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I get asked a lot about deer heart. Yeah, I know. Welcome to my world. But hearts are one of the more accessible wobbly bits — after all, they’re muscle, just like a tenderloin — and, I am very happy to say, an increasing number of deer hunters are keeping them for the table. So how to cook them?
There are lots of ways, from tossing them into a stew or casserole to pounding them thin and making a classic German jaegerschnitzel. The best way to cook a deer heart? Grilled. Hands down. Marinated and then grilled over very high heat just long enough for the center to warm, then sliced thin with some grilled peppers and onions — man, oh man you got to try it.
Just look at that picture. If you can honestly say that plate of food doesn’t look good to you, you are clearly a vegetarian. Which is fine, by the way, but then why are you looking at a picture of a grilled venison heart? Tempting, isn’t it…
Getting a typical venison heart to look like this one takes a little doing. For starters, you need to trim the heart. Begin by using a very sharp knife to slice off any visible fat from the heart. Most venison hearts are pretty lean, and you will find fat only at the top. Discard it.
Now look at the top of the heart. See all the gaps and holes? Use them as a guide to slice the heart into several thick cutlets. Many cooks will tell you to “open the heart like a book,” but it doesn’t work quite like that. You get one really nice cutlet, then two slightly thicker ones. This can be a pain when you are trying to make a pounded cutlet for schnitzel, but no biggie for this recipe.
Carefully cut away any and all vein-y bits from the inside of the heat; they look like cobwebs sticking to its inner walls. You should now have 2 to 4 nice, clean hunks of meat.
With a typical deer heart from a white-tailed deer, a blacktail or a muley, one heart will feed two people. Maybe. A big deer will definitely feed two, an antelope only one. An elk heart or a moose heart will feed up to six. If you are a non-hunter still reading this, a pork heart is like a regular deer’s, veal heart is like an elk or moose heart, and a beef heart will definitely serve six, maybe more.
Note that I marinate the hearts. Careful readers of this site may notice that I almost never marinate meats.
Why? Because a marinade penetrates meat at no more than 1/4 inch per day. This means you’d need 2-3 days for a really good steak or a thick piece of venison backstrap. And by then the outer layer of meat will be mushy. But a day’s marinade will penetrate almost down to the center of a deer heart, so in this case it works.
Get your grill raging hot. You want a char on the outside of the heart, but the center still very much pink. A hot grill and cool meat will help you do this. So unlike most meats, which you should bring to room temperature first, in this case take the marinated hearts right from the fridge to the grill.
My final piece of advice: Undercook the hearts just a little. For whatever reason, hearts tend to go from pretty pink to icky gray faster than other cuts. And an overcooked heart is a sad thing. Dog food. Best to undercook a bit, then let the meat rest for a good 10 minutes.
If all goes well, you will be rewarded. Grilled hearts have a smoky, charred flavor on the outside, a tang from your marinade and a dense, firm texture somewhere between ribeye and flank steak. Slice thin and enjoy. Oh, and if you are serving people who might get all squinchy about eating deer heart, don’t tell them until after they’ve demolished their plate.
Grilled Venison Heart with Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 deer hearts or 1 elk, moose or beef heart
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 or 4 colored bell peppers, cut into 2 to 3 pieces each
- 1 large onion, cut into large wedges
Instructions
- Trim the hearts as discussed above. In a large bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, oregano, thyme and black pepper. Massage the marinade into the meat, put everything into a container that can just about hold everything and marinate for as little as 30 minutes, or as much as 2 days.
- When you are ready to cook, get your grill hot. Coat the peppers and onion in the rest of the olive oil and salt well.
- Grill everything on high heat. Put the hearts and veggies on the grill -- skin side down for the peppers -- and leave them alone with the grill cover open for 8 minutes. Flip everything and grill, uncovered, for 5 more minutes.
- Check the peppers and onions, and when they are nicely cooked with a little char, remove and put in foil to steam. Remove any blackened skin from the peppers.
- If the hearts are not cooked through yet, cover the grill and cook for 2 to 5 more minutes. If you are using a thermometer, you want to get the meat off the grill when it is 130°F in the center. You can also use the finger test for doneness. Tent the hearts loosely with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper and good sea salt at the table.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I grew up in Wyoming eating heart with runny eggs the day of a kill, and I continued that in Montana until I discovered your recipe for the grill. My 5 and 2 year old devour it, and I know others around me that are starting to save hearts. We did bull elk tongue for halloween, and kids were frequently grabbing slices of it as they chased through the house. I sure appreciate your site and books, and hope to run into you around Livingston on of these days.
Something I could offer for wild game readers is the way we handle lower leg meat. We stole it from some practical neighbor. We remove it and freeze several pieces together for large crock pot days. The crock pot will dissolve the difficult tissue in that meat, it can be removed, and then you can make great shredded meat of whatever variety you prefer. It surely shouldn’t be ground for the dogs, but there are many hunters who do that.
Thanks for all the inspiration.
Ever tried to cure venison hearts? That’s common in Scandinavia, particularly among moose hunters.
Kristine: I haven’t, but there is no reason it won’t work. Be sure to trim and clean the hearts, though, so you can get the salt into every nook and cranny.
I LOVE Deer and Elk hearts, well, beef too. The tongues, livers, and kidneys as well. Got to watch the Elk livers. I’ll try your recipe next chance I get.
We usually ate the liver and onions for dinner and the next morning sliced the heart, breaded it, and fried it in bacon drippings along with country potatoes or hashbrowns. Then went looking for More!
Thank you. Very good recipe. I changes the herbs, but the essence is the same
could this marinate be used to bake the heart, we like to bake it stuffed
Kim: I suppose. I never do that with hearts. Let me know how it turns out, OK?
we recently cooked a small deer heart by marinating it in soy sauce for a half day after cutting it into bite sized pieces, then coating in bread crumbs and frying in a cast iron skillet. so yummy. will try your version next time. we also really enjoyed the liver.
We made this last night with antelope heart and it was great! Just wondering, do the onions and peppers go in the marinade too? Hoping to have an elk heart to prepare this way too soon.
I made this minus the peppers with fresh cilantro, lime juice, onions, and Jack’s salsa on corn tortillas. It was fantastic. I don’t let any of my friends throw away the hearts now.
Kevin: Aim for the lungs! 😉 Seriously, if the heart is blown up, leave it in the field. If it’s just damaged, grind it for burger or sausage.
Problem is, the heart is where I usually place my shot. What do you think would be an option for a pierced heart, or exploded chamber?
John: You should be fine. I do this with thawed hearts all the time. Just put the heart in the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
Due to my work schedule I had to put the venison heart I just got into the freezer. Did I ruin it? Any special considerations on how to dethaw it? Thanks!
My family has been cooking all hearts this way since I could walk! From where I stand, this is the ONLY method!
Be careful not to slice your raw meat too thin. At a half inch, it will only take a super hot cast iron pan a few minutes to char the outside, and leave the inside pink.
Don’t crowd your pan. Heart has a high moisture content, so if you start to see too much liquid, remove some of the meat and add a little more oil. Do not be tempted to pour off the liquid, or add flour. The oil you add gets hotter than the water, and will fix your pan as long as you clear some of the meat.
I pan fried a small deer heart with baby sweet peppers and wedge onion. I following the marinade recipe except for fresh thyme for 4 hours. It was awesome — Bon Appetite!
Awesome recipe…only thing I did different was put hearts and marinade in cast iron skillet and stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes…flipped it once. Had it along side some brook trout and just picked asparagus…fantastic!
Thanks you for a great recipe. I have been eating venison heart for a long time but never like this. It is so tender and does not have the heavy mineral taste it gets when you oven roast or braise it. I added garlic and paprika to the marinade. Spot on! Many mahalos and a big Aloha!
Thanks for the venison heart recipe – this year my husband harvested the hearts of the 7 deer that were successfully hunted this year. They are like gold! We had one on Christmas day, following your marinade (and added some of our favourite flavours too).
I have to say – this was the best kept secret. Venison heart is so rich and flavourful, and tender. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Really enjoy your blog and looking for recipes for the less popular cuts of meat (tongue and liver are next)!
Happy New Year!
Tried this recipe with fresh venison hearts and it turned out wonderful. Normally I would cook the hearts in stews and soups but this just blew that out of the water. Great recipe.
Cooked the heart from a small doe. Reading your note abount not overcooking, and since Thickest piece was only 3/8 inch, only cooked it a few minutes each side. I put the peppers and onions on first, so they had more time to cook. Tasted great. Also, no gamy taste (deer from Illinois, raised on corn & soybeans). Had kidneys using your recipe. Great too. My only issue was marinating for 2 days, the olive oil became solid. Next time, i will Probably use lighter oil if refrridgating. Thanks !
Thanks Hank! I stopped my hunter/neighbor from discarding the heart from a 12-pointer and now, as the new owner of this heart, I wanted to find a recipe to do it justice and this looks perfect. I’ll let you know. BTW, your photographer, Holly, did a great job with this shot.