Baked Venison Heart Food

SEARED VENISON HEART WITH WHISKEY BUTTER

Steps:

• Coffee Rub
• Mix ingredients for the rub in advance. This yields about 2 tablespoons worth of spices, you might only use about half for this recipe, depending on how big the heart is.
• Heart
• Wash the heart out with water and pump out any coagulated blood. Use a sharp knife to trim the valves and fat around the top. Make a slice down the main coronary artery that runs along the outside of the heart to open one side out flat. Cut this small piece off. You will be left with a cone shaped piece of muscle. Make another cut down the middle to open and lay flat. Trim any fibrous tendons on the meat. You should end up with two flat pieces that look like steaks. One will be thick, the other thin.
• Sprinkle both sides of the venison heart with the coffee rub. Reserve a couple of pinches for the whiskey-butter sauce.
• You can cook on a camp stove or build a small fire and burn the wood down to coals. Place a cast iron over the medium-high burner or on top of a grate over the fire. Once hot, add a tablespoon of oil and sear the heart on both sides until cooked through. You should treat it as you would a steak and serve with it still pink in the middle. The thin flap will only take about a minute or two per side, while the thicker steak could take up to 3-4 per side.
• Remove the heart to a cutting board and let it rest.
• Deglaze the pan with the whiskey, scraping up fond (the cracklings and brown bits) at the bottom of the pan with your tongs. Let the alcohol boil off for a few seconds, then add the butter and a couple pinches of coffee rub to season. Swirl the pan around until it melts and emulsifies. If you over-heat the butter, it will start to brown and separate; remove it from heat if you see that start to happen. Pour the whiskey-butter pan sauce over the heart and serve. The ideal presentation is served around a campfire and eaten with fingers.

DEER OR ELK HEART, BOILED

Steps:

• 1. Wash and clean a whole heart. Cut off the fat on the top and any grisel on top that you can feel. Place in a large bowl or non metal container. Fill with cold water that will cover the heart. Pour salt over and set in refrigerator for 2 days, changing the water and salt every day. I have set a plate on top to keep it submerged..I have tried a zip lock bag but be very careful.
• 2. After heart has soaked. Pour off the salted water. Rinse heart. Place in pot, large enough to cover with water & has a lid. Add water.
• 3. Add salt & pepper to your taste, onion flakes (or diced onion), and garlic powder..(or a clove of garlic)
• 4. Bring to a boil. Turn down down to simmer and put on lid. Simmer for 3 to 4 hours. The longer it simmers, the more tender it will be. Add water as needed to keep heart covered. Poke heart with fork to feel how tender it is.
• 5. Remove heart and let cool enough to handle. Take a knife and peel off the outer layer(looks kind of like a thin skin). You can also trim the inside cavity a much as possible. Your pet will love the scraps.
• 6. Cut heart into thin slices and trim interior holes as needed. Place in ziploc to keep it from drying out.
• 7. You can also use an elk, moose or beef heart. Of course, they take longer to cook.
• 8. To make sandwich, use your choice of bread & your own sides and layer 3 or more slices on top. Salt and pepper to taste.

SEAFOOD IN MY HEART (STUFFED BEEF/VENISON HEART)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F Degrees.
• Wash heart and trim fat. Use a fillet knife to remove all of the membrane on the inside and outside of the heart.
• Create a pocket in the thicker portions of the heart and sprinkle inside with salt and pepper.
• Mix mayonnaise, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, A-1, 2 tsp beef broth, salt, pepper and a dash of the Tabasco sauce into a smooth sauce using a blender.
• Place crabmeat and shrimp in a bowl with enough sauce that the crabmeat and shrimp bind together.
• Stuff inside the pockets of the thick pieces of heart. If there are any thin pieces place the stuffing in the center of the meat and roll it into a ball.
• Close the pockets with toothpicks.
• Place in small roasting pan, cover with broth and add bay leaf.
• Cover and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

STUFFED BAKED HEART

Steps:

• Tie the heart with string.
• Place it on a rack in an oven proof dish.
• Place in bottom of the dish the stock or diluted tomato soup.
• Place over the heart the bacon strips.
• Cover the dish closely and bake the heart in a moderate oven 325°F until tender, sometimes if beef, a matter of 3-5 hours, if veal about 2 hours.
• Remove heart to a plate and cool it slightly.
• Heat, then fill the cavity with 1 1/2 cups bread dressing or rice dressing.
• Sprinkle the heart with paprika.
• Return it briefly to hot oven 400°F or place it under a broiler to reheat.
• The drippings may be thickened with flour to make gravy.