Ideas for making liver more palatable?

[HoneyBadger]

I'm still new to this raw meat thing but feel that my favorite meats tend to be cuts of beef or fatty fish like salmon or tuna.  I bought a beef liver and was able to get some of it down mixed with lots of sauerkraut. The texture is what really gets me. Just feels really slimy and it's very bloody. I don't mind that it's bloody so much as the texture that accompanies it...

Are there any ways to make it more palatable or ways of eating it that would better disguise the texture?
I could use any and all suggestions because I have this huge chunk of good-quality beef liver sitting in my fridge and know it's good for me!lol

[cherimoya_kid]

Some people swallow tiny pieces, and wash it down with some water. I usually eat it in very small chunks. But be careful about your liver sources. Grassfed isn't always truly grassfed.

[HoneyBadger]

I've read here that WholeFoods is accepted as having a good source of grass-fed beef, that's where I got it from. It is very fresh looking, I just have a never-ending fight with textures ha. Anyhow, I like the idea of just swallowing some tiny pieces VERY much! How many little pieces can one safely have on a daily basis? Does it just vary?

[goodsamaritan]

Choose from different sources, different animals.

I get to choose which liver to buy in the wet market.

The butcher knows what a healthy, young liver looks like... and you will taste the difference.

Getting old sick livers is a bad idea. 

If it tastes bad, I don't eat it.

[TylerDurden]

WholeFoods is way too expensive, imo. Most people generally  start with fresh, raw (grassfed)meats, then  try the raw organs. After a while, one goes in for raw wild game meat, then raw organs from wild animals, and finally "high-meat". The thing is raw animal foods  are much richer in taste and smell than cooked animal foods, so it takes getting used to. In the meantime, CK's suggestion is a good one, perhaps you could add some raw  herbs as well?

[cherimoya_kid]

Try an ounce per day or so. See how that works.

[HoneyBadger]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.  I agree that WholeFoods is entirely too expensive BUT good-sourced grass-fed beef is EXTREMELY difficult to come by down here in Southern LA and my usual farmer that I do get my beef from was gone on vacation and I NEEDED meat lol. So WholeFoods it was as it's the closes healthfood store we have down here.

I am glad to hear that it will take some time to acclimate to raw organs. I was hoping it would get easier with time and it sounds like it will.  I really still like the idea of swallowing tiny pieces like pills or something, think I'll try that first! Thanks for the suggestions!

[TylerDurden]

Obviously, we all have to make compromises at times. I should add that the LA Rawesome club that Aajonus Vonderplanitz for some reason disrupted is now being put together again in AV's name. I received an e-mail from somebody trying to set up some sort of raw food cooperative for RVAFers like us. Cannot find the e-mail as yet, though...

[HoneyBadger]

Tyler-I would love some more info on that raw food coop if you get any more information in the future! Sounds awesome!

[ys]

Put it in the freezer so that it gets a little frozen but not rock hard such that you can still cut it with a knife.  Cut it in small cubes.  When it is hard like that you do not feel slimy texture.

[HoneyBadger]

YS- GREAT IDEA!!! I'll try it! Thanks!!!!

[TylerDurden]

Tyler-I would love some more info on that raw food coop if you get any more information in the future! Sounds awesome!

Well, it was in the process of being set up. I am clearly on an emailing-list of some sort so will no doubt receive further e-mails when it is finally in place.

[sabertooth]

I also love Icy liver.

I often freeze fresh in order to preserve the living enzymatic properties that seem to deteriorate rather quickly after the animal is slaughtered. Then when ever I get the craving, partially thaw out a small portion, cut it into cubes, and eat it while its half frozen. Very refreshing, especially in the summer.

It may take some time before instinct will be able to direct you toward your optimal organ meat intake. I would recommend sampling small amounts from a wide variety of sources in order to help build the experience needed to discern good liver from bad.

There is a lot of Grass fed liver on the market which taste absolutely horrid when compared to others, (regardless how its eaten), while there have been liver like from my Arizona beef which taste sweet and creamy like fleshy candy.  In order to develop an adept tongue I think its necessary to experience a wide variety of sources, during the initial phases of adaptation, while making sure not to over indulge in meat from one particular source, until your taste have evolved to be better able to make more certain of the quality.

[ys]

I've found the best tasting liver has very firm texture, almost crunchy-like (esp in smaller animals like deer, goat/lamb).  The mushier the texture the worse it tastes.

[eveheart]

My shopping options are similar to yours, as I'm in the SF Bay area. I detest the taste of the grass-fed beef liver that is available here. It tastes like bitter (old) blood. It's factory-sliced very thinly and frozen into easy-to-handle "tiles" that thaw and cook swiftly.

I switched to lamb, which I buy at independent halal meat departments in Persian or Lebanese markets, even though it's not my culture. I like to know where my meat comes from, and the halal markets always seem to know the ranch and its feeding practices. You might even find a good ranch (visit eatwild.com) and buy a whole lamb direct. I keep my meat prices under $10 pound this way.

I have sourced seafood, too, by finding a good wholesaler that sells direct to the public or venturing into the Korean or Vietnamese fish departments in my area. Keep your eyes open in those markets for other delightful surprises, like one Korean market that had photos of a particular farm, which turned out to be the exclusive organic grower for this two-market chain, and they carry all sorts of delicious vegetables that I've never seen before. This farm-to-market practice results in produce that is as fresh as a farm stand. You'd better believe that WF warehouses their "fresh" produce in temperature- and humidity-controlled settings for you'll-never-know-how-long because they trim off the wilting parts.

[HoneyBadger]

Sabertooth-I really like the idea of trying out different types of organ meats and waiting for tastebuds and senses to fully evolve so I can better select what my body really wants/needs at the time. I also love the idea of freezing it and cutting off cubes to eat like that...great idea. Currently putting my liver in the freezer!

YS-I would definitely describe the texture of my beef liver as you described...kinda firm and crunchy but the slimy part comes soon after putting it in my mouth. It tastes fresh but the entire texture in general still makes my stomach turn a bit

Eveheart-I really wish I had as many options available as you when it comes to seafood. There are not many...if any Korean or Vietnamese fish markets in my immediate area. Seems I have to drive an hour or two to find anything like that. The South in general is not very health-oriented when it comes to food and the city I live in has NO healthy options aside from the grass-fed beef I obtain from a local, trusted farmer Sad, sad day. 

[ciervo-chaman]

I do personally think that if you don't like a food. You don't have to eat that.

Why would you?

If you don't enjoy your food you must find a food you enjoy. If you dont enjoy food, you will overeat and overtax your body (with other foods after). If you enjoy, you eat right amounts without weighting anything.

[Iguana]

I do personally think that if you don't like a food. You don't have to eat that.

Why would you?

If you don't enjoy your food you must find a food you enjoy. If you dont enjoy food, you will overeat and overtax your body (with other foods after). If you enjoy, you eat right amounts without weighting anything.

Very true!

There can be exceptions, though. For example I couldn't even taste liver, it was somehow repulsive to me. I feel it's probably because I loathed the smell of the cooked liver my mother used to cook. Then GCB advised me to taste a very small chunk of the liver he was eating. I couldn't eat more than that, as a first try, but the next day I started to like it and I ate a somewhat bigger piece. So, in a few days, I guess my body had multiplied the necessary enzymes and thus I became found of liver.