Nimrod777
Well-Known Member
Since I'm one of the rare TNDeerites that actually eat the heart, thought I'd offer a pictorial tour of the process. Interestingly, I found the photos to be much more disturbing than the actual hands-on experience, LOL!
First take a healthy, fresh deer heart. I have found that gut shooting and rear flank shooting always preserves the heart intact. As you can imagine, we eat a lot of heart.
Trim the heart. This entails removing some of the fat attached to the muscle. There is much more trimming involved with deer who own easy chairs and watch a lot of televised sports.
The heart is made up of various chambers. Begin opening up those chambers by cutting through their connecting points.
Inside the chambers you will find areas where white "threads" connect. Cut and remove.
Next, using a sharp knife, begin slicing the heart into relatively thin strips, no more than 1/4" thick.
I recommend marinating the meat. Since the heart is a strong muscle, marinades with acids can help tenderize the meat prior to cooking
I like sauteeing the meat with some onion and garlic, as well as the marinade. Don't overcook or it will not be as tender as desired.
When finished, convince your family that it is the nastiest, foulest, most disgusting thing ever. This will discourage them from wanting samples. If you cannot avoid giving them a taste, be sure to drop the bite on the floor while passing it to them. Step on it if necessary. Above all, try not to smile while eating your deer heart. It will make the rest of the table suspicious if you appear to be enjoying the dish!
First take a healthy, fresh deer heart. I have found that gut shooting and rear flank shooting always preserves the heart intact. As you can imagine, we eat a lot of heart.
Trim the heart. This entails removing some of the fat attached to the muscle. There is much more trimming involved with deer who own easy chairs and watch a lot of televised sports.
The heart is made up of various chambers. Begin opening up those chambers by cutting through their connecting points.
Inside the chambers you will find areas where white "threads" connect. Cut and remove.
Next, using a sharp knife, begin slicing the heart into relatively thin strips, no more than 1/4" thick.
I recommend marinating the meat. Since the heart is a strong muscle, marinades with acids can help tenderize the meat prior to cooking
I like sauteeing the meat with some onion and garlic, as well as the marinade. Don't overcook or it will not be as tender as desired.
When finished, convince your family that it is the nastiest, foulest, most disgusting thing ever. This will discourage them from wanting samples. If you cannot avoid giving them a taste, be sure to drop the bite on the floor while passing it to them. Step on it if necessary. Above all, try not to smile while eating your deer heart. It will make the rest of the table suspicious if you appear to be enjoying the dish!
