This pickled deer heart recipe adds a bright mix of vinegar and pickling spice to the meat, making it taste great. When it comes to meat, organs are some of the healthiest parts. If you were lucky enough to catch a deer this season, this easy pickled heart recipe is the best way to enjoy it.
I understand, pickling venison heart is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type thing. Growing up, my dad always pickled his deer hearts and I was always too repulsed to try it. But my tastes have changed since then, and I now understand how special this treat can be. That’s why I made my own pickled deer heart recipe to honor my dad’s favorite treat.
Deer heart tastes slightly sweet, with a rather firm fine-grained texture. It doesn’t have as strong of a flavor as liver or other organ meats, so it soaks up all the flavors of the pickling brine perfectly. This recipe is a great way to get people to try venison heart, and it could become a new tradition for you every hunting season.
Canning pickled beef heart at home may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite easy and rewarding! As a long-time canner and pickled beef heart enthusiast, I’m excited to share everything you need to know to make delicious homemade canned pickled beef heart.
Beef heart is an underappreciated cut of meat that is packed with nutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. It has a wonderfully robust, meaty flavor. While fresh beef heart only lasts a few days in the fridge, pickling allows you to extend the shelf life for months or even years.
The pickling process infuses the beef heart with tangy acidic flavors while tenderizing the meat. Once canned, pickled beef heart is shelf-stable at room temperature until opened. The finished product is perfect for adding unique flavor to salads sandwiches, tacos, and more!
Step-By-Step Instructions for Canning Pickled Beef Heart
Canning your own pickled beef heart is simple once you know the steps. Here is an easy 10-step guide:
1. Select Fresh Beef Heart
Start with two to three pounds of raw, fresh beef heart that you bought within two days. Pick hearts that are bright cherry red and have very little fat or connective tissue. Rinse under cold water and pat dry.
2. Prepare Your Canning Jars and Lids
Wash 4 pint-sized mason jars and bands in hot, soapy water. Place the jars in a large stockpot of simmering water for 10 minutes to sterilize. Leave them in the hot water until ready to fill. Boil the lids in a small pan of water for 5 minutes to soften the sealing compound. Remove and set aside.
3. Slice the Beef Heart
Trim any excess fat or membranes from the beef heart. Slice the heart into long 1/4-inch thick strips, then cut into 1-inch cubes. Add them to a large bowl.
4. Make the Brine
You will need 3 cups of cider vinegar, 1 cup of water, 3/4 cup of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of peppercorns, 4 cloves, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. Pack the Jars
Tightly pack the cubed beef heart into the sterilized pint jars. Pour the hot brine over the meat, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles. Add more brine if needed to cover the meat.
6. Seal the Jars
Wipe the jar rims with a clean towel. Place the heated lids on top and screw on the bands just until fingertip tight – do not overtighten.
7. Process the Jars
Put the jars that are full in a pressure canner that has two to three inches of water at a slow boil. Lock the lid and heat to 10 PSI. Start timing when it reaches pressure, processing for 75 minutes at 10 PSI. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to drop naturally.
8. Cool and Set Sealed Jars Aside
Carefully remove the jars from the canner, avoiding sudden temperature changes. Allow them to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check the seals by pressing on the center of each lid. If it flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate any unsealed jars to consume within a few days.
9. Label Sealed Jars
For the properly sealed jars, wipe them clean and label with the contents and date. I like to decorate mine with cloth jar bands and handwritten labels.
10. Store the Canned Pickled Beef Heart
Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place like a pantry for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening, using within one month. The pickled beef heart is now ready to enjoy!
Tips for Delicious Pickled Beef Heart
Follow these tips for the best results when canning pickled beef heart at home:
-
Choose fresh, high-quality beef heart free of odor. Discard any discolored portions.
-
Cut the beef heart into uniform 1/4-inch slices for quick, even pickling. Cubed works well too.
-
Simmer the sealed jars for a full 75 minutes to eliminate any risk of botulism.
-
Use non-reactive equipment like stainless steel pots, tongs, and ladles to prevent off-flavors.
-
Add pickling spices like peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves to the brine for extra flavor.
-
Store sealed jars below 75°F in a cool, dark spot to maintain quality and texture.
-
Refrigerate after opening for food safety and best quality. Use within one month.
Serving and Enjoying Pickled Beef Heart
The possibilities are endless when it comes to using your homemade canned pickled beef heart! Here are just a few serving ideas:
-
Slice it thin and enjoy on crackers or charcuterie boards.
-
Dice and add to potato, egg, or pasta salad for a protein punch.
-
Chop and mix into pâtés, meatloaf, or burgers for depth of flavor.
-
Skewer for hearty kabobs or tacos with onions and peppers.
-
Shred and pair with bbq sauce for unique sandwiches or pizza topping.
-
Cube it into hearty soups, stews, and chili recipes.
How to make it
To start this deer heart recipe, make sure there is enough water in a large pot to cover the heart. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add one sliced onion along with one tablespoon of pickling spices and the deer heart. Boil heart for approximately 30 minutes, or until the heart is fully cooked.
Put the second medium-sized saucepan on the stove and add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, and the last tablespoon of pickling spice. Let it cook while the heart cooks. Set the pan on low heat and let it stay low for 10 minutes, or until the sugar and salt are completely mixed in. Then remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
When the heart is done, put it on a cutting board and cut it into quarter-inch slices that are easy to chew. Any tough bits found inside the sliced heart valves can be trimmed off and discarded.
So that the quart jar is full, put layers of raw onion slices and deer heart slices on top of each other. Cover the heart and onions with brine. Make sure a garlic clove and a lot of pickling spice get into the jar.
How to clean deer heart
For the best tasting deer heart, you are going to need to clean it properly. This is really easy to do. Cut off any veins, vessels, connective tissue, or other stringy parts that are still attached to the outside of the heart with a sharp knife. This is the first step in field dressing your deer.
Most likely, the top of the heart will have a hard fat cap on it. This won’t taste very good. Cut off the entire top portion of the heart and remove it. You should now be left with a fairly clean-looking heart.
The final step is rinsing out the heart. Run it under cold water while squeezing the heart in pulses to expel the water. Initially, the water will come out red as it cleans out any leftover blood. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear, then drain heart of water.
Tip: You should also run your finger inside the valves to make sure there aren’t any blood clots there. This would be discovered while boiling or slicing, but it is best to remove it in advance.
- Deer heart—This recipe can also be used with other types of wild game, beef heart, or deer meat cuts like deer tongue.
- Pickling spice—You don’t have to use pickling spice, but I like how my blend of spices makes things taste better. Using storebought pickling spice is fine too.
- Yellow onions
- You can also change the taste by adding white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
- Water
- Brown sugar can be used for a darker taste instead of white sugar.
- Garlic cloves
- You can leave out the red pepper flakes if you don’t want any heat.
- Kosher salt
- Quart jar
Pickled Beef Heart
How do you Pickle a beef heart?
Remove the beef heart from the pot and allow it to cool on a cutting board while you prepare the pickling solution. Mix a few cups of water, 3 cups of vinegar, 1 cup or less of sugar and 4 teaspoons of salt in a medium-sized pot.
Is pickled beef heart good?
Pickled Beef Heart is very good and high in protein. The heart is nothing more than a muscle. I know this probably will gross some people out, but I was brought up to try all kinds of food and I love heart. Although I am pickling it, unpickled heart can also be added to many other dishes.
How do you cook a beef heart?
Three ounces of beef heart is only 140 calories with 24 grams of protein. Rinse the heart in cold water removing any blood. In a large pot place one Tbsp of salt, the heart (cut into two pieces) and water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for about two hours with a lid. Wash a quart jar and lid with hot soapy water and rinse.
How long does it take to pickle beef?
Skim the fat off the top of the pickling fluid once it cools. Pickle your beef within two days of purchase. As with all raw meat, keep beef heart and its juices away from all other food. Wash your cutting board, knife, countertops and hands thoroughly with hot soapy water when you are finished.