Here at Buckwheat Hollow Farm, we strive to produce the best pasture-raised meat products we can. To ensure everything is top-notch, we test our products regularly. (This may be my personal favorite part of the whole farm experience. 😉 )
One particular family of products that we hadn’t tested prior to this year is one that was a little intimidating: goat organ meat. After conducting some research and collecting several recipes, we gathered our courage and jumped in.Â
Liver
I’ll start with the organ meat we tried the most yet liked the least: goat liver. (Note: You cannot currently find liver in our shop, but if you’re interested in when it will be available, please contact us!)
We have some experience with chicken liver– in our house it’s general viewed as “edible” when we soak in buttermilk, bread, and fry it. (But honestly, what isn’t edible when you fry it?) Since we don’t enjoy the spongy texture of smaller livers, we anticipated not enjoying the texture of larger ones, and unfortunately, we were correct.
Knowing that many traditional Jamaican recipes use goat meat, we started with a recipe we knew we loved with chicken (Jamaican Curry Chicken) and substituted in cubed liver pieces for some of the chicken breast (left). The flavor was amazing, but the consistency was still not enjoyable. Despite the myriad of different meat and veggie textures in the curry, the liver was easy to pick out.
Our next thought was: “Maybe we can change the texture!” We found a recipe for beef liver pate that we thought we would like…and once again, we did not (right).
Thankfully, our farm sitting family came over the next day. They love liver and thought the pate was great, so we sent the rest home with them to be enjoyed. Kathryn shared with us that she had recently been told that massaging the liver prior to cooking it helps with the texture. I’d love to know if this method has worked for you, but I may have a mutiny at the dinner table if I try serving liver again!
Tongue
Next, we attempted the second most familiar “organ” to us: the tongue. (Note: This is also not currently found in our shop, but if you’re interested in when it will be available, please contact us!)
We have never cooked with tongue before, BUT we do know that one of the marks of an authentic Mexican restaurant is having tongue (lengua) on the menu. Since we love Hispanic food, I found a recipe for goat tongue tacos for us to try.
The recipe was super helpful for a novice (for instance: I would’ve never known to peel the tongues after they were cooked); although, I did make a few changes. The main alteration was the addition of venison since we only had two tongues; I also used a slow cooker instead of braising them (because I couldn’t babysit a pot that day).
The texture of the tongue was slightly softer than that of the venison, but I may just have noticed because I was looking for it. On the whole, we enjoyed these and would definitely make them again!
Kidneys
Then it came time to tackle the kidneys. (Note: We currently have these in stock if you’d like to try them yourself!)
My first instinct with these was to put them in the crock pot and use them for some type of curry. Upon conducting MORE research, I found a recipe for grilled kidneys that we decided to try instead.
To start, I had to cut these in half and clean them. It was a little intimidating with the first one, but I quickly found that it wasn’t very difficult if you use a sharp set of kitchen shears. Two snips and each kidney was cut in half; two more snips and the tough inner bits were removed.
I marinated these as directed, except I used dried sage instead of fresh. (So I also had no fried sage leaves to garnish the finished product with.)
When it came time to cook these guys, I quickly heated up my cast iron skillet, added some butter, and tossed them in. The directions said 1-2 minutes each side; I used my meat thermometer and cooked each one to the medium-rare temperature for beef: 135°.
When each half was done, I let them sit for a couple minutes before slicing them in about 1/2″ thick pieces. (You can see the beautifully pink color in the final image.)
We enjoyed these pretty well. The texture is in between the sponginess of liver and the chewiness of muscle (i.e. what one would consider “regular meat”). Our friend Naomi who tried these with us liked them so much that we sent the few leftover pieces home with her.
If I were to make these again, I think I might do a better job of blotting the kidneys before cooking them or perhaps marinate with a different vinegar. The balsamic flavor was a little strong for my liking.
Heart
Last but CERTAINLY not least, we tried the heart. (Note: This is also not currently found in our shop, but if you’re interested in when it will be available, please contact us!)Â
As with the kidneys, my instinct with the hearts was to slow cook them well and season them heavily. I am so glad I did some research first! I came across a recipe for grilled heart that is just to die for.
Thankfully, these hearts were already trimmed, so all I had to do to prepare them was salt and pepper both sides and leave them uncovered in the fridge to “dry brine.”
To cook them, I heated up a cast iron skillet, added some butter, and tossed them in. I monitored them with my meat thermometer, pulling them off at the medium-rare temperature for beef: 135°.
After I let the hearts rest, I sliced them into strips so we could all have a few pieces. They were beautifully charred on the outside and perfectly pink in the center.
The most important part, though, is that these were delicious. Even the pickiest of us all (*cough* Ryan *cough*) enjoyed it tremendously. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised us, given that the heart is the only organ that’s also a muscle, but it tasted just like steak. (And, just like steak at our house, it was gone in no time.)
This organ is at the top of our list to eat again when we have a chance. If fact, the next birthday girl has casually asked if we might be processing another goat soon “because if we are, I could have that for my birthday dinner!”
(By the way, you should DEFINITELY be contacting us right now because this is one organ that’s too good NOT to try…even if you may have to arm wrestle some Poe kids for it…)
On a Related Note
It has been an adventurous few months researching and testing recipes for these goat organs; we consider ourselves blessed to have had the opportunity to do so. Before I close this post, I did want to include one other “lesser known” goat product that we’ve tested this year: goat bones.
In many ways, bones are bones are bones, so there’s probably a good chance that these are the least intimidating item I’ve mentioned here. If you make stock, try these. We have been quite pleased with the flavor in soups (you may have seen our recipe for Buckwheat Hollow Farm French Onion), and sick friends have found it soothing as well.
Have you tried organ meats? If so, how did you make them? If not, what would you be willing to try? Let us know your tips and thoughts in the comments below!
2 Responses
You inspire me – first with your and your family’s adventuresome spirits, then your research work! Way to go adventurous-eating Poes!
Thanks, Natalie! We’re sorry you missed out on the tacos though- maybe next time. 😉