Bloody Offal: The Culinary Use of Organ Meats
Today we will open up and take a look inside our tasty animal friends
At first scent I was disgusted, the thick dank aroma drifted out of their kitchen and through the apartment complex, it smelled internal if you will. I thought to myself, what is that odor and why would anyone eat something that smelled like that?
As the day went on the odiferous scent faded a bit and then transformed into something stout, something sturdy, something that I might want to try. I couldn’t get past the idea that whatever this was, it had started off by smelling so bad that I wouldn’t have touched it with a ten-foot pole and now I wanted to put it in my mouth, chew it up, and swallow it.
I had finally tracked down where the now pleasant scent was coming from and had gained the courage to ask what this was. This was my first introduction to a soup called Menudo, and the smell that initially wafted through my olfactory senses was the smell of tripe being boiled until tender. I had tried offal before but not like this.
Menudo is a delicious Mexican soup made of tripe (A cow’s stomach lining), and hominy. You can read more about Menudo in a previous piece called,
Tastes Great, looks Terrible!
In 2018 Netflix released a show called “Ugly Delicious” featuring Chef David Chang, founder of Momofuku Noodle Bar. In this eight-part series, he explores foods that aren’t necessarily pleasing to the eye yet taste amazing. Some of the best-tasting dishes in the world could fall into this category, they may taste and smell great, but they are damn ugly.
Many ancient cultures that walked this land before I did would regularly consume the organ meats of an animal, and according to the Liver King, the organs are some of the first parts of a freshly killed beast that are eaten after a hunt.
The American palate doesn’t seem to favor offal as much as it once did, but it is however making a comeback on some menus with such dishes as Liver and Onions, Oxtail Stew, and Beef Cheek Barbacoa. Here is a great way to do Beef Cheek Barbacoa Tacos,
Sweetbreads are a type of offal whose name has always puzzled me. I don’t know how the meat of the Thymus and Pancreas gland got to be called sweetbreads, after all who wouldn’t want to sit down to a nice meal of glands. Fictional character, Hannibal Lecter had an affinity for sweet breads of a different kind, the human kind.
Rocky Mountain Oysters are another deviously named piece of Offal. These “Oysters” are commonly grilled or deep fried but I guess calling them bull testicles would have been a bit too medical. I have never had the opportunity to try these tasty testes but I will try anything once, so bring on the bull balls I guess, why not.
Hog maw is a traditional dish made from the stomach lining of a pig. It is a popular dish in some regions of the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania Dutch country, and other parts of the Northeast.
The term "hog maw" specifically refers to the stomach of the pig, which is thoroughly cleaned and then typically stuffed with a mixture of potatoes and pork sausage but may include cabbage and onions. Like I said before, if somebody makes food for me, no matter what it is, I will try anything once.
There is definitely some questionable offal out there, you could say that these are the kind of ingredients that need some special attention to make them delicious. When this type of ingredient is treated properly it can develop great character and depth of flavor.
As I mentioned above oxtail stew is delicious. Oxtails come from the tail section of beef cattle and become extremely tender and buttery when braised for hours in a slow oven with carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Throw a little beef stock, tomato paste, and red wine in there with a bouquet garni and you’re good to go.
Liver and Onions are another great old-school preparation of this offal ingredient. This is probably the most popular way to consume this organ, slices of liver are lightly dredged in flour and fried quickly in a cast iron pan then that liver is topped with a generous amount of caramelized onions.
The next time you see a pack of beef liver at the grocery store, grab it and then go ahead and get yourself some onions and get to work. Don’t be afraid of beef heart or kidneys either, they won’t bite that hard and you never know, you just may find that sort of thing interesting.
Having lived on a farm, we raised and consumed much of the meat we ate. My mother cooked heart,liver,sweetbreads, testes,brains ( my favorite of organ meats ),as well as chicken heart and gizzards. Once only, she made head cheese, of course from a pig's head. As I recall, head cheese was a lot of work and I didn't care for the finished product. I don't remember her ever cooking tripe. Also, she refused to cook kidneys. She had no desire to boil the pee out of them.
Bring on the bull balls!