How to Cook Venison Heart

Last Updated: January 8, 2016

Whether you love the taste and tenderness of venison heart, or just don't want any of the deer to go to waste, you can learn how to cook venison heart rather easily. Here's how to cook venison heart on the stove using chopped onions and a few seasonings.

Do note that while eating venison heart is considered a delicacy by some, to others it may be found as saddening or offensive. As such, it's highly suggested that you serve a less controversial meat to guests (try beef or chicken), and save the heart for eating with folks who you know will be okay with it.

Ingredients

Venison heart, preferably at room temperature (this makes for ultra tenderness)
Butter
Freshly chopped onions
Salt and pepper
Optional seasonings: garlic powder, fresh chives

Steps

1
Wash the heart and remove any blood clots. One way that works extremely well to is to hold the heart under running water while squeezing it. The squeezes will perform the heart's original function, but this time to remove any blood and gunk that may be in it.
2
Slice the meat into 1" slices. From there you can cook the slices whole, or cut them into smaller chunks or dices. If you still aren't sure about eating heart, it may help to dice it so it looks less like heart, and more like normal, yummy venison.

Advertisement
3
Trim off any bits of fat. You want the meat to look as nice as you can get it.
- If you find any rough fibers near the larger end of the heart, cut those out.
4
Saute the chopped onion, a few tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add the salt and pepper, and any other seasonings, into the mass of yummy saute.
5
Add the meat into the saucepan, searing each side to a nice brown shade.
6
Cook the meat on medium-low until it's almost done, then add 1/4 cup of water to the pan. The water will not only make the hand-dish much easier, but also extract the flavor out of the pan and back into the meat.
7
Fully cook the venison heart. There shouldn't be any blood, and there shouldn't be very much reddish shade, either. Some tint of pink will remain even when fully cooked.
8
Serve! Serve by itself or with a side of mashed potatoes or potato fries. For extra fanciness, garnish with freshly chopped chives.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I pickle heart if partially damaged and selectively cut and only clean the undamaged pieces?

Community Answer

Yes, you can. You can pickle practically anything if done correctly, I would highly recommend taking caution because offal can carry disease.