How to Prepare and Cook Beef Liver

Several cuisines use beef liver in various recipes, and it’s an excellent choice for making a quick and delicious dinner with bold Hispanic flavors. Traditionally, cooking liver requires slicing it into strips or diagonal slices that can cook quickly, helping minimize the risk of overcooking the meat. If you overcook liver, it will develop a tough and grainy texture.

The appropriate cook time for a beef liver will depend on the size of the meat and your cooking method. If you are cooking a whole liver in a skillet on medium to high heat, it should be ready to eat within ten minutes. You can shorten your cooking time by slicing your beef liver into small pieces before cooking.

Note that beef liver tastes best when cooked rare to medium-rare. Since a raw liver has high water content, you have to cook it rapidly with medium to high heat. If you try slow cooking a liver, the meat will become dehydrated, leading to tough fibers and dry, chewy meat.

Cook liver and other organ meats until they reach a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Several beef liver recipes are available, and each one has its unique benefits. If you want to learn how to cook the organ meat to perfection, follow these proven tips:

Pat the liver dry with a paper towel before submerging it in whole milk, buttermilk or red wine in a covered container or resealable, plastic bag. Let the liver marinate in the liquid for 30 to 60 minutes in your fridge. The liquid will tenderize the meat and help minimize the liver’s mineral taste.

Take the liver out of the liquid marinade and cut it into quarter-inch slices. Season each slice lightly with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. You can use any other seasonings you like to achieve your preferred flavor. Place the seasoned liver slices in a hot skillet with some oil on the bottom. Pan brown the liver in the skillet with sliced vegetables like peppers and onions. Check out a full recipe for making Sautéed Liver here.

You can also cook beef liver by slicing it up and dredging it in seasoned flour, and then seasoning it with salt and black pepper. Place the floured liver slices in a hot sauté pan with some oil on the bottom and pan-fry the slices until they turn golden. You can then simmer the fried liver slices in a red wine sauce or another rich sauce. Click here for a complete Liver in Wine Sauce recipe.

Another beloved Hispanic beef liver recipe is Hígado Encebollado – Mexican liver and onions. The recipe is easy to make and requires very few ingredients. Start by slicing and seasoning your beef liver with salt and pepper. Place your seasoned liver slices in a skillet with hot canola oil. Cook the liver for four minutes, then take the slices out of the skillet.
Put your sliced onions in the skillet and sauté them until translucent. Then, add your liver slices back into the skillet, stir with the onions, and turn off the heat. You can serve your beef liver and onions with rice or plantains. Check out another full Liver and Onions recipe here.

Our final beef liver recipe is Colombian Liver with Creole sauce. Cooking the dish requires marinating liver slices in vinegar, pepper, and cumin for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain the marinated liver slices, then sauté in a pan with butter, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. After cooking, you will have a delectable sauce and tender beef liver that you can serve over white rice.

Click here to find where to buy beef liver from Rumba Meats.