# Lamb hearts stuffed



## moikel (Nov 23, 2012)

Found some up at the market bought 2 packets they are small. I am cooking goat leg tonight so will do lamb hearts in a day or 2.

Plan is to make a breadcrumb,bacon,onion etc stuffing,trim them put a bacon lid on them then brown them first then into a pan with red wine & stock herbs & into MES.


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## smokinhusker (Nov 24, 2012)

Sounds like a great stuffing for those hearts! I'm waiting for the results when you do them.


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## gator (Nov 24, 2012)

That sounds like a good idea. I have a bag of venison hearts & livers that I'm planning on turning into a 'frankenwurst', but you may have changed my direction in this.  Keep us posted on how they turn out!


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## moikel (Nov 24, 2012)

Will do them tonight my time zone. Should be able to get photos done.I like the fact that the hunters on this forum have that liver & heart thing going on. I think its an adaptable recipe if you guys had deer or elk or some of those other tasty critters hearts in your freezer.


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## shtrdave (Nov 24, 2012)

Can't wait for this, I have two beef hearts in the freezer. Thank you


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## moikel (Nov 24, 2012)

OK This is lamb hearts trimmed up to make a decent cavity,I cut centre divider out of each .Finely diced trimmings to go in stuffing.I got a plan,must say its good looking meat very dense not much fat.I think trick is to keep them moist.Bacon defrosting so I am heading out to test paddle a Jackson fishing kayak out at the Olympic facility from 2000. Its 29c here today & climbing ! 













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## moikel (Nov 24, 2012)

shtrdave said:


> Can't wait for this, I have two beef hearts in the freezer. Thank you


Just saw you now.Its 1130 am here  hot &  sunny so I will do these tonight. I figure its just an upscale to a beef,elk or whatever.I have 7 hearts one was cut across bottom so dogs get lucky No idea how I am going to eat 7 .Girl friend happy to have goat last night but headed out after seeing tonights menu
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Butchers daughter to boot!


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## shtrdave (Nov 24, 2012)

Well sir your temp of 29 would be close to what is was here if it had and F behind it instead of a C. It is 25F here currently but a toasty 72 inside with the wood pellet stove purring away.


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## moikel (Nov 24, 2012)

I started these early,fried onion,celery,garlic,bacon,heart trimmings,parsley chives in some butter.Gave it a splash of chicken stock ,let it cool then mixed breadcrumbs & egg. Stuffed hearts then tooth picked a bit of bacon over the top. From there I browned them in some butter /EVO with some garlic,bacon bits then added red wine ,chicken stock.Big bunch of tied up thyme,sage,parsley,oregano.I was going to do them in the MES  but its now 34c outside with a thunderstorm brewing so I will do them in oven.













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## moikel (Nov 25, 2012)

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 OK  verdict? Really tasty,different to grand dads but same page still. Tender!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Dutch oven was right call,temp here got to 37c better to be inside with AC on. The sauce had a lovely depth,cant go wrong with bacon as an ingredient.The stock wine combo in the pot was on the $ ditto decision to brown them first.I had chives & parsley left over so thats what went in stuffing with other things.

Heart tastes like steak/pot roast not even that lamb like,stayed very moist. 2 was a meal big Barossa valley shiraz went down a treat with meal.

These hearts cost $2.50 for 4 ,so this plate cost what ? $4  including the salad? Could you really throw protein like this away? Girl on check out asked me was I buying them for dog food. 

Yes I am a nose to tail guy BUT only if I like the taste.Cant do beef/pork liver,kidney but will do tongue ,heart ,brains. 

You hunters could easy up scale this for a bigger heart,low & slow but I do think the wet style of cooking suits the cut,I have 4 left & I am looking forward to leftovers


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## moikel (Nov 25, 2012)

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Bear view get well soon. When I asked my Alpaca connection about organs he said that the South American chefs have it all pre ordered but its not on the restaurant menu its all for their friends & home kitchens. The plot thickens!













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 I am a protected species & taste lousy ,back off!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have to ask did your girlfriend  come back? If  I even mentioned cooking anything like that let alone bring the hearts home...

Looks fantastic! We cook up the good stuff at camp in the woods when we go hunting for elk and deer. I'm not a fan of the live kidney, tongue either, but fresh heart, yumm!

I have to ask you mentioned dutch oven, but it looks more like a wok or a Disco (Discada) you were cooking in. Maybe translation gap??


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## moikel (Nov 28, 2012)

Yes she came back but wont be a convert. Its a cast iron pot with a tight lid, we do talk a little funny this far south
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.I couldnt get a container that would go in MES that I  could stand hearts up in so the stuffing didnt go soggy & weather was closing in,so it had to do.

I will try a few other things down the line.I am hot on the trail of Alpaca hearts,there is a Peruvian dish sliced ,marinated then char grilled that might be a fit for you deer hunters.

This was a real tasty meal very under rated meat but thats the way the young folks eat now a days its all chops,fillets & steak.


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## moikel (Nov 28, 2012)

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Thats them cold,standing them up in sauce kept stuffing firm.


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## smokinhusker (Nov 28, 2012)

I gotta tell you those look absolutely delicious and I'd try them in a flash. Never had lamb but grandparents raised 3 of us and we ate liver, tongue, brains, and heart from beef etc...those look great!


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## diggingdogfarm (Nov 28, 2012)

Looks great!

Heart is awesome stuff!



~Martin


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## venture (Nov 28, 2012)

Those look awesome!

Moikel, you have forced me to save another link!

Saturday, I will be going to my local Basque restaurant for a special meal of lamb heads.  Bet you will be posting something like that soon?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Nov 28, 2012)

Thanks everybody they were a great meal. I will experiment
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  with these char grilled on skewers deal that I ate once upon a time in a little Peruvian joint.They were using beef heart but I figure lamb will work Alpaca even better.I found a recipe cant see why it wouldnt work for deer ,elk or anything else. Its a vinegar marinade first then grilled over charcoal,sounds like hunting camp fare.

Venture dont see a lot of sheep heads on menu here,I would be eating alone if I  ordered it
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





. Lambs brains another matter except they are hard to find ,all get shipped to Europe with the veal sweetbreads. I have been to the French side of Basque country ,those people know how to cook & make cheese& smuggle stuff in & out of Spain (including WW2 allied airmen & escaped POWs) but thats a different skill set.


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## venture (Nov 28, 2012)

Moikel, this is a special meal they only do 3 or 4 times a year.  Only their most regular customers and the Basque community will get invites.

The heads are skinned out, held upright and put through the band saw.  Saws them perfectly into right side and left side halves.

They are roasted intact with brains, toungues and eyeballs in place.  I haven't gone for the eyeball yet, but the rest is delicious. The Basques here have ways of obtaining ingredients the rest of us will never find.

I think your grilled heart will work if done carefully.  Post it up when you try it?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Nov 29, 2012)

Venture said:


> Moikel, this is a special meal they only do 3 or 4 times a year.  Only their most regular customers and the Basque community will get invites.
> 
> The heads are skinned out, held upright and put through the band saw.  Saws them perfectly into right side and left side halves.
> 
> ...


Happy to post my next heart attempt, I suppose if I eat ,cheek,tongue & brains anyway  whole head is just the packaging!


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## thoseguys26 (Nov 29, 2012)

Can't wait to try this one out. I got two mule deer and two elk hearts the size of my head in the freezer.  I love heart! :) I have never stuffed them before so that sounds interesting.


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## moikel (Nov 29, 2012)

No native deer in Aust only various introduced species that now are a major pain in the arse.Inbred, traffic hazard around Sydney at least.

Elk sounds great.I found old time recipes for beef heart similiar to what I did with lamb. Brown it first ,cook it wet seems universal,the bacon lid /wrap was my idea not highly original.

I cant see any more hard & fast rules than that, except keeping them semi upright while they cook.I  do think red wine /stock is a good idea,you will have plenty of elk bones for that I am sure. Low & slow looking forward to seeing how you go.


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## venture (Nov 29, 2012)

Yeah, the hearts are tricky.

Not being muscle meat by our standards, they have to be cooked to higher temps and still kept tender.  Interesting that the heart is a very strong muscle, but is still considered organ meat.

Naturally, this leads us to the red wine and braising, which seem to work well.  Actually, I love properly braised meat and I think braising is sometimes an overlooked or under-appreciated cooking method in my part of the world.

Can't wait to see the results of your next effort.

Show the world that offal does not equal awful.  It would be a great contribution!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel (Nov 29, 2012)

I might do a little chicken heart on skewers deal first to try to get my flavour profile right,maybe even with a Basque touch,before I go upscale to bigger hearts.


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## thoseguys26 (Dec 3, 2012)

I smoked, breaded and deep fried chicken hearts and gizzards before and they were awesome.


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## moikel (Dec 3, 2012)

thoseguys26 said:


> I smoked, breaded and deep fried chicken hearts and gizzards before and they were awesome.


My Basque take on chicken hearts over in poultry.I made a suggestion that we need an offal section where you put tongue,liver ,hearts,head cheese etc in regardless of what animal it was originally from. Not the dumbest idea I have ever had


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## thoseguys26 (Dec 4, 2012)

You got my vote. Most people would probably rather not see those gourmet parts mentioned in the 'normal' meat sections anyways!


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## moikel (Dec 5, 2012)

Its just an idea that  puts like with like.If you were looking for a recipe for say elk liver you would just look in the offal section & maybe see a calfs liver recipe that was adaptable or some such. A lot of them arent going to be strictly smoked anyway,grilled sure but there are a few braises .For that matter I used to do a deer liver terrine as well as some chicken/duck/rabbit dishes that would probably fit in a general offal section.


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