# Grilled Marinated Beef Heart with Balsamic Butter Reduction



## snorkelinggirl (Apr 30, 2013)

Hi Nose-To-Tailers,

I mentioned this beef heart recipe in a different post, and there seemed to be some interest in it. So I thought I'd put it in it's own post for clarity....

_Grilled Marinated Beef Heart with Balsamic Butter Reduction_

Makes 2-4 servings, depending on how "hearty" appetites are (har har)
 

1 pastured beef heart, sliced lengthwise
 

Marinade:

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
 

Balsamic Butter Reduction:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2-3 Tbsp butter, cut into pats
 

4 cups (lightly packed) mixed salad greens
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Spread the heart open. Cut the heart into manageable steaks following natural divisions in the heart. Remove the fat from the top of the heart. Remove the valves, connective tissue, and silverskin from the inside of the heart to get down to clean steak meat. Remove the blood vessels and silverskin from the outside of the heart to get down to clean steak meat. To ensure that the steaks are of roughly the same thickness, just use the thicker steaks (from the ventricles) for this recipe. The thinner steaks (from the atria) can be reserved for another use such as grinding for ground beef or slicing thinly and stir-frying with onions and peppers.

So here is a beef heart trimmed of the big fat cap and big veins/arteries.













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Here is the inside of the heart. I trimmed away the thinner muscled area on the lower right of this picture.













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Here is the thicker muscled area of the heart cut into steaks and cleaned of all valves, connective tissue, and silverskin. It is just clean, pure muscle meat, about an inch thick. 













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Place the thick heart steaks in a large rectangular casserole dish. Season both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix minced garlic cloves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl. Pat the marinade over the heart steaks and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Here is the marinade. It is basically a wet rub, but you could add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar if you wanted to have more liquid.













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Preheat grill. Remove excess marinade. Grill for about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. While steaks are grilling, prepare the balsamic butter reduction. When steaks have finished grilling, let them rest while finishing the reduction.

Simmer 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half and it reaches a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Whisk in butter, one pat at a time, allowing melted butter to be fully incorporated with the balsamic reduction before adding more butter. Reduction should become glossy with the consistency of a thick syrup. Remove from heat and use immediately, as the reduction will thicken as it cools.

OK, here is 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar.













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Reduce it down by half. When it starts to bubble like this, it is reduced enough. Turn the heat to the lowest setting you have ("simmer" setting works great here), or turn the heat off if you think you are burning your reduction.













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Start adding in the butter, stirring well between adding pats. I add in about 1 Tbsp at a time, and use about 3 Tbsp total. You could add more butter if you want.













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The reduction will become thick and glossy as you add in the butter.













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Slice the steaks thinly and serve on a bed of mixed greens with balsamic butter reduction drizzled on top and sprinkled with crumbled gorgonzola cheese.

Here is the grilled heart steak.













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Heart steak after resting and slicing. We prefer our heart grilled rare to medium-rare. The reason is that we think that the heart becomes more strong and "liver-y" in taste, and also tougher, as it is cooked medium to well done. When cooked rare to medium-rare it has a very mild taste and is quite tender.  













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The plated shot.













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Thanks for looking!

Clarissa


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## daveomak (May 1, 2013)

Nice job on the heart, Clarisssa..  Superb reduction also...  That makes me a bit hungry....


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## themule69 (May 1, 2013)

i don't see a thing wrong with that Ms Clarissa.noting wrong with a heart. i know yours are beef.

 chicken heart is my favorite part of the chicken.

happy smoken.

david


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## smokinhusker (May 1, 2013)

Great looking heart steaks and I'll bet they were tasty too! Nice job!


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## pcallison (May 1, 2013)

Clarissa

Looks very good. The only heart I've ever had was in deer camp fried along with liver and onions from the first deer taken. Was very good, but tough, probably from overcooking. The balsamic, butter reduction sauce has to be very good, I'll have to try that one.

Phillip


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## snorkelinggirl (May 1, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> Nice job on the heart, Clarisssa..  Superb reduction also...  That makes me a bit hungry....





themule69 said:


> i don't see a thing wrong with that Ms Clarissa.noting wrong with a heart. i know yours are beef.
> 
> chicken heart is my favorite part of the chicken.
> 
> ...





SmokinHusker said:


> Great looking heart steaks and I'll bet they were tasty too! Nice job!





Pcallison said:


> Clarissa
> 
> Looks very good. The only heart I've ever had was in deer camp fried along with liver and onions from the first deer taken. Was very good, but tough, probably from overcooking. The balsamic, butter reduction sauce has to be very good, I'll have to try that one.
> 
> Phillip


Thank you so much for the compliments!!!

The sauce goes great over other cuts too....we especially like it on beef tenderloin.  Don't let the heart put you off from trying the sauce!

Hope everybody has a great day, and thanks again for looking at my post!

Clarissa


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## woodcutter (May 1, 2013)

Nice looking plate and nice tutorial!


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## Bearcarver (May 1, 2013)

Wow!!!!!

Awesome job on the heart, Clarissa!!!!!

Also, this is an Outstanding Step by Step, and I know Step by Steps!!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Thanks for showing!!!

Bear


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## snorkelinggirl (May 1, 2013)

Woodcutter said:


> Nice looking plate and nice tutorial!





Bearcarver said:


> Wow!!!!!
> 
> Awesome job on the heart, Clarissa!!!!!
> 
> ...


Thank so much for the compliments, Woodcutter and Bear!!  And thanks for checking out my post!

Hope you guys have a great day!

Clarissa


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 1, 2013)

Clarissa looks great! We eat heart when we go hunting, well if we're lucky enough to get one! I'll have to try your recipe, at home not hunting. Might get funny looks from the guys pulling out a bottle of basalmic at elk camp!   I bet it would would be great with a bit of smoke and then grilled.


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## snorkelinggirl (May 1, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Clarissa looks great! We eat heart when we go hunting, well if we're lucky enough to get one! I'll have to try your recipe, at home not hunting. Might get funny looks from the guys pulling out a bottle of basalmic at elk camp!   I bet it would would be great with a bit of smoke and then grilled.


I was wondering how a little smoke would go with it.  Maybe oak??  I'll have to give that a try next time!

Thanks for checking out my post, and for the compliments, Case!


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 1, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> I was wondering how a little smoke would go with it.  Maybe oak??  I'll have to give that a try next time!
> 
> Thanks for checking out my post, and for the compliments, Case!


I would think that oak, cherry, hickory, alder all would be good. I know at camp we grill it right on the open fire and the smokey flavor adds to the goodness!


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## link (May 1, 2013)

That looks awesome. I will be making this for sure.

Thanks


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (May 1, 2013)

Sounds great...I'm planning on doing something very similiar with the addition of a dryed porcini mushroom rub....but how to disguise it so the wife will eat it....


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## oldcountrygirl (May 1, 2013)

Clarissa, That looks wonderful!!! I love heart, my hubby wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole11 LOL!!! I was raised on a farm and we butchered our beef to put in the freezer each year. We would always eat the heart and liver the day we butchered. I think that spoiled me!!!! I will only eat fresh right from the cow heart and liver! Thanks for your step by step, maybe others will try it that never thought they would!!! COOK ON!!!!!

Glenda


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## moikel (May 1, 2013)

Love it ,great bit of cookery!Nice knife work too!Ihad this style of reduction in Italy years ago on steak. I think I will do it with some kangaroo fillet, serve it rare.


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## chef willie (May 1, 2013)

Well, Clarissa......I agree with many posters above, nice knife work, good tutorial, xlnt camera work, reduction sounds good but I'm in with OCG's husband...I wouldn't touch that with any pole...LMAO. I choked down enough liver in the Army to last a lifetime and I just don't do organs. Nice post though....c ya around


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## kathrynn (May 1, 2013)

Nice Thread Clarissa!  My fav is the sauce....sorry don't do the organ type meats.....I guess it's from too many days working in the OR!

Good information...and great q-views!

Kat


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## moikel (May 1, 2013)

Nose to tail is a happening place . I get that some viewers will take the method but not the meat.Others dont need any encouragement to embrace the whole deal. Either way there has been some high standard cookery on display here. Great to see.


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## snorkelinggirl (May 1, 2013)

link said:


> That looks awesome. I will be making this for sure.
> 
> Thanks





ifitsdeadsmokeit said:


> Sounds great...I'm planning on doing something very similiar with the addition of a dryed porcini mushroom rub....but how to disguise it so the wife will eat it....


Thanks so much for the compliments, guys! 

Porcini mushroom sounds like it would be a good fit with heart.  Earthy and meaty flavor.  It sounds delicious and I hope that your wife enjoys it too!

Have a great evening, guys!  Thanks for checking out my post!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

oldcountrygirl said:


> Clarissa, That looks wonderful!!! I love heart, my hubby wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole11 LOL!!! I was raised on a farm and we butchered our beef to put in the freezer each year. We would always eat the heart and liver the day we butchered. I think that spoiled me!!!! I will only eat fresh right from the cow heart and liver! Thanks for your step by step, maybe others will try it that never thought they would!!! COOK ON!!!!!
> 
> Glenda


Hi Glenda,

Thanks so much for your compliments and comments!  I love hearing stories from folks like you that grew up on a farm.....it sounds like nothing was ever wasted, and nothing ever fazes ya!  I've never had a chance to try out fresh heart or liver (mine all comes frozen from the butcher), but I'm sure the texture and flavor must be fantastic. I hope to see more postings from you on the Nose-To-Tail forum! 

Thanks so much for checking out my post, and have a great night!
Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

Chef Willie said:


> Well, Clarissa......I agree with many posters above, nice knife work, good tutorial, xlnt camera work, reduction sounds good but I'm in with OCG's husband...I wouldn't touch that with any pole...LMAO. I choked down enough liver in the Army to last a lifetime and I just don't do organs. Nice post though....c ya around


Hey, Bill.  I know you are squeamish about organs, so I especially appreciate you looking at my post!  That took some guts (whoopsie! I mean courage 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






)

Because you are a vet (thank you!) I'll give you a pass on the organs, and won't give you any grief about not eating them. Thanks very much for the compliments on the post! 

Have a great night!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

KathrynN said:


> Nice Thread Clarissa!  My fav is the sauce....sorry don't do the organ type meats.....I guess it's from too many days working in the OR!
> 
> Good information...and great q-views!
> 
> Kat


Hey Kat!  I understand completely. Some things just hit a little too close to home.

The sauce really is delicious, and goes great with beef tenderloin and sirloin too. I hope you give it a shot sometime.

Thanks so much for checking out my post, and hope you have a great night!
Clarissa


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 2, 2013)

Moikel said:


> Love it ,great bit of cookery!Nice knife work too!Ihad this style of reduction in Italy years ago on steak. I think I will do it with some kangaroo fillet, serve it rare.


Not to Hijack the thread, but Ya better post up some kangaroo smoking Mic!


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 2, 2013)

Clarissa,

do you soak the heart first prior to cooking? I ask because the ol timers we hunt with insist on soaking the heart in salt water prior to cooking.


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

Moikel said:


> Love it ,great bit of cookery!Nice knife work too!Ihad this style of reduction in Italy years ago on steak. I think I will do it with some kangaroo fillet, serve it rare.





Moikel said:


> Nose to tail is a happening place . I get that some viewers will take the method but not the meat.Others dont need any encouragement to embrace the whole deal. Either way there has been some high standard cookery on display here. Great to see.


Hi Mick,

Thanks for looking at my post!  I'm totally digging the Nose-To-Tail forum. It is great to have a place to share and to learn from others on this type of cooking. My coworkers and family usually just change the subject when I try and talk about it.

I've never had the chance to try kangaroo, but I've read that it is similar to venison. If so, then I think the reduction would be good over a rare kangaroo fillet. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing a kangaroo post from you at some point!

Thanks again for the compliments, and have a great day!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Clarissa,
> 
> do you soak the heart first prior to cooking? I ask because the ol timers we hunt with insist on soaking the heart in salt water prior to cooking.


What is the purpose of the salt water?  Is it to kill bacteria, or for flavoring?  Since you are talking wild game, I bet it is a food safety issue.

I don't soak the heart prior to cooking, but the hearts I get have been frozen by the butcher. The freezing process supposedly makes food safer to eat.


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

Moikel said:


> Love it ,great bit of cookery!Nice knife work too!Ihad this style of reduction in Italy years ago on steak. I think I will do it with some kangaroo fillet, serve it rare.





dirtsailor2003 said:


> Not to Hijack the thread, but Ya better post up some kangaroo smoking Mic!


I agree completely, Case.  We demand roo q-view!!


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 2, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> What is the purpose of the salt water?  Is it to kill bacteria, or for flavoring?  Since you are talking wild game, I bet it is a food safety issue.
> 
> I don't soak the heart prior to cooking, but the hearts I get have been frozen by the butcher. The freezing process supposedly makes food safer to eat.


From what I've been told, it's a cleansing thing. Supposedly draws out the more of the blood etc. I guess if buying a heart from the store this may already have been done?  Another thing that is done with the fresh game heart prior to soaking is kneading/massaging it like dough to pump the blood out.


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Clarissa,
> 
> do you soak the heart first prior to cooking? I ask because the ol timers we hunt with insist on soaking the heart in salt water prior to cooking.





SnorkelingGirl said:


> What is the purpose of the salt water?  Is it to kill bacteria, or for flavoring?  Since you are talking wild game, I bet it is a food safety issue.
> 
> I don't soak the heart prior to cooking, but the hearts I get have been frozen by the butcher. The freezing process supposedly makes food safer to eat.


We soak all our harvested wild heart & kidneys in salt water, also Shad Roe & sometimes fish. It helps draw the blood out.

Bear


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## moikel (May 2, 2013)

When  I  preserve mullet roe ( bottarga) like Bearcarvers shad roe, I soak it in salty water first & prick the vein that supplies blood to roe sack with a needle to draw out the blood. Critical in that preparation that sack is intact.

Unfortunately for me its been discovered by the "damn yuppies" as they say on Duck Commander & the price has gone  to stupid  level so I have to bribe fish guy with bacon to get it at reasonable price.

I think its about drawing the blood out & we do the same thing down  here as Bearcarver suggests.I think the less blood decreases that dirty grainy look?

Kangaroo is in our supermarkets .Its just venison to us but despite its health benefits not that popular still.Hard to shake its pet food tag.

I am happy to post it.Its hard to explain to people just how many roo,s there are in this country.They wont sit still long enough to count the bloody things but there is millions.

We only eat Western Reds & Eastern Greys on the main land .There is an increasing (slowly) market for wallaby out of Tasmania but they are a little different that far south
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





The 6 degrees of separation thing with Clarissa's great recipe is that I  mostly serve roo with a hot salad of roasted beets,small onions,goat cheese ,walnuts & BALSAMIC vinegar.I marinate the roo in something really close to what she has posted here for beef heart. Go figure!

Roo is really lean & low tolerance .A minute over & you are screwed .Its char grill only. If people are interested I am happy to post it. Its considered,down here
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  one of those great  matches ,roo,beets,goat,s cheese & a big glass of shiraz.

Sorry if I  have wandered off topic!


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

Moikel said:


> When  I  preserve mullet roe ( bottarga) like Bearcarvers shad roe, I soak it in salty water first & prick the vein that supplies blood to roe sack with a needle to draw out the blood. Critical in that preparation that sack is intact.
> 
> Unfortunately for me its been discovered by the "damn yuppies" as they say on Duck Commander & the price has gone  to stupid  level so I have to bribe fish guy with bacon to get it at reasonable price.
> 
> ...


I'd love to see a picture of the roo, beets, onions (pickled???), goat cheese dish. Please post it next time you make it!!   I might give that a shot with deer backstrap steaks this fall, if my husband gets a deer this year.


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> From what I've been told, it's a cleansing thing. Supposedly draws out the more of the blood etc. I guess if buying a heart from the store this may already have been done?  Another thing that is done with the fresh game heart prior to soaking is kneading/massaging it like dough to pump the blood out.





Bearcarver said:


> We soak all our harvested wild heart & kidneys in salt water, also Shad Roe & sometimes fish. It helps draw the blood out.
> 
> Bear


The beef hearts I get from the butcher must have had something like that already done by the butcher. They are always clean of blood clots, etc.  But this is good to know for wild game, thanks for the info, Case and Bear.


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## moikel (May 2, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> I agree completely, Case.  We demand roo q-view!!


I will get it done soon. The side dish involves EVO roasting beets,whole small onions,garlic cloves in the oven until tender adding walnuts,then while its hot adding goats cheese or gorgonzola.Make the dressing up from pan juices + balsamic vinegar. I dont have a recipe but I think Jamie Oliver did it on TV.

Great match with venison so I just took it to roo. Beetroot ,to us, just goes with roo so well.


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## snorkelinggirl (May 2, 2013)

Moikel said:


> I will get it done soon. The side dish involves EVO roasting beets,whole small onions,garlic cloves in the oven until tender adding walnuts,then while its hot adding goats cheese or gorgonzola.Make the dressing up from pan juices + balsamic vinegar. I dont have a recipe but I think Jamie Oliver did it on TV.
> 
> Great match with venison so I just took it to roo. Beetroot ,to us, just goes with roo so well.


That sounds great, looking forward to the post. My husband loves beets; I mentioned your recipe to him and he was pretty chuffed about it.


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## moikel (May 3, 2013)

OK its going into wild game


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## scubadoo97 (May 3, 2013)

I did beef heart awhile back. Opted for a quick sear and served with a beet salad. Still more texture than I would have liked. Braising will be my next attempt


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## snorkelinggirl (May 3, 2013)

scubadoo97 said:


> I did beef heart awhile back. Opted for a quick sear and served with a beet salad. Still more texture than I would have liked. Braising will be my next attempt


Wow. I've gotta say, that it is amazingly beautiful presentation. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





In regards to your comment about texture. It's a bit hard to judge from the picture, but looks like your beef heart was sliced pretty thin before searing?  If so, maybe try leaving the thicker sections intact like a sirloin, searing those rare-medium-rare, then slicing before serving. I've had better luck with that approach in regards to toughness.


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## mythycooper (May 10, 2013)

That's really an amazing recipe!! I love it and also excited to taste it, so I'll do one thing I'll try this recipe and let you know with some special pics!!

Olive leaf extracts are healthful.... search it....    

*Mythcooper, links are not allowed....   *

*By the way, welcome to the forum.... Please take a moment and stop into " /[color= rgb(128, 0, 0)]Roll Call[/color]/   " and introduce yourself and get a proper welcome from our members..  *

*We're glad you stopped in and joined our group...    Enjoy the long smokey ride....     Dave*


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## ahoyhere (Aug 27, 2013)

Hi there! I know this is ages later but a couple weeks ago, we got a heart from a local butcher and had NO idea what to do with it. Found your step-by-step via Google and it made it so easy for us, and the marinade was awesome. Thank you! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





We skipped the butter reduction because we're eating heart for health reasons (omg CoQ10!) :) We cut it into smallish chunks -- 1-2" squareish -- and put it on skewers with plenty of space, and onions in between. Marinated it overnight, grilled it really fast. It was delicious. 

*Ahoyhere... Afternoon and welcome to the forum....  *

*Please take a moment and stop into " [color= rgb(146, 144, 139)]/[/color][color= rgb(128, 0, 0)]Roll Call[/color][color= rgb(146, 144, 139)]/[/color]   " and introduce yourself and get a proper welcome from our members.... Also, if you would note your location in your profile, it will help in the future when answering questions about smokin'...   elevation, humidity etc....    *

*We're glad you stopped in and joined our group...    Enjoy the long smokey ride....     Dave*


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## snorkelinggirl (Aug 27, 2013)

ahoyhere said:


> Hi there! I know this is ages later but a couple weeks ago, we got a heart from a local butcher and had NO idea what to do with it. Found your step-by-step via Google and it made it so easy for us, and the marinade was awesome. Thank you!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hello Ahoy! 

I'm so glad that my post was helpful to you, and thanks very much for taking the time to reply and tell me so!!!

Beef heart is very lean and very healthy.  And it makes great jerky too, if you like to make jerky. 

Welcome to the forum!!

Clarissa


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## leah elisheva (Oct 27, 2013)

OK, now it's MY turn, to rave about YOUR fantastic doings Clarissa!

As this looks just absolutely magnificent! Tremendous!!!

Thank you for sharing!!!! Cheers! - Leah


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