Like all organ meats, heart is high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. If you’re curious about what makes this offal particularly good for you, check out Organ Meats 101.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 275 degree F
• In a large skillet over medium-low heat, slowly cook bacon–flipping often to ensure even cooking–until crispy. Set cooked bacon aside on a plate, reserving all the yummy fat in the pan.
• Turn up heat to medium and add onion, mushrooms, garlic, and spices to the skillet. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add spinach and bacon, cooking until spinach is wilted.
• Get three strands of butcher’s twine ready. I like to use strands that are about as long as my forearm, which gives me plenty of extra length.
• Now it’s time to start handling the heart! It might look a little… scary… at first. But don’t worry, your butcher should have already trimmed it of creepy stringy arteries and what not. All you have to do is lay it flat on a cutting board with the fatty side down.
• Take your sautéed goodness from the pan and spoon it on the heart. Reserve extra for topping your dish later.
• Starting at one end, simply roll the heart up and secure with butcher’s twine. I use one string lengthwise and two strings crosswise.
• Add another dollop of cooking fat to pan and up the heat to high. Sear the beef heart for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until a nice golden crust forms. After searing, transfer heart to the oven and cook uncovered for 22 minutes per pound of heart. So, cook a 3lb heart for 66 minutes. Be very particular about the timing! I’ve definitely undercooked the heart going 20 minutes per pound and overcooked it at 25 minutes per pound. 22 minutes per pound is the sweet spot.
• Remove from oven and tent loosely with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved onion/mushroom/spinach/bacon topping.
• FYI: The inside of the heart remains bright red, even when overcooked. So don’t be alarmed by its rare look and put it back in the oven. Overcooking makes the heart extremely tough.