How to cook beef liver
Over the years, this recipe which was first posted in 2020, has been our most popular recipe of all time. It makes me so happy that folks are discovering the wonderful health benefits - and deliciousness of grassfed beef live.
I want to share the recipe that took me from a liver hater to a liver lover!
I think the world’s divided into three groups when it comes to liver:
A small minority who love it.
A slightly bigger group who have tried it and don’t like it.
A vast majority who haven’t tried it (and are convinced they won’t like it).
Which group are you in?
The reviews on our liver shopping page are a testament to the love affair many people have with liver.
I used to be in the middle group - but I recently realized my negative bias was based on two things - I wasn’t cooking it right and I hadn’t had my own Heartstone Farm grass-fed beef liver.
SHOP HEARTSTONE FARM 100% GRASS FED BEEF LIVER - Over 80 5-star reviews
So now I’m in group #1 - and I’m here to share how I now cook beef liver and why it made all the difference.
Here’s the biggest thing I can share - don’t overcook it. That right there will probably turn you from a hater to a lover. You want a bit of pink - no more, no less.
The ingredients for this recipe are bacon, milk, onions, and butter - and salt. Don’t skimp on the salt. (By the way, salt is not nearly as bad as you might have thought.)
Ingredients
1 pound Heartstone Farm grass-fed beef liver SHOP HERE
4 strips bacon
3 tbsp pasture butter
1 large onion
4 large garlic cloves
10 ounces sliced button mushrooms
Instructions
Unwrap the beef liver and lay flat on a layer of paper towels. I like to cook it and serve it sliced up.
Soak the liver in a dish or bowl of milk for 30-60 minutes. This is an important step in removing the bitter flavor from the liver.
Salt and pepper the liver generously, and leave it out at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Pat the liver dry.
Dice bacon and fry in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. When crispy, remove the bacon bits from the pan and drain on paper towels. Leave the grease and butter in the pan.
Slice onion roughly. Slice the mushrooms. You want your pieces of onion to be similar in size to a bite of liver. Saute the mushrooms and onions on low in bacon grease and butter until they start to soften but the onion is not yet translucent.
Add garlic for 30 seconds.
Put the onion, mushrooms and garlic to one side of the pan, away from heat.
Turn the heat up to medium and add the last tablespoon of butter
When the butter is melted, add half the liver slices. Cook until you start to see the edges cooking. They’ll turn from red to gray. When that border is a few millimeters thick (2-3 minutes, or so), flip them over.
Fry on the second side for another 2-3 minutes. Until you know how you like your liver, the best way to check is to cut into it. If it’s still red, keep flipping until it is just barely cooked through. You want just a tinge of pink so it’s cooked but still tender
Place liver on a platter and cook remaining liver in the same fashion.
Toss the bacon bits and smother the liver with them. Add the onions and mushrooms.
Serve!
CLICK HERE TO SHOP FOR HEARTSTONE FARM GRASS FED BEEF LIVER
