Organ meats - liver, heart, tongue, kidney, oxtail, tripe, and others - were once a central part of the American diet. They fell out of fashion in the mid-20th century as processed foods proliferated and whole-animal cooking became less common. Today they are making a significant return, driven by both culinary curiosity and interest in nutrient density. A good butcher shop is where you find them. Here is what to ask for.
Beef Liver
Beef liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods that exists. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Most people who say they hate liver had it overcooked - liver should be cooked to just barely done (slightly pink inside), never gray all the way through.
Ask your butcher for sliced liver (1/2 inch thick is standard). Soaking in milk for 30-60 minutes before cooking significantly reduces the intensity of the flavor. Pan-fried in butter with onions is the classic preparation.
Beef Heart
Heart is muscle, not organ in the true sense - it is one of the most worked muscles in the animal's body, which makes it dense, lean, and deeply flavored. It is widely used in South American cooking (anticuchos - Peruvian beef heart skewers - are a famous application).
Heart can be sliced thin for grilling, cubed for stew, or ground with burger blend. Ask your butcher to trim and slice it if you are new to working with it.
Beef Tongue
Tongue is a delicacy in virtually every major food culture - Jewish deli, Mexican tacos de lengua, Chinese braised tongue, Eastern European cured tongue. It requires long, low cooking (braised for 3-4 hours until tender) and peeling before serving. The result is silky, rich, and intensely beefy.
Ask any butcher with whole-animal sourcing for tongue. It is often available for much less per pound than premium steak cuts.
Oxtail
Oxtail is cross-cut cattle tail, rich with collagen and marrow. Braised for 3-4 hours, it produces one of the most unctuous, gelatinous, deeply flavored braises in cooking. Jamaican oxtail stew and Korean oxtail soup (seollongtang) are classic applications.
Oxtail has become more widely recognized and priced accordingly - but it is still excellent value relative to what it delivers on the plate.
Getting Organ Meats
Ask any butcher shop with whole-animal sourcing. For beef shares, add organ meats to your cut sheet - liver, heart, tongue, and oxtail are standard requests. Many farms include them at no extra cost or minimal additional charge.
Find a butcher shop near you on Butcher Bud and ask what organ meats they carry.