While working on new recipe ideas for venison hearts last week, I was slurping a hot bowl of delicious homemade dashi, even though it was freezing cold outside.
Stumped and frustrated that I couldn’t think of a new way to utilize this delicious offal goodness, I poured myself another bowl of dashi and slumped into my chair. Then it hit me! Why couldn’t I turn a deer’s heart into its own form of katsuobushi?
In case you don’t know, katsuobushi is traditionally made from skipjack tuna and is a main component of Japanese dashi. Dashi is essentially the foundation of making a good ramen.
To prepare this with venison, you’d need the Arabushi form of katsuobushi, which is dried and smoked. The other type, “Karebushi,” uses mold to enhance flavor, but I know that’s not in most people’s interests.
The recipe couldn’t be more straightforward and is super easy, and what you’re left with is a smoky venison umami bomb.
Quickly dry-cure the venison heart, then smoke it low and slow. Then dehydrate it, and you’re done. The heart will be very firm, which is perfect for finely grating into your favorite foods.
This shikabushi is excellent grated into soups or a pot of chili for a smoky umami punch. You can also grate it into mayonnaise-based foods such as aioli, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, and potato salad. Use your imagination and try it on foods you want a rich smokiness. I’m thinking about grating it on pizza next.
More Venison recipes
Below are a few reader-favorite recipes using deer meat.
Lastly, if you try this smoked and dried heart recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing your feedback and checking out the photos of the recipes you’ve made.
Dried Venison Heart (Katsoubushi Style)
Equipment
- smoker
- microplane or fine cheese grater (for grating the heart)
Ingredients
- 1 heart (venison, beef or lamb) ,cleaned and filleted flat
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl add in all of your ingredients except the heart. Mix to combine.
- Ensure that your heart is thoroughly trimmed and that no fat remains. The heart should be filleted so that it lays in one flat piece.
- In a narrow medium sized container, pour in half of the salt and sugar mixture. Place the heart in the container. Pour the remaining mixture over top. The heart should be fully covered. If not, transfer it into a smaller container or make a half batch of the dry cure.
- Cover and refrigerate for 12-14 hours. Remove the heart from the cure and rinse the heart with cold water. Dry the heart off with paper-towels. Discard the cure.
- Smoke the heart at the lowest temperature that you possibly can while maintaining a good smoke. Ideally you want to smoke it between 150-180 degrees. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.
- Transfer the smoked heart to a dehydrator set at 150 degrees. Dry the venison heart for 24 hours. It should be very hard to the touch and not pliable at all.
NOTES
- Trim the heart completely. Open it into a single flat piece and remove all the fat before curing, so it dries evenly and grates cleanly.
- Cover it fully in cure. The heart should be completely buried in the salt-and-sugar mixture. If it is not, move it to a smaller container or make more cure.
- Cure it overnight only. Twelve to 14 hours is enough for this step before rinsing and drying.
- Smoke it low and slow. Keep the smoker as low as you can while still getting good smoke, ideally between 150 and 180 F, until the heart reaches 150 F inside.
- Dehydrate until hard. Dry it at 150 F for about 24 hours, until it is very firm and no longer pliable.
- Grate it finely to use. A microplane or fine grater works best for adding it to soups, chili, aioli, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, or potato salad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
