Creative Ways: How to Cook Beef Heart
As a unique ingredient, how to cook beef heart properly to make it present a delicious taste worthy of praise requires us to explore carefully.
What cooking methods are suitable for beef heart?
Braising
First, wash the beef heart, put it in cold water in the pot, add ginger slices, scallion sections and cooking wine to scald and remove the fishy smell, and then take it out.
Put an appropriate amount of old braising soup in the pot. If there is no old braising soup, you can use spices such as star anise, cinnamon bark, cassia leaf, pepper, fennel seed, fruit of Chinese prickly ash and dried chili pepper, add soy sauce, salt, rock sugar and water to boil.
Put the beef heart that has been scalded in water, turn to low heat and braise slowly after boiling at high heat. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to braise until the beef heart is cooked through and flavored.
Take out the braised beef heart and cut it into slices for eating. The braised beef heart has a mellow taste and a firm texture.
Stir-frying
Cut the beef heart into thin slices, marinate them evenly with light soy sauce, cooking wine and starch for a while.
Prepare side dishes such as green pepper, red pepper and onion and cut them into small pieces.
Pour oil into the pot. When the oil is hot, put the marinated beef heart in the pot and quickly stir-fry until it changes color and take it out.
Leave a little oil in the pot, put in minced garlic and ginger slices to fry until fragrant, and then add the side dishes for stir-frying.
Then pour in the fried beef heart, add an appropriate amount of salt, chicken essence and light soy sauce and continue to stir-fry evenly. The stir-fried beef heart is delicious and goes well with rice, which is quite delicious.
Stewing
Cut the beef heart into pieces first. Put it in cold water in the pot and add cooking wine, etc. to scald it in the same way.
Heat another pot, pour in oil, put in ginger slices and scallion sections to fry until fragrant, add the beef heart pieces and stir-fry them a few times.
Pour in an appropriate amount of soy sauce to color, and then add water that covers the beef heart. Add an appropriate amount of star anise, cinnamon bark and other spices. Boil it at high heat and then turn to low heat and stew slowly. It takes about 1.5 hours to stew.
You can add side dishes such as potato and carrot for stewing according to your preference.
The stewed beef heart is soft and flavorful, and the soup is rich. It is suitable for eating with rice or noodles.
Roasting
Cut the beef heart into evenly sized pieces, mix and marinate them with salt, black pepper, olive oil, light soy sauce and other seasonings for about half an hour.
Put the marinated beef heart on the baking tray, put it in the preheated oven, set the temperature to about 200 degrees, and roast it for 20 to 25 minutes, turning it over appropriately during the process.
Roast until the surface is golden brown. The roasted beef heart is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique flavor. It can be eaten as a snack or eaten with vegetables.
How to clean beef heart?
When you just buy beef heart, rinse the surface with clean water first to wash away the blood and impurities completely. Peel off the film and fascia on the outside carefully. Otherwise, it will taste bad when eaten.
Cut the beef heart in half. There are some blood vessels and white tendons inside that need to be cleaned up. Use the tip of the knife to pick out the visible blood vessels. The tendons also need to be removed. Only in this way will it not be too tough when stir-fried.
Put the cleaned beef heart in cold water and soak it for about 20 minutes. Change the water once in the middle. This can soak out the remaining blood. After soaking, rinse it with clean water again.
The last step is scalding. Put it in boiling water and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes. When the water boils again, you can take it out. When scalding, you can put some ginger slices in it to remove some fishy smell.
Is it OK to eat beef heart rare?
It's not okay to eat beef heart in a medium-rare state. Beef heart belongs to internal organ ingredients and is prone to breeding bacteria and parasites. It must be fully heated to be safe.
The temperature of cooking beef heart should reach above 70 degrees, and it should be kept for a certain period of time to ensure it is fully cooked. Generally, it's safer to stew for more than 40 minutes. The color of the meat will change from bright red to brown.
Some people think that the beef heart cooked through will become tough in taste. In fact, as long as the heat control and seasoning are mastered well, the beef heart cooked through can be very tender and smooth. The key is to stew it with low heat slowly, and the seasonings should be strong enough.
Does beef heart taste like beef?
Similarities
Beef heart has the same unique meaty aroma as beef. After all, it is a part of the beef body. When it is braised, stewed and other cooking methods are used, it can also emit a mellow fragrance similar to beef. This strong aroma of meat is presented more obviously after cooking.
Differences
The texture of beef heart is more compact and chewy than that of ordinary beef. And its own taste is relatively light. Unlike beef with rich and distinct flavor, the taste of beef heart is more pure and simple. It often needs the help of appropriate cooking methods and seasoning to make its taste more intense and attractive.
How to choose fresh and high-quality beef heart?
The most crucial thing for choosing fresh beef heart is to look at the color and smell: choose the one with deep red and luster. The surface should be clean without spots. It should have elasticity when pressed. It should have no abnormal smell when smelled.
There will be a layer of film on the surface of fresh beef heart. This film should be complete and without damage. Press it gently with your hand. The meat should be firm and tough without mucus. If gray-white or green spots are found, it means it is not fresh.
Is beef heart high in cholesterol?
The cholesterol content of beef heart is quite high. It contains about 130 to 150 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams. This is much higher than the cholesterol content of ordinary beef. However, compared with pig liver and egg yolk, its content is lower.
If you are worried about cholesterol problems, you can remove the blood vessels and fat on the surface of beef heart before eating. This can reduce the intake of cholesterol to some extent. Usually, you should also pay attention to controlling the intake of other high-cholesterol foods and maintain a balanced diet.
