Kokanee Quinn discovered a gem of a recipe – pan-fried deer heart! If you’ve never tried cooking this wild delicacy, you’re in for a treat. Here is how to turn this underrated cut into something mouthwateringly good. Get ready for a whole new take on your wild game cooking!
After you clean and trim the heart, pat dry with a paper towel and place the pieces on a cutting board and tenderize them using a meat tenderizer.
Now using a sharp knife, score both sides of each deer heart cutlet by making shallow slashes about an inch apart. This will help the meat absorb the flavors of the salt and pepper. It will also encourage a nice brown crust, as well as preventing the thin cut of meat from curling and distorting in shape during cooking over extreme high heat.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and place a large cast iron skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes until it’s smoking hot. Turn on a stovetop burner to medium-high heat.
Generously season the venison heart cutlets with kosher salt and black pepper.
Using an oven mitt, carefully remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven and place it on the hot stovetop burner. Add the canola oil to the skillet, carefully swirl it around to coat the pan, and then add the deer heart cutlets. If you are using a bigger heart from an elk or moose you’ll need to cook the meat in batches – don’t overcrowd the pan.
Let the venison heart cutlets sizzle for about 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip it over and cook about 2 more minutes. This is a quick cook so the meat is tender and juicy!
Press down gently to ensure even contact between the meat and the pan. When the meat has developed a dark brown crust on both sides, add the butter to the skillet, swirl it around to coat the meat, and immediately remove the skillet from the heat. After the meat soaks in the butter for 1 minute, transfer it to a cutting board and tent lightly with foil. Let rest 5 minutes. The meat will continue cooking after being removed from heat.
When ready to serve, thinly slice across the grain of the meat.
Serve immediately with your favorite sides such as sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes and gravy, sauteed mushrooms, or asparagus.
