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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: BAK on December 12, 2022, 10:27:37 AM

Title: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: BAK on December 12, 2022, 10:27:37 AM
How many of you guys carry a plastic bag or two along in the field and bring home such things as the heart/tongue/liver when you kill a critter?   :thumbsup:

Growing up on a farm we always butchered and always saved and ate those parts.  My brother was just given a bag with 4 hearts in it from some hunters he had staying at his motel.  I brought them home and pickled them.

Really not a difficult process, and the results are delicious.  Tongue is very good that way too,  and liver and onions are fantastic.   :coffee:
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: mnbwhtr on December 12, 2022, 11:04:09 AM
We used to eat hearts all the time but once CWD showed up my wife won't any organ meats so I don't keep them. I have a friend who gets the liver, He loves it.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: durp on December 12, 2022, 11:08:21 AM
Hearts ok but liver :nono:
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Pine on December 12, 2022, 11:32:34 AM
I was raised that way too.
If it's all you knew when you were a kid, you dont get squeamish about vittles.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Pine on December 12, 2022, 11:39:18 AM
I'm going to add this: a guy I work with is grossed out by the thought of eating venison tenderloin.
He says they are all slimy and not very big so why bother.
Lucky for me he is bringing me a plastic bag with a couple in it today so I can dispose of them properly.  :goldtooth:
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: NY Yankee on December 12, 2022, 12:09:04 PM
Myself and my mother both enjoy the heart and liver, especially the liver. I ask friends to bring them to me if they dont want them. If they look clean and healthy I cut them and cook them. Ive had several hearts and 3 livers since October. Livers are fairly large so I slice them and put it in the freezer. It's good eating. There is a fair amout of meat in an adult deer heart too. It is tender if you dont fry it hard.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Gil Verwey on December 12, 2022, 12:20:43 PM
I carry a bag for the heart. It is delicious. If I liked liver I might take that too, but can't bring myself to eat it.

Gil
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Burnsie on December 12, 2022, 12:44:26 PM
Deer heart - yum!
Back in my younger days when I hunted Wisconsin gun season, one of the old timers in our cabin always had a plastic bag with him.
He would scavenge every gut pile he came across and got the heart if still there (plus the ones we shot).  At least once or twice during the week he would slice the hearts up into medallions, fry them up with a bunch of sautéed onions - good eat'in.
I eat all my bow kill hearts if possible.  I'm not much on liver from any animal. 

Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Roger Norris on December 12, 2022, 01:12:52 PM
I eat the heart, liver , and tongue of MY deer. I don't eat organ meats that someone wants to give me.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: JamesD on December 12, 2022, 01:32:31 PM
I eat the heart of every deer I shoot. Pan seared is yummy! My daughter loves it as well. Her exact words (she is 6) when I short my first deer of this season, “ What a pretty deer, blood, lots of blood, deer meat yummy! Pretty deer are yummy!
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Ken Taylor on December 12, 2022, 02:05:08 PM
I eat the heart and liver of animals that are not old but always check them for parasites first.

Older animal livers often have at least one of three kinds of parasites (especially caribou) or are very dark and strong tasting (especially bull moose).

I almost always keep the kidneys though. Cut out the centre and soak them a bit = excellent fried.

The ministry here warns against eating the livers and kidneys of Moose, caribou, and deer because of the possibility of cadmium being present (carried by the wind, etc. to wilderness areas from industries in the south) but I ignore that and eat the organ meats in moderation.

I base my opinion on having "gutted", cleaned, cut up or butchered up to 200 big game animals a year (mostly caribou, bears, moose, but much fewer deer) for many years during my professional guiding career. At not quite 70 years old I still work on the animals we harvest and often those of friends.

The people here eat mostly wild game which gives me the opportunity to continue to "study" parasites and the condition of the edible organs (I live on a northern reservation and my wife is Cree).

Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Over&Under on December 12, 2022, 02:57:20 PM
Gonna have to agree with Durp on this one
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: trad_bowhunter1965 on December 12, 2022, 03:02:27 PM
We ate the heart and liver of the deer and elk we killed.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: GCook on December 12, 2022, 03:05:11 PM
I will do heart and tongue.  I've always disliked liver.  I've got two hearts to cook up now.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: supernaut on December 12, 2022, 03:14:35 PM
I only save and eat the heart from deer I kill. I think it's delicious and it's become a tradition for me to eat the heart the evening of a kill. I like it quick seared in a scorching hot pan with some butter, salt and pepper.

Food pics are always a bonus IMO.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: J. Holden on December 12, 2022, 03:31:15 PM
I eat the hearts of the deer I kill.  This year I saved the liver and had it ground up with the other grind meat.  The processor looked at me when I asked him to do this and he said "That's a first".  I said "yep, you and me both".  I haven't had any of the grind yet.  I'm excited to try it.  I did this because I know the benefits of the organ meat, but I was not raised on liver and am hesitant to try it plain.  I've also had tongue once but have not gone through the process of learning to cut one out.

-Jeremy :coffee:
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: MnFn on December 12, 2022, 03:37:19 PM
Just the hearts for me.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: uglyjake on December 12, 2022, 04:05:39 PM
We keep it all.  If for some reason it is not eating the dogs have a special treat.  When I was young, family would have a small deer camp and heart, liver, and onions were always delicious.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Bisch on December 12, 2022, 04:49:32 PM
NOPE!!!!!!!!! 

Buzzards and yotes have to eat too!!!!

Now, my dog Zeke loves deer heart, so he gets them whenever he finds a deer for me.

Bisch
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Mike Mecredy on December 13, 2022, 12:01:46 AM
always
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Trenton G. on December 13, 2022, 08:56:47 AM
I always take the heart if it's in usable shape. It's probably my favorite cut on the deer. I just put it in one of my gutting gloves and take it home. I like beef liver but haven't taken the deer liver before.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Al Dente on December 13, 2022, 09:16:26 AM
Heart, yes, Tongue, if it were bigger, Liver, NOPE!!!!. I cannot get past the minerally taste of any liver.  And for the record, beef tongue is astronomically high. One of my favorites, but I am not willing to pay a premium price of $17.99/lb. for it.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Littlejake on December 13, 2022, 09:35:49 AM
What are some of your deer heart pickling recipes? Mine is just vinegar and pickling spice.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: dnovo on December 13, 2022, 09:50:29 AM
Raised on a farm and we always had beef heart, tongue and liver.
Deer heart is my favorite from a deer. I always save them. I like liver but got away from deer liver when I was hunting large agricultural farms with the herbicides and pesticide they spray on crops.
I love beef tongue but never saved deer tongue as it seemed pretty small for the trouble.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Rathbuck on December 13, 2022, 10:22:12 AM
When I was a kid, we always ate the heart and liver.  Heart was okay, but liver always was awful.  Now I save the hearts for a buddy of mine that pickles them.  Not a fan, but he loves it.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: stevem on December 13, 2022, 01:05:20 PM
Liver and onions-  what a treat!  Growing up my family left the heart and liver in the field.  Once I moved to Colorado, I spent a day with Leon, a older gentleman who was born and raised in the mountains near Basalt.  Talk turned to hunting and he said when he hunted, he didn't see elk or deer, but deer liver or elk liver.  That fall my brother shot a cow elk and I salvaged the liver.  Cooked it fresh that night in camp and it became a tradition to have fresh liver and onion with each success.  The next day after that first liver Leon came by camp.  I said "I have something for you."  He said "is it elk liver?"  I had saved him 1/2 and he was practically jumping up and down.  I don't eat a lot of liver, but that first fresh liver and onion meal is just the ticket.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: TooManyHobbies on December 13, 2022, 07:30:50 PM
I keep almost all deer hearts, liver is left for the coyotes. I never remember to pack bags, so I leave the heart attached until I get it home. Then pull it out with the windpipe when skinning.
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: Jerry Gille on December 13, 2022, 08:35:49 PM
Nope. Negative. Heck no. Ain't gonna happen unless I'm starving and then only MAYBE.  Can't do organ meat. You are all way tougher than me! 
Title: Re: Eating "organ" meats
Post by: two4hooking on December 15, 2022, 08:51:50 AM
Organs no, heart heck yeah!  It is a muscle!  Yummy treat after a successful kill!  I do cook it though :biglaugh: