AIP / Paleo Organ Meats and Offal Recipe Round-Up – Liver Pâtés, Meatballs, Burgers and more! - A Squirrel in the Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What are the easiest organ meats to eat? ›

First, start off easy, with cuts such as heart and tongue, which have a familiar muscle texture and many easy recipes.

Not only is liver a good-for-you ancestral superfood, it's also cheap (because people are afraid to eat them), in an easy to absorb bioavailable form and so delicious. Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world.

Pate is traditionally made with liver, and mixed with wine and spices until it's cooked down into a spreadable texture. It can also be created with liver or other parts of pork, venison, chicken, fish, duck and other game, and even created with veggies on occasion.

Excess vitamin A and iron: Consuming too much vitamin A can cause birth defects. As organ meat contains high amounts of vitamin A, people who are pregnant should avoid it. Organ meat is also loaded with iron, which can be a problem for those with an iron overload disorder.

Liver: Liver is the detox organ. It's also the nutritional powerhouse of organ meats and sometimes referred to as “nature's multivitamin.”

Nevertheless, organ meats have high nutrient density–more than muscle meat on a pound-for-pound basis. Most popular organ meats come from beef followed by lamb and mutton organs which are extremely tender ( especially from lamb).

Just a quarter pound of kidney fulfills the daily recommended amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12, as well as copper, niacin (a form of vitamin B3), folate, biotin, iron, and selenium. And the nutrients in organ meats (and all meat) are more bioavailable than in vegetables.

Rich in nutrients and proteins, kidney meat contains omega 3 fatty acids. It is also known to contain anti-inflammatory properties and to be good for the heart.

What meat is a superfood? ›

NUTRIENT DENSE RED MEAT

So what qualifies it as a superfood? Compared to many other meats, ostrich is a better source of vitamins and minerals. Zinc: A 100-gram serving of cooked ostrich meat provides around 4 milligrams of zinc, over 30% of the recommended daily value.

To support these crucial detoxifying organs, eat more broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and beets; antioxidant-rich cranberries and blueberries; and get healthy fats in oily fish, nuts, avocado and olive oil.

While liver sausages are generally filled into casings, liver pâté is primarily filled into some sort of mould. As the name indicates, liver is commonly incorporated into these products while other types of pâté consist of meat and fat material only.

Some of the most popular types of pâté in France include pâté de campagne, made with pork, pâté de foie gras, made with duck or goose liver, and pâté en croûte, which is baked in a pastry crust.

For beginners, Daguin recommends pâté de campagne as a "pâté 101." This country-style pâté is traditionally made with coarse ground pork meat and pork liver with garlic, parsley and sometimes onion, rosemary and clove, making it a savory and easy intro to those unfamiliar with pâté's often unique texture and flavor.

Lean cuts of meat like skinless chicken, turkey, and fish are easier to digest than red meats due to their low fat and fiber content. Salmon is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining heart health.

“Hide” offal in foods you already love.

You can enjoy the health and cost- saving benefits of organ meats without having to taste them if you don't want to. Chop up some heart and liver and add it to ground beef (or have your butcher premix it for you). It's generally recommended to use a 4:1 beef-to-organ ratio.

Liver and kidneys are probably the most widely available offal and are as simple to cook as a steak, but far less expensive. For a milder tasting offal, look for heart, sweetbreads or tripe. It isn't always easy to find brains, hearts, trotters and tails, either, as supermarkets rarely sell the more challenging cuts.

Shank. Shank is arguably the toughest, cheapest cut of beef. Located in front of the brisket at the cow's forearm, this beef cut is notable for its sinewy dryness.