a great option!
Yes, that's right: Milk! They claim that in addition to getting rid of toxins that usually are present in raw liver, milk helps tenderizing it. Try and soak your liver chunks in milk for 5 minutes before you cook them.
If your liver is sliced, trim the edges (and any tubes within).If whole, get a finger underneath the membrane (start with the flat-side up) and pull it away while holding down the liver. After the membrane has been removed, the liver is likely to stick to towels. Rub a little oil over the surface to avoid this.
Fairly thinly slices - 1/2 inch or less, lightly dredged in flour black pepper and a little salt.Medium heat and a short cooking time - 3 to 4 minutes each side, we always use sliced onions cooked with it. Dad said “Don't tell mom but this is the best liver I've ever eaten”!
HOW TO COOK BEEF LIVER AS A SPREAD. Boil liver in salted water about 15 minutes until done; set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in melted butter until tender.
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Introduction: My name is Reed Wilderman, I am a faithful, bright, lucky, adventurous, lively, rich, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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