[Foodie Friday Recipe] Paleo Beef Heart Chili

This Paleo beef heart chili recipe is a great way to enjoy this delicious and nutritious type of meat…

As we discussed on Monday, an often-overlooked food source in today’s modern world is organ meats. While many cultures do still enjoy these nutritious parts, most people in the U.S. are not familiar with them and likely have never tried them. Traditional cultures have consumed most of the animal when eating meat, including organs, ears, skin (in some cases), and even feet.

However, today’s wasteful food system in the Western world usually produces only muscle cuts for human consumption, which is a shame. Not only does this practice contribute to the problem of food waste, but it also deprives us of some of the most flavorful and nutritious parts of the animal! (Just be sure when choosing your organ meats that they came from grass-fed animals, not conventionally raised, as toxins, antibiotics, and other unwanted substances can accumulate in the organs.)

Paleo eaters may be familiar with organ meats, but if you’re not, the heart (which is actually a muscle) is a great place to start. When properly cooked, it is like a very dense, tender, and flavorful cut of steak! Keep in mind that beef heart can take a long time to become tender, so the best way to cook it is generally in some type of stew, such as the hearty beef heart chili recipe below:

Paleo Beef Heart Chili

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:
1 Beef Heart (Grass Fed)
2 lbs Ground Beef (Grass Fed)
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
Chopped Tomatoes (48 oz.)
Olive Oil
Tabasco (to taste)
2 Tbl Chili Powder
1 Tbl Cumin
Few dashes Paprika
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Cut up the beef heart into cubes.
• Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat and cook the beef heart cubes until lightly browned.
• Remove the heart and place in a pot or glass bowl on the side.
• Add more oil to the pot and cook the onions and peppers for about two minutes.
• Add the garlic. Cook for another few minutes.
• Add the 2 lbs of ground beef. Cook thoroughly.
• Add the tomatoes. Stir to combine everything.
• Add back in the beef heart, and the Tabasco and all the spices. Stir to mix thoroughly.
• Cook at a simmer for a few hours (or really however long you can wait until eating it!).
• Make sure to stir throughout the simmering process, and add spices to taste.

Recipe Source: RobbWolf.com