Meat · Offal

Beef heart

Lean, dense beef organ meat with a steak-like taste; sliced thin for anticuchos or slow-braised.

Also called: ox heart, corazón de res, corazón de vaca

Around the world: corazón de res (es)

A kind of beef

1 recipe with it

Photo: donza, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-4.0)

What it is

Beef (ox) heart is a large, dark red muscle that tastes more like lean steak than like liver or kidney. It is very lean and firm. Before cooking it is trimmed of the outer fat, valves and tough sinew. Peru's anticuchos are skewered marinated beef heart.

How it’s used

Anticuchos (grilled skewers with ají panca)
Thinly sliced and seared quickly
Slow-braised or stuffed
Minced into burgers or chilli with other beef

Characteristics

Taste: Beefy and mineral, mildly gamey.
Texture: Firm and dense; chewy if overcooked at medium heat.
When cooked: Either cook very fast and hot (thin slices, medium-rare) or very slowly for hours; anything between is tough.
Sold as: fresh, frozen
Cooking uses: Commonly cooked, Suitable for grilling
Common in: Peruvian, Colombian, Mexican, British, Polish

Storage

Refrigerated. Offal is more perishable than muscle meat: keep cold and cook within a day or two, or freeze.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

Food-safety guidance for whole cuts of beef, lamb, veal and pork is 63 °C (145 °F) in the centre followed by a 3-minute rest; slow-cooked cuts are taken far higher for tenderness.
Store raw meat sealed on the bottom shelf of the fridge and keep separate boards for raw meat and ready-to-eat food.