By David Draper

In a Wild Chef post from last Valentine’s Day, I mentioned hunters today didn’t seem too keen on keeping the heart. Boy was I mistaken as I’ve since had several heart-centered Food Fight submissions, including two this week.

Matt Fox’s Grilled Venison Heart

This whitetail heart came from a kill this fall.  Marinate the heart for at least I hour in 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of each: oregano, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.  Grill for 5 minutes on each side so there is a cool red center.  Slice thin and serve. Served with mushed pumpkin and green beans.

Jdwood’s Heart Pinwheels

I recently shot my first deer, and my girlfriend said I'd better not come home without the heart.  She first stuck the heart in a brine solution for a few hours to help get some of the blood out, then cut the valves off and filleted the heart open. She then stuffed the heart, rolled it up and wrapped it in bacon. Couple toothpicks to hold it all together and slice it into four pinwheels. Dropped it into a fry pan for a few minutes on each side and served with a side of broccoli and sweet potato.  Oh and of course who could forget a nice cold beer on a cool November day in Wyoming.

Thanks to Matt and Jdwood for contributing. Let’s see if we can get some more heart, and other offal, photos for future Food Fights. If you have some to share, or good photos of any fish or wild game dish, send them, along with a short description, to fswildchef@gmail.com.

Comments (5)

from MaxPower wrote 27 weeks 1 day ago

Man those look tasty. I just moved and was happy to find out my local butcher can get me beef heart, it's not wild game but it's still good.

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from maynardtl8 wrote 27 weeks 1 day ago

What did she stuff the heart with for the pinwheels?

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from jdwood wrote 27 weeks 14 hours ago

Simple Stove-top stuffing, I believe it was the chicken variety. You only need to make half a box, and you should have a little left over.

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from Gtbigsky wrote 27 weeks 10 hours ago

Interesting. I have heard many people rave about heart but I havent tried it yet. I have always been a little freaked about eating organs like , heart tongue liver or kidneys. I think I am going to expand my horizons and try heart sometime soon.

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from MattM37 wrote 26 weeks 5 days ago

Pickled deer heart is a tradition in my family, loved best by my big brother Mike. And it's funny how things work out. This year was the first in his adult life that Mike didn't hunt, after he had a heart attack back in August and will have bypass surgery this month. I shot a buck on Opening Day and berated myself for not making the best shot I could have, through the heart. Instead I took him through the lungs and he ran a ways ... not a bad shot by any means, but I still hate it when I don't put them right down, for their sake more than mine. But when I field-dressed him and found a nice whole heart to give to my brother for pickling, I felt a lot better.

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from MaxPower wrote 27 weeks 1 day ago

Man those look tasty. I just moved and was happy to find out my local butcher can get me beef heart, it's not wild game but it's still good.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from maynardtl8 wrote 27 weeks 1 day ago

What did she stuff the heart with for the pinwheels?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jdwood wrote 27 weeks 14 hours ago

Simple Stove-top stuffing, I believe it was the chicken variety. You only need to make half a box, and you should have a little left over.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Gtbigsky wrote 27 weeks 10 hours ago

Interesting. I have heard many people rave about heart but I havent tried it yet. I have always been a little freaked about eating organs like , heart tongue liver or kidneys. I think I am going to expand my horizons and try heart sometime soon.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MattM37 wrote 26 weeks 5 days ago

Pickled deer heart is a tradition in my family, loved best by my big brother Mike. And it's funny how things work out. This year was the first in his adult life that Mike didn't hunt, after he had a heart attack back in August and will have bypass surgery this month. I shot a buck on Opening Day and berated myself for not making the best shot I could have, through the heart. Instead I took him through the lungs and he ran a ways ... not a bad shot by any means, but I still hate it when I don't put them right down, for their sake more than mine. But when I field-dressed him and found a nice whole heart to give to my brother for pickling, I felt a lot better.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.