SMOKED DEER HEART
(for up to 2 hearts) Brine: 2 T. soy sauce 2 T. Worcestershire sauce 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. cracked pepper 1 tsp. McCormick Meat Tenderizer 2 cups water Dry Rub: 1 tsp. dried garlic 1 tsp. paprika ¼ tsp. cracked pepper ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. onion powder
JEREMIAH DOUGHTY
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HEART AND STOCK
In the past, when I harvested a deer, I liked to think I got as much out of it as possible. But that was until I met Jeremiah Doughty, the creator of From Field to Plate (fromfieldtoplate.com), an online resource for hunters and “organic meat harvesters.” I now realize I was missing out on some delicious meals. “I use 90 percent of my deer. I eat the heart, liver and kidneys. I take the rib meat and the tongue. If it’s a buck, I’ll even eat the ‘oysters,’ ” Doughty says. “Deer heart is one of my family’s favorite recipes. Every time I kill a deer, my 7-year-old asks, ‘Can we have smoked heart? Can we have smoked heart?’” The key, Doughty adds, is the preparation. “As soon as you remove a heart from a deer, rinse out all four valves with cold water to get all the blood out. Literally shove the faucet into the valves. You’ll see the heart color go from a rustic red to an opaque pink — that means you’re flushing out the blood clots,” Doughty explains. “When the animal dies, the heart stops, and the
blood inside starts to coagulate, which can add a liverlike taste. When all the blood is gone, pat it dry and vacuum seal and freeze it if you’re not smoking it right away. When you smoke it, pull it out as soon as the internal temperature hits 145 degrees. Cooking it higher can make it tough.” Deer bones are another often discarded deer part that Doughty goes the extra mile to preserve. After removing the choice cuts of meat, you can use select bones to create a deer broth or stock that he says will give your venison stew or winter soups an incredible flavor. For about every pound of bones, you can create a gallon of stock. “I’ll roast all my leg and rib bones with carrots, onions, celery, thyme, rosemary, all that good stuff. Then I’ll load it all into a big stockpot filled with water, add more fresh herbs, and let it simmer for about 12 hours. The final product is this amazingly good bone broth. You can go to the store and spend $4 for some organic beef stock or make two gallons yourself from parts the butcher is probably throwing away,” Doughty says. “I do the same recipe with every animal I harvest.”
Thoroughly rinse all the blood from the heart and soak in brine for 1 to 2 hours while you prepare your wood chips. Hickory chips offer a mild flavor, whereas mesquite tends to add a bitter flavor to red meat. Remember, because hearts have a spongelike texture, they suck up a lot of flavor. Prep your smoker up to 230 to 250 degrees and add the wet wood chips. Remove the heart from the brine and rinse well with cold water; pat dry and coat the inside and outside with dry rub. Place heart in the smoker and cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees (medium rare). Cooking hearts past this temperature will make them chewy. It helps to use a wireless or app-enabled thermometer so you don’t have to continually open the door and release the smoke to check the temperature. When the heart is finished, remove it from the smoker, wrap it in foil and let rest for 10 minutes to help retain juices and keep it moist and tender. Slice against the grain starting at the base. Serve and enjoy!
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