A lot of people think that eating an animal’s liver is like eating the filter out of a car, to quote Dick Gregory. If the liver is the main filter in the body, then it must hold all the toxins it removes from the blood, right? Wrong. All the toxic compounds that the liver removes from the bloodstream are broken down into less-harmful molecules. Those molecules then enter blood or bile. Toxins in the blood are cleaned out by the kidneys and leave the body through urine. Toxins in bile leave the body through the digestive system as feces. It is safe to eat and may be one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world because it doesn’t store toxic waste.
What the liver does hold on to are vitamins and minerals. Those nutrients are pulled from the blood during filtration and stored for distribution to other organs. A few ounces of liver contains the recommended daily amount of vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, and copper. It also has a lot of minerals and vitamins that are hard to find in other foods, like iron, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, and selenium. According to new information, the daily recommended amounts of vitamins and nutrients may be much lower than what the body really needs. Researchers have found a link between diets from around the world, especially those of people who are farther away from the global industrial food system, and very high levels of all vitamins and minerals and good health and a low rate of all diseases. Liver and organ meats are often staples of such diets, providing a concentrated source of nourishment.
Beef liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. It’s packed with protein vitamins and minerals like iron, copper, and vitamin A. However, it does require some special handling before cooking. Follow this guide to learn how to clean beef liver properly and unlock its full nutritional potential.
Why Eat Beef Liver?
Liver has fallen out of favor with most home cooks but it shouldn’t be overlooked. Here are some of its top benefits
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Excellent source of vitamin A – just a 3oz serving contains nearly 5 times the RDA. Vitamin A is important for eye health, immune function, and cell growth.
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High in iron and copper – vital minerals that help form red blood cells and support a healthy immune system.
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Good source of choline – an essential nutrient that plays a role in brain development, liver function, metabolism and mood.
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Extremely high in protein – a 3oz serving provides 27g of protein. Liver is richer in protein than steak or chicken breast.
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Nutrient density – ounce per ounce, liver contains more nutrients than most other foods. It packs maximum nutrition in a small package.
Key Steps for Cleaning Beef Liver
Follow these simple steps for clean, ready-to-cook beef liver:
1. Rinse Under Cold Water
Rinse the liver under cold running water. This removes any surface blood and debris. Allow the water to run over all the crevices and folds.
2. Trim Off Connective Tissue
Use a sharp knife to trim away any large connective tissue, fatty areas or discolored spots. Try to leave the liver whole if possible.
3. Slice Into Portions
For easier handling, slice the liver into smaller portions if needed. Uniform 1-inch thick slices work nicely.
4. Soak in Milk or Water
Here’s where chefs differ on technique. Some swear by soaking liver in milk or water before cooking. The soaking helps mellow the flavor and tenderize. Here are two good options:
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Milk – Cover liver portions in milk and refrigerate 1-2 hours. The milk proteins help neutralize compounds that can make the flavor strong.
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Water – For a lighter flavor, try soaking in salted water with some lemon juice. The acid helps balance the mineral taste.
5. Pat Dry
After soaking, pat the liver pieces dry with paper towels. Removing excess moisture prevents splattering when pan-frying.
And that’s it! With these simple steps you’ll have clean liver ready for cooking. Keep reading for tips on the best cooking methods.
Tips for Cooking Beef Liver
Beef liver should be cooked medium-rare to medium to prevent it from becoming tough and overcooked. Here are some easy cooking methods:
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Pan-fry – This is one of the quickest and tastiest cooking methods. Use a hot pan with some oil or butter. Cook liver pieces over high heat for 1-2 minutes per side.
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Grill – Try grilling thin liver slices over direct high heat. Cook just 1-2 minutes per side to keep interior pink.
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Braise – For ultra tender liver, braise chopped liver pieces in stock for 20-30 minutes until fully cooked but not dried out.
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Sauté with Onions – Cook chopped onions in a hot pan until translucent. Add bite-size liver pieces and sauté another 5 minutes until browned but slightly pink inside. The onions balance the mineral flavor of the liver.
Handling Tips for Older Beef Liver
The age of the animal does affect liver’s flavor and texture. Here are some extra tips for dealing with liver from older beef:
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Choose younger liver from calves or steers under 24 months old when possible. The flavor will be milder.
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Opt for a longer soak time – up to 2 hours in milk, water or lemon water. Extended soaking mellows strong flavors.
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Sauté with lots of onions – use at least 2 cups chopped onions to 1 pound liver. Onions mask the strong mineral taste.
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Use liver in dishes with lots of spices – curries, chili, tacos or other highly seasoned dishes help balance liver’s earthy flavor.
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Grind liver – use ground liver for sausages or as part of the mix in burgers or meatloaf. Mixing with other meat dilutes the intense flavor.
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Freeze for later – cut liver into recipe-size portions and freeze in an airtight container up to 4 months. Freezing can minimize any metallic flavors.
Tips for Cooking Grass-Fed Beef Liver
The diet of the cow affects the taste of the liver. Liver from 100% grass-fed beef has a stronger flavor than liver from conventionally grain-finished animals. To adapt cooking methods:
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Soak for 2 hours in milk – the milk proteins are very effective at mellowing the robust taste of grass-fed liver.
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Cook with lots of onions – use 3-4 cups of onions to balance the mineral richness of grass-fed liver.
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Add cream or lemon – finish grass-fed liver dishes with a splash of cream, crème fraiche or lemon juice to round out the flavor.
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Pickle before cooking – quick-pickle liver slices in vinegar and spices for 30 minutes before pan-frying for a tangy twist.
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Use liver powder – dry and grind into powder to easily incorporate small amounts into dishes without overpowering flavor.
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Mask with spices – highly seasoned dishes like curries and chilis can handle the stronger taste of grass-fed liver.
Incorporating Liver Into Your Diet
To gain the full benefits of liver’s incredible nutrition, aim to eat it once a week or so. Here are some simple ways to enjoy it:
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Breakfast – Fry some liver with onions and eggs for a protein-packed start to your day.
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Burgers – Add a few ounces of ground liver to your regular burger mix. You won’t even taste it.
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Secretly – Chop liver finely and sneak it into chili, pasta sauce, meatloaf, etc. Kids and picky eaters will never know.
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Pâté – Blend cooked liver with butter, spices, and wine or cream for an elegant liver pâté to enjoy with crackers.
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Liver and Onions – The classic! Slice liver and onions and cook together in a pan with garlic, mushrooms and bacon. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Storing Liver Properly
To retain the highest quality, store liver properly:
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Keep fresh liver refrigerated a maximum of 2-3 days before cooking.
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Seal tightly in an airtight container or bag. This prevents off-odors from absorbing.
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Freeze for longer storage. Liver keeps well frozen for 4-6 months with minimal decline in nutrients.
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When freezing, portion liver for recipes before packing. Individually wrapping pieces makes it easy to defrost just what you need.
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Defrost frozen liver overnight in the fridge. Do not thaw at room temperature.
Harvesting and Cleaning Liver
The liver is on the right side of the abdomen in all animals. It is attached to the diaphragm near the spine. When gutting an animal, all the digestive organs can be removed, leaving only the liver attached. You can remove it with knife or hand; it should easily come out with a few deliberate tugs. When you tear the liver, you won’t hurt it, but you will lose valuable pieces of the organ.
All monogastric animals (like pigs, bears, and humans) and almost all ruminants (like cows, sheep, goats, elk, and pronghorn) have gallbladders that make bile. Cervids, on the other hand, like deer and moose, do not. This means that when you pull out a liver from a whitetail or mule deer, you won’t have to worry about popping the small green bag that is attached to the livers of most other animals (horses, mice, pigeons, and lampreys don’t have gallbladders). When cutting a beautiful, shiny liver from an elk, pronghorn, sheep, or cow, you must be very careful to remove the gallbladder. You can cut under it or put your fingers under the small tube that connects the bladder to the duct and gently pull on the connective membrane. This method takes some practice.
To assess liver quality, check first for any significant scarring. Scars will look like starbursts or spiderwebs. The presence of scarring can occur from cysts, abscesses, or flukes, indicating a past or current infection. Large scars usually render the meat inedible, but more negligible scarring shouldn’t affect the taste or condition. A perfect liver will have no scars. Cut into some of the bile ducts and veins and look for small worms or pus to see if there are cysts, flukes (tiny parasites that live in the ducts), or infections. Discard the liver if you find anything other than blood.
To trim the liver for cooking, cut off all connective tissue and any large veins or ducts. The veins will hold on to blood, which can cause many of the unpleasant tastes that people usually associate with the liver. The thin membrane on the liver can be pulled off if desired. Taking off the membrane will make it easier to cut and cook, but you don’t need to do that if you want to grind or blend it.
Soaking liver in milk or saltwater can pull out any leftover blood and improve the flavor. I usually cut the liver into cubes or strips, put them in ziplock bags with milk, and then freeze each one. This method has proven to be much more manageable and effective than attempting to soak an entire liver.
Liver can be eaten fresh, seared quickly in a cast iron pan, and left rare in the middle. The taste of overcooked liver often discourages people from eating it again. Putting liver on my burger every week is one of my favorite ways to eat it (and get other people to do the same). You can also grind up other organs, like the heart, with liver, meat, and fat to make a quick and healthy meal.
Any liver I could get my hands on—goat, deer, pork, elk, beef, chicken—I would turn into pate. Any kind of liver can be cooked briefly with garlic, onions, salt, and spices, then mixed with butter and cognac to make a smooth paste that can be spread on a big piece of sourdough bread. With a few pickled red onions on top, you have the perfect meal. “Is life worth living? It all depends on the liver,” said William James, an American philosopher who lived in the 1800s. ”.
HOW TO CLEAN LIVER FOR COOKING
FAQ
Should beef liver be washed before cooking?
How do you cleanse liver before cooking?
What do you soak beef liver in?
How to remove blood from beef liver?
How to cook beef liver?
Place the cut slices of beef liver in the vinegar water and cover with a lid. Keep the pieces soaking for at least 5 hours. If you want extra creamy beef liver, soak the pieces in 1.5 liters of fresh milk instead of vinegar water. It’s more expensive, but this is how chefs around the globe prepare organ meats like beef liver.
How do you remove a membrane from a beef liver?
To remove the membrane, use a knife edge and your fingers. Remove a little part with the help of a knife edge. Then, use your fingers to remove all the membrane. Rinse the beef liver again after removing the membrane. Slice it into 3-inch pieces with a sharp knife. You can cut the liver in any direction as it does not have any running fibers.
How do you keep beef liver from becoming tough?
One way to prevent beef liver from becoming tough is to cook it quickly over high heat. Overcooking liver can make it tough and dry, so it’s important to cook it just until it’s no longer pink inside. This will help maintain its tenderness. Should I remove the membrane from the liver before cooking?
Does beef liver need to be cleaned before cooking?
Beef liver is a nutritious and tasty organ meat that is key to any nose-to-tail ancestral diet. Liver provides iron, protein, vitamin b12, and minerals. However, beef liver needs to be cleaned properly before cooking because it can have clotted blood inside that will taste bad. You need to get rid of all the blood and membranes before cooking it.