Get Beef Liver’s Nutrition Benefits Without the Liver Flavor

Beef liver is one of the world’s most nutrient dense foods and is full of vitamins and minerals, but it also has a strong taste and texture that many people don’t like. Here’s how to turn beef liver into cubes so that you can easily hide it in ground beef, and get liver’s health benefits without the taste.  

Beef liver is very popular among those who follow paleo, low-carb, and carnivore diets because of its nutritional benefits. However, it has a very strong flavor that many find hard to tolerate. Thankfully, it’s easy to work around the taste and still get the nutritional benefit by making beef liver cubes. 

What is liver?

Beef liver is an organ meat from a cow or steer that is loaded with vitamins and minerals. It is also known as offal meat, variety meats, or internal organs. Liver comes from the largest internal organ, and it’s found in the bellies of all animals with backbones.

A cow’s liver is an essential organ for the animal. It plays an important role in filtering the blood to remove toxins, and the storage of vitamins and minerals. A single beef liver weighs about 10 pounds, so it’s usually sold in lobes or sliced.

Beef liver vs calf liver

The term beef and calf’s liver are sometimes used interchangeably, but they’re two different cuts of beef. The difference between them is the age of the animal. Calf liver, also called veal liver, comes from animals under a year old.  Beef liver is from animals a year or older. Calf’s liver usually has a milder flavor and more tender texture.

Is eating beef liver good for you?

Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and has numerous health benefits. 

High in essential nutrients: Beef liver is an incredible source of important nutrients for the human body such as Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Iron, Potassium, Folate (Folic Acid), Coper, Riboflavin, Phosphorus, and Niacin. Eating a single, 3-ounce serving can help you meet your daily recommended daily nutritional value of vitamin A, riboflavin and niacin. These nutrients play a crucial role in overall health. 

Protein in beef liver: Liver is an excellent source of protein, an essential nutrient that helps your body build and maintain healthy tissue, including muscle, skin health, and bone. Plus, high protein foods help you feel full longer after you eat them, which can help with weight loss. A single serving of liver contains 23 grams of protein, which is more than 50 percent of the recommended daily value. 

Improved energy levels, brain function, and mood: Liver is one of the best sources of vitamin B12 of any food. Vitamin B12 is critical for the healthy function of your nervous system. If you don’t get enough, you may have low energy production and feel tired all the time. You may also have problems with memory and understanding and feel depressed, confused, or irritable. 

Lower risk of anemia. Iron is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in the U.S., iron deficiency anemia can result in fatigue, muscle weakness, and a lack of focus. Liver is an excellent source of both iron and vitamin B12, which work to keep your blood cells healthy. 

Reasons to limit eating liver

All types of liver (beef liver, chicken liver, lamb liver, etc.) are nutritional powerhouse, but the same thing that makes liver so beneficial can also create complications. Liver has high levels of dietary cholesterol and fat, and should not be part of a daily diet. Some of these nutrients can cause health problems at very high levels, especially if for pregnant women and those who have certain heart health conditions. It’s important to talk with your healthcare provider before adding it to your diet and eat it in moderation.

Beef Liver Nutrition 

Based on the USDA, a 4-ounce serving of raw, uncooked beef liver contains the following nutrients. 

• Calories:153
• Fat:4.1g
• Sodium:78mg
• Carbohydrates:4.4g
• Fiber:0g
• Sugars:0g
• Protein:23g
• Iron: 5.54mg
• Potassium: 354mg
• Zinc: 4.52mg
• Selenium: 44.9mcg
• Vitamin A: 5620mcg
• Vitamin B12: 67mcg
• Folate: 328mcg
• Choline: 376mg
• Retinol: 5590mcg
• Vitamin D: 1.36mcg
• Vitamin K: 3.5mcg

Where to buy beef liver?

Beef liver can be purchased from a variety of places such as a local farm, butcher shops, grocery stores, and/or local Farmer’s Markets.

How to Cook Beef Liver

This blog post is all about NOT cooking liver. However, if you don’t mind the taste of liver, the best way to cook it is with quick cooking methods, like pan-searing. This technique is used for recipes like the popular liver and onions. 

How to Hide Beef Liver in Ground Beef

You may be thinking, “Why hide liver in food when you can purchase a beef liver supplement?” That’s true, you can get a beef liver capsule, but there is no way to guarantee the quality of the nutrients in a store-bought supplement. Making cubes is the best way to get liver’s essential vitamins and nutrients, without tasting liver’s strong flavor. 

Liver cubes are very easy to make. The full recipe is below, but in short, you will puree liver and then freeze the liver puree in ice cube trays. Add 1 liver cube to 1 pound of ground beef. As long as the ratio is 1:1 (1 liver cube to 1 pound of ground beef), the liver flavor is unnoticeable.

• If your liver is frozen, be sure to refrigerator thaw the liver. Because you will be refreezing the liver, the meat must be refrigerator thawed to be safely refrozen. (learn more about safely thawing and defrosting meat here)
• Soak liver in milk for 1-2 hours to help remove liver’s bitter flavor.
• Cut into smaller chunks, and puree in a food processor or blender.
• Spoon 2 Tbsp of liver puree into each ice cube compartment for 1 ounce liver cubes.
• Freeze the puree in the ice cube trays. To use, add 1 liver cube to 1 pound of ground beef.

Cook the ground beef as you normally would in a large skillet and break into crumbles. The liver will dissolve into the ground beef crumble mixture. These cubes work in any beef recipe, but they’re especially great for dishes that use sauces or spices in the meat such as sloppy joes, taco meat, stuffed bell peppers and chili.

More Beef Liver & Offal Recipes

• Liver and Onion (2 different ways)
• Beef Tongue Tacos (Beef Tacos De Lengua)
• Pickled Beef Tongue

Favorite Kitchen Products

• Meat thermometer
• Skillet
• Ice Cube Tray

One More Thing!

Do you want to learn more about beef? Here are a few other beef posts and recipes you may like. Plus, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a farmers perspective.

• Dry rub or marinade for steak? Know what’s best
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Beef Cuts
• Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter
• How to choose the best cut of steak (Top 4 cuts)
• Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
• Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter

We have a weekly e-newsletter where we share about farm happenings, when our next beef availability is, and all things beef. When you do, you’ll get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer.

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