Offal—organ meats, like liver and kidney—is not always treated with the respect it deserves. When most of us think of offal, we immediately think of its “sweeter” cousin: tripe, heart, and tongue. But there are also a host of lesser-known organs that are just as tasty!
Still, venturing into offal for the first time can be a bit daunting. There are dozens of different types of meat to choose from that have their tastes and textures published in thousands of cookbooks. Consider the below guidelines a cheat sheet on how each type tastes, feels, and significant considerations in procuring or preparing it about choosing easy-to-find cuts.
Liver
The liver can be a bit of a scary food that plenty of people are scared to try at first, but whether it's pureed into paté or ground up and served as an appetizer on its own, liver is quite delicious. It's nutritious and has a mild flavor and soft texture that makes it an excellent source of protein. You can serve liver hot or cold with just about any accompaniment. Some prefer to eat the organ with onions and bacon; others like putting the meat in sandwiches with cranberry sauce and pickles. However you choose to eat it, you'll see that once you develop a taste for it, you may never stop eating it!
Heart
This is a slightly more challenging part, given its more recognizable shape when purchased whole and the fact that it is harder to find in your average store than the liver. Yet it will likely be an easier sell than liver for many in taste and texture. Given how hard it works, the heart is just a muscle—albeit a very tough, dense, and chewy one. So it tastes and can be prepared like any other type of meat. You can even grill it, but we recommend you marinate it first as beef jerky tends to stay beefier than usual when marinated and cubed before grilling rather than eaten raw. Or you can chop it up into chunks or mix it with another type of meat such as chicken which will make a delicious soft taco filling because this meat shreds easily and readily. Most butchers will offer to clean the piece for you if you're concerned about removing any clinging external fats.
Marrow
There are two types of marrow: bone and spinal. Although the latter is rubbery, you don't find much of it. On the other hand, bone marrow is soft, gelatinous, and yellow or red inside animal bones— in fact, people about a thousand years ago used to scoop it out and eat it! Roast bone marrow like beef bones turns into a jiggly fatty mass that can be spread on crusty bread or added to the gravy as a thickening agent.
Tripe
Tripe is a type of stomach. As such, it comes in an array of shapes and sizes (yes, even animals have diverse stomachs!) with varied textures. For this reason, tripe is usually slow-cooked until tender and used to compliment the chef's main course dish. Tripe can be eaten on its own, but most people opt not to due to its somewhat smooth taste and odor when raw. Despite its reputation as being off-putting initially, tripe has been consumed by humans for thousands of years and has endured because of its versatile yet cheap nature, making it popular as a meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans alike.
Eyes
The minor offal thing on this list, eyes, faces the same challenge that rattles your average person who has never eaten anything other than animals with fur—the texture of something fishy and the fact that it is mostly water. It's best to have other points of reference for your tastes before you decide to try out a personal favorite, i.e., eyeballs. One would think it should not be so hard to get people to try eating an actual meal/meat instead of what they are accustomed to, whether they are cut into cubes or not! However, many people would choose not to have any part of trying an animal's eye. You might have a friend or family member willing to give it a go if you asked them, but there is nothing more complex, in my opinion, than getting someone else to try food that you want them to just because YOU want them to.
This is hardly a comprehensive list of offal. Name an anatomical feature of almost any animal, and there's a good chance humans have figured out some way to prepare and eat it.
Conclusion
These were some headings to go through as a guide to cook offal and beef offal. For more information, reach out to Maleny!
Source URL:https://malenyblackangusbeef.com.au/product/offal/
