Is this gross or primitive?

Question

My buddy calls me a gut eater, but I was hunting with a bunch of guys for over 15 years. One of the traditions is to save the heart, liver, and sometimes kidneys for camp. That night we cook them (all chopped up) on a wok like disc, with onions, bell peppers, and seasoning. We make burritos, with tortillas and they are delicious. so sweet and tender. It was always done.
I no longer hunt with those guys, but I still save the liver & heart in a baggy (gallon size) after I kill my deer.
My new hunting buddy thinks I'm primitive and gross and calls me a gut eater.

Answer 1

We had some very prominent hunters from Mexico come and hunt antelope at our ranch years ago. They even brought their own chef. When I was at the hunters lodge the chef had been preparing antelope heart and told me it was a special treat which I had never before tried. I couldn't believe it but the taste of the meat was incredible and have had heart on many occasions since. The others organs I have not tried and most likely won't.
Sounds like you make a mean fajita in your hunt camp. Mm Mm good!

Answer 2

Well, I am a gut eater, too. I feel sorry for him because he doesn't know what he is missing. Have you fixed any and let him taste it? We used to fix the heart in a similar fashion but did not include the kidneys. I never could get the kidneys where I could eat them. They always tasted like pee. Maybe we didn't have the right recipe. The liver we used to slice it up and flour it and fry it. We had a recipe for the ribs, too. Not much meat but they were delicious. We just seasoned them with Tony Chachere's seasoning and wrapped them in foil and put them on the coals of the camp fire. After about 30 minutes, we would take them off and put them on a grill over the coals to finsih cooking them. We'd just eat them like a snack with a few beers around the camp fire.

I know how you feel because I always wanted to try frying the deer brains but the rest of the bunch drew the line at that. I guess they would be okay but I never got to try them. I sure do like fried calf brains and eggs and I think deer brains should have the same taste. Have you ever tried them?

Answer 3

The less you waste the better! Deer heart is one of the better tasting parts of the animal. I have heard cautionary statements about eating the liver so I steer clear of that. If I had the know how, I would use every possible part of the animal. In all fairness to your buddy, you are a gut eater and primitive(most hunting should be) but those should be considered compliments.

Answer 4

Next time your friend call you a gut eater explain that chitterlings or chitlins are the guts! LOL!
When we by a whole Turkey or Chicken at the store there a paper bag inside the bird's cavity. It usually have the neck, liver, heart and maybe gizzard. Many people use these to make their giblet gravy. May ask your buddy if he like giblet gravy, if he say yes. Give him a hug and say; "It good to meet another gut eater. ;-)
When I was young I loved the chicken heart battered and fried. Not had that in many years. My mom would always fry it for me when she made fried chicken.

Answer 5

Personally I don't care for the heart or liver, due to the taste. But I would save them if I could give them to someone who would use them. It is always a good idea to use as much of the animal as possible. The organs are also some of the most nutritious parts of the animal. Keep eating.

Answer 6

In my eyes if your new hunting friend thinks its gross, then he is not a true hunter.
There edable and are great eating, show your kill some respect and waste nothing.
I had deer liver the other night, love it.

For you lot who are not from the uk like i am, may i make a suggestion.
look up a guy called
Hugh Fernley Wittingstall's and River Cottage .
he is a tipical country man who will teach you a thing or 2.
Its a tv series thats shown on british tv, i think alot of you may like it

Answer 7

Tell them that those organs have been considered a delicacy since ancient times. Early mountain men learned from the natives how fantastic they were when prepared correctly. Whenever I harvest a deer, I always place the heart and liver in two separate baggies, and they go straight to my moms house. She has always loved them, and I always save them just for her.

Answer 8

Aw, man, it's a regional/cultural thing.
Some people in some places commonly eat innards.
It's not gross - but to someone from outside those areas/cultures it might indeed seem that way, untill they become educated to these realities.

For instance:

In Scottland, "haggis", is damn near a national delicacy.
Haggis, is a sheeps stomach stuffed with meat and barley.

In Spain, beef hearts are fixed any number of ways. The heart, is an excellent piece of meat. Very healthy.

In the deep South of the US, folks eat "chitlins". These are pig intestines.
The fried ones don't look too offensive, but they also eat 'em boiled!

Tripe of all sorts are eaten all over the world.

Your local supermarket likely carries beef liver, veal liver, and chicken livers and gizzards and canned pork brains as well. They wouldn't carry these items if someone didn't eat them.

The Thalmus glands of a cow are referred to euphamistically as "sweetbreads", and sold for premium prices at specialty stores around the world.

You're not gross, man, it's just a thang.
(next time he says anything about it, tell him,
"I know......Aren't I just OFFAL?"

Answer 9

If you like it eat away. Nothing wrong with it. We save and use the heart but don't care for the liver, if we know someone who does we will give it to them. We like to boil the heart and then pickle it and eat it on crackers. The more you can use from the animal the better. Keep eating away.

Answer 10

Much more hard core than I am, I'll eat the liver but that's about it. My Grandpa was like that too, he would eat all that stuff in a stew and would even eat calf brain on crackers on Sundays at the local tavern. As a kid you can imagine how much that grossed me out when I had to go get him. More power to you, better to eat it than waste it. If your buddy thinks your primitive and gross, just growl at him and do something gross. :)