# Chicken hearts in Basque style



## moikel (Dec 1, 2012)

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__ moikel
__ Dec 1, 2012






OK  another new adventure .These guys $4kg no waste thats a pretty good deal. I have moved onto them as a tryout for the bigger hearts on skewers chargrilled that I flagged in my lamb heart thread. 

They are in a Basque style for Venture who is always encouraging when I come charging in from left field with something a bit different.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






So I gave them a quick wash ,trimming looked like micro surgery so I just left them as is. Marinade,white wine garlic,cbp.evo,sherry vinegar,orange zest & juice,chilli,Spanish paprika.Overnight then I figure I will chargrill them on skewers.

If this works then we can go up to bigger hearts & the hunters amongst you can see if it works for elk,deer whatever. MICK


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## bmudd14474 (Dec 1, 2012)

Mick I can't wait to see how these turn out. Thanks for sharing.


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## moikel (Dec 2, 2012)

bmudd14474 said:


> Mick I can't wait to see how these turn out. Thanks for sharing.


I have put them on skewers with my homemade bacon cut to size. Weather a bit suspect but figure I will cook them fairly fast over charcoal on the Weber.

I have a batch of chicken skewers with my Malaysian peanut satay sauce as well so the butchers daughter & for that matter granddaughter has a choice.

Did you give any thought to an offal section? The marinade is out of my head but I have been to the Basque province of France so its in the style of rather than actually Basque. Its not that far removed from the Peruvian version I ate & read about.













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__ moikel
__ Dec 2, 2012


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## boykjo (Dec 2, 2012)

Yumm... I love chicken hearts... When I was a kid my dad would bring a bag of chicken hearts home and boil them...we'd eat them like popcorn... I Guess I invented  popcorn chicken  back in the day and didnt even know it.....lol


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## moikel (Dec 2, 2012)

Hitting the Weber now.New to me too just got intrigued after lamb heart sort of rolled on from there.


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## moikel (Dec 2, 2012)

Here they are finished not a great photo but they were a great meal. Marinade a keeper! Had a bit of bite from chilli ,citrus a nice counterpoint I cant see why this wouldnt work on bigger heart.Just cut it into bits ,marinate it then char grill.Weber took a bit of work thanks to humidity,summer here now. Got leftovers,pretty happy about that.They just taste meaty couldnt say they taste like chicken but they do taste good & they stayed moist from untrimmed fat & mop with marinade.













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__ moikel
__ Dec 2, 2012


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## moikel (Dec 2, 2012)

Sorry about photo,got dragged out by slow start with Weber. Did like bacon cut to same size,side by side on skewer.Marinade was great that sweet/sour thing due to vinegar,OJ  touch of sugar. Hearts cook like a cube of ?? meat.Sounds stupid but they are just meaty,left the fat on them gave them a rub with EVO  before I put them on grill,basted with marinade.Wouldnt change a thing in marinade,nothing.

Got the
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





from butchers daughter she ate 2 skewers. May have cooked a tad long but didnt want rare.Didnt taste dry at all.


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## woodcutter (Dec 2, 2012)

My wife just walked past while I was reading your thread. Guess what she wants me to make.


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## moikel (Dec 2, 2012)

Woodcutter said:


> My wife just walked past while I was reading your thread. Guess what she wants me to make.


Poultry offal great place to start .Taste  a little milder in hearts & livers ,than other animals.Enjoy.


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## all41 snake (Dec 17, 2012)

Where did you find the chicken hearts?  I've been looking for them around here for a long time.  ( Near Greensburg,  Pa.)

They look great.

Thanks


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## moikel (Dec 18, 2012)

ALL41 Snake said:


> Where did you find the chicken hearts?  I've been looking for them around here for a long time.  ( Near Greensburg,  Pa.)
> 
> They look great.
> 
> Thanks


I am way down here
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





in Australia but I would suggest any chinatown is a good place to start. We now have a nose to tail section so I will be putting a few things in this style in there in future. Hearts were good & my take on Basque cooking was a good thing.I think char grilling suits them.MICK


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## venture (Dec 18, 2012)

Mick, my apologies!  Don't know how I missed this thread?

Looks like they turned out great!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





From the pics they look like big chicken hearts.  Don't know how you did that.

And yes, my local Basques cook mostly rustic food.  But they are very meticulous about how they do it.  Imagine the time cleaning and trimming calf nuts, not to mention my favorites, the lamb nuts.  Every bit of extraneous matter is carefully removed.

I see you included the garlic.  I don't think the Basques ever saw a garlic they didn't like, and never enough.  The Spanish Basques here like Vino Tinto (red wine to most of us), but I think the white might have been a good choice for this dish. And yes the sweet Spanish Paprika.  Some will argue, but I think the Spanish Paprika is primo.

If I could afford to use it more, I really like the Spanish olive oils.

Now, if you really want to get pricey?  The Spanish make some really fine brandy that is sherry based!

By the way?  Our annual customer appreciation feed on Sunday was just wonderful.  My buddy, the owner, died in May.  His daughter did the Basque specialties and left the rest to their hired cooks. (read as:  idiots who did not want to learn from the old master)

Her blood sausage was the hit of the meal.  I didn't see the hog heads and the blood come in, but Cathy really hit that sausage out of the park.

Here in the Peoples Republic, there was once a prohibition on pork blood. (fortunately dropped as they got more enlightened)  Her dad used to go to the slaughter house at 5 or 6 in the morning.  Had to get the blood before the inspectors got there!

I can't wait to see the next wonderful dish you come up with!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 18, 2012)

Looks good!!!!!


~Martin


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## moikel (Dec 18, 2012)

Thanks everybody!! Is it possible to move threads over to the nose to tail section?  Only 2 suppliers of black pudding left in Australias largest city not counting big company stuff. Its a big part of Xmas spread to some folks particularly Estonians ,who knew? My butcher getting his balls busted because he doesnt have any  left!


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## dougmays (May 2, 2014)

i'm kinda late here but how long did these take to cook?


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 2, 2014)

Glad this got bumped up again!

Looks great Mick! I don't even know where I could get chicken hearts locally. Gonna have to go looking!


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## dougmays (May 2, 2014)

I found a place here so i'm gonna smoke some up for Cuatro de Mayo :) Wondering how long...thinking a hour should  be good


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2014)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Glad this got bumped up again!
> 
> Looks great Mick! I don't even know where I could get chicken hearts locally. Gonna have to go looking!


Years ago, we used to save Pheasant, Rabbit, Squirrel, and Grouse hearts, and Rabbit Kidneys, and Pheasant & Grouse Gizzards. Then when we had a mess of them, we'd flour them & fry them in butter. They were awesome, but we never smoked any. Bet that would really be Great.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 2, 2014)

Bearcarver said:


> Years ago, we used to save Pheasant, Rabbit, Squirrel, and Grouse hearts, and Rabbit Kidneys, and Pheasant & Grouse Gizzards. Then when we had a mess of them, we'd flour them & fry them in butter. They were awesome, but we never smoked any. Bet that would really be Great.:drool
> 
> 
> Bear



I can get bags of gizzards from one of my local butchers. Never asked about hearts. 

Fried gizzards coated in seasoned flour and fried are great!


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## moikel (May 2, 2014)

dougmays said:


> i'm kinda late here but how long did these take to cook?


5 min a side from memory. I did them over charcoal . 

Got watch them closely ,I like them pink in the middle. You want to avoid drying them out.


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## foamheart (May 2, 2014)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> I can get bags of gizzards from one of my local butchers. Never asked about hearts.
> 
> Fried gizzards coated in seasoned flour and fried are great!


Case you starting to sound like a good ol southern boy!


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## dandl93 (May 2, 2014)

I will have to try this we have a chicken store here.Live chickens come in the back of the store processed out the front. About as fresh as you can get except if you raise them your self.We eat chicken hearts and livers often but dip them in spiced up egg wash and flour then fry.

Dan


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## moikel (May 2, 2014)

I don't mix hearts,livers & gizzards.

I think hearts are best stand alone because they taste different ,but thats just me.

I was trying to work of the South American style of char grilled ,paridilla. Had an Argentinian meal last night ,mixed meats & sausages grilled over charcoal served with dipping sauces  share plate for 2.

They had a version with chitterlings, blood sausage,beef heart ,skirt steak .You could upsize with a side of kidney,sweetbreads,liver.

I had to play safe & went with skirt steak,chicken, short rib,sausage but snuck a side of morcilla(blood sausage) in . Its about a 5 minute walk from my house


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## dougmays (May 3, 2014)

I've got 1lb marinating in a mixture of Red Wine, Worsty Sauce, lemon juice and water right now for tomorrow afternoon!

Interesting about the 5 mins each side, my Brazilian friend who turned me on to these used to grill them for about a hour, but they did feel kind of gritty and over done. I"m planning to smoke them so i might smoke for 10 mins and check IT, hopefully that's enough time to get SOME smoke penetration


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## moikel (Aug 7, 2014)

Just bumping this because somebody was asking! 
Char grilling my pick of method but that's just me.
Style same thing ,I like that Basque style of cooking ,I had bacon so that's the direction  I went. I think they are best a little pink otherwise they are gritty when taken to well done. Again just me.


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## venture (Aug 10, 2014)

This one deserves a bump!

Mike, I agree on the mixing.  If I had to mix it would be hearts and livers.  But I would prefer not to.

The gizzards definitely need their own treatment.

The darn Basques just had and have a way with food!

They are also the greatest friend you will ever have if they accept you!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Aug 10, 2014)

Way back in the early 90s I spent a week in the Pays Basque region of France. Great place all round,food,people,wine & countryside.
I wouldn't mix them I like hearts separate .


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