5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.
Ian Knauer is spending most of his time these days developing recipes for his upcoming cookbook based on his family’s farm in Pennsylvania where he hunts, keeps a garden and a bee hive. (You can follow along on his blog, "Big City Country Boy.")
He honed his cooking and writing chops at 'Gourmet' magazine from 2001 to 2009, where he co-hosted the magazine’s award-winning television series, 'Diary of a Foodie,' and the most recent show, 'Adventures with Ruth.' He wrote extensively for 'Gourmet' and Gourmet.com until the close of the brand in late 2009.
If you’re eating at a table with Ian, there’s a strong chance he’ll serve you something as delicious as it is strange.
5 Unlikely Animal Parts You NEED To Learn How To Cook ... 'Cause They’re Awesome: Ian Knauer
1. Chicken hearts
“You’ll find chicken hearts at almost every butcher’s counter (if not they can order them for you). They’re super-cheap, and when grilled, they taste like meat candy. In South America, you’ll find them skewered, sprinkled with coarse salt and grilled until they’re just pink on the inside. Every single person who tries them becomes an instant convert.”
2. Beef tongue
“The only gross thing about tongue is that it looks like a big ol’ tongue. Oh, and you need to peel it. But, that’s the fun part too. Buy a tongue, put it in the pressure cooker with 1-inch of beef stock and cook for 30 minutes. (Or do it this way as tacos.) Let it cool, peel it and serve slices on sandwiches, crostini or chopped up in a ragoût. The meat is silky-soft and absolutely chock-full-o-flavor.”
3. Monkfish liver
“This is a surprise to a lot of folks, but monkfish liver is like the foie gras of the sea. If the fish guy has monkfish liver, I’m buying it. Seared in a little butter, it has a rich flavor and texture and makes a perfect first course with some pickled shallots or a lemony-jalapeño slaw."
4. Turkey gizzards
"Gizzards are the unchewable tough bits that are shoved into the hole of the Thanksgiving bird (chickens have them, too). You could add them to the gravy, but a much better use is to confit them. Once you’ve collected a few (freeze them as you come across them), salt them and cover them with fat in a pan (olive oil works, so does duck/chicken/turkey fat) and let them simmer for one and half hours. Sliced thinly, they have a super-soft-yet-meaty texture and a very mild flavor.”
5. Testicles of any kind
“I’m not even joking; balls are creamy and delicious. Recently, I found some lamb balls at the butcher, but I’ve cooked deer, calf and goat balls all for surprised, happy dinner guests (albeit, a little timid at first). Peel the sack away, pierce the membrane and roast. Whether you want to them slice and fry the bits is up to you, but their texture is so cloud-like (think sweetbreads, but smoother) and their flavor so mild that they pair well with just about anything. Those lamb balls were the star of a spring salad of beets, beans, shallots and mache. Awesome.”
Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.
Man those sound good if i was they kinda guy who skinned cheeks off people or hunted deer to steal there tendons for a spaghetti. Yeah. but no lie the hearts might be good
Living in Cleveland, i have the great pleasure of being in very close proximity to 4 Michael Symon restaurants. He loves offul and cooks it very well. Beef Cheek Perogies at Lola are a dream and Breaded and Fried Chicken Livers at Lolita are fantastic. i've never tried to cook them before, though.
I will use turkey innards to make the double-rich broth that is part of the stuffing at Turkey Day (made outside of the bird, for safety's sake) but I don't cut them up to include the stuffing. Those innards have to be from a proud bird raised organically. But I don't throw them away, I chop them up and offer as an appetizer for the kitties, they love it, makes them purr!
The rest of the list is just gross. Gross gross gross!
I see one raging socio here...I wonder if Ian was one of the causes of Gourmet's demise...Ian Testicles with broccoli. I'll toss the testes, but at least he'll know how it feels. All I see is a braggart showing off non physical prowess by way of gun..what happened in this guy's youth? He can sadly cook all the parts he wants of unsuspecting souls, but I know something went on...people don't do this for true pleasure...This is a payback for what happened to him earlier in life. The countryside can be lonely and scary.
Oh please! Give me a break. There is nothing fundamentally "wrong" with hunting or being proud of your kill. You assume the kill was made with a gun but most of the hunters I know much prefer hunting with a bow–which is far more challenging. Animals are not people. I have just hatched out 9 baby chicks, each one of them is a cute as can be but I know some of them will end up in the stew pot–its called survival of the fittest. And seriously, a plant is a living thing too, but nobody has a problem chopping them up and cooking by method of choice. I'm tired of it already. If you dont want to eat meat, for what ever reason–good for you. Now leave the rest of us alone.
Can you challenge yourself with something other than a bow? Great online grad programs or PHd programs exist...There's a challenge! How about protecting animals and wildlife? Equally challenging...Maybe try it?
Exactly! Meanspirited people seem only to be happy when being contentious and rude. I applaud you for using sustainable food in creative and nutritious ways, without being wasteful. The few intelligent conversations on here I've seen agree that we need to respect others' views, not slam them. I hope that more people read this and think about trying more organ meats and non-traditional parts, they are a wonderful culinary and cultural experience.
Somehow I doubt it – a killer is a killer. Bloodthirsty isn't just an expression. Anyone who will gleefully drink the blood of a dying animal whose throat he has just slit is not to be trusted around children or other vulnerable ones. Hunters with grinning death skulls on their wall and a psycho-killer look in their eye as they hold a severed head in their hand – probably should be under observation by a good psychiatrist.
I have never asked these questions so directly...Do you feel any pain or remorse knowing you might be killing the mother of fawns waiting for food (or any other animal protecting/feeding its young)? You must know animals feel pain. What makes you think that because you have a gun or bow/arrow that you have the right to kill? Because you can or because you want to? Does this make hunters feel powerful? Would you consider not killing and taking the side of animals to live their lives?
Cooking a whole hogs head underground is one of the most rewarding cooking and eating experiences I have ever had in my life. Details and instructions on how you can do it yourself are here.
Boiled cow testicles are called "soup number 5" in Luzon Province in the Philippines. In Colorado you will find them on some restaurant menus defined as “Rocky Mountain Oysters”.
Its good to see people embracing offal. America as a whole seems to be a little more squimish that the rest of the world when it comes to eating the whole animal and because of that many are missing out on the best textures and flavors. It has always puzzled me that we can eat one part and not the other, that muscle tissue is delicious but organ is not. hopefully this trend continues and the dietary habits of Americans loosen up a little.
I grew up in a hunting family, have absolutely no problem with responsible hunting, and have enjoyed many wonderful meals of wild game. HOWEVER, I find the choice of image for this story to be completely inappropriate and disgusting. I totally agree with many others that a picture of a bloody, mangled deer head is upsetting and seems misplaced given the context of the story. Use better judgment, CNN.
I'll partially agree with you.
I disagree about the "mangled deer head", it doesn't appear mangled to me. Removed from the body, but that is what one DOES when preparing a carcass for food. Remove the head for separate processing. Remove the organs for the same deal.
Me? I toss the head, too much work getting the face meat (such as is in scrapple), brain is too fatty for me to tolerate. Couldn't care less about the horns.
But THIS image, it appears that CNN is doing their level best at demonizing hunting. Skull framed in the antlers, blood splattered face on the buck (happens when butchering, but yellow journalism at its worst.
Years ago, when I was growing up, my mother used to buy chicken gizzards and hearts (she could get them packaged together), and slow cook them all day long in a crock pot, with some chicken stock (broth). Served with some steamed veggies, makes for a tasty meal!
One time, when she was buying them in the grocery store, the checkout lady looked at the package, and asked what they were. Mom told her they were chicken gizzards & hearts, to which the checkout lady then asked, "Oh, are these for your CAT???" Mom just smiled, and said, "No, they're for my FAMILY", which caused a hilarious puzzled expression on the checkout lady's face!
After a trip or two to a burger or taco stand, you've probably had most of the stuff mentioned here & more. Not to worry. Basic human design includes an array of organs devoted to digestion and toxic waste elimination. That system enables an omnivorous diet and enhances survival . That's why we can get away with eating all that crap. For a while.
I am a meat eater – but I am disgusted by that picture. It's one thing to think you're clicking on an article about cooking, then to see that is horrible, disrespectful and inappropriate. You should be ashamed of yourself. And don't give me a lecture about where meat comes from. I get it.
I think its good every once in a while to see a picture or piece of art that may give me a negative reaction. I mean, isn't that the point of art? Does everything have to make you feel good, or just be there for the sake of having a picture with an article? Would you of rather seen some food porn with a plate of delicious looking testicles sprinkled with parsley? If you are disgusted by the picture – then good. If you are not disgusted by the picture then – good. If you don't know how you feel about the picture then – great! People would not be talkign nearly so much on here if the picture was something neutral – that is the point – it adds a whole dimension to what the blog post is all about – the realities of meat – which is to say that it involves killing an animal that is more than just a ribeye.
Meat eater here. No issues with eating animals. BUT–Posing for a picture with the dead animal is idiotic. Shooting an animal and eating it is fine. Acting like you did something spectacular that requires a pat on the back and a picture is silly. After all a dear is just walking around looking for food.
Again, kill them all you want, the population needs to be controlled, but really, is it a proud moment that requires a picture.
Why shouldn't someone take your tongue and heart out, cook them as described in the article and eat them? You are not above the other species. In fact your stupid and ignorant comment shows how unnecessary you are in this world (you are bringing the average global intelligence down!).
I've entered Socio Nation...Wow. The number of people displaying their lack of concern for animals that feel pain and suffering is a sad state of affairs. I've entered the disgusting zone of our country. Ugh.
It takes a special kind of vegan to check out an article called "5 animal parts you NEED to cook". Specifically, it takes the kind who is on a crusade. If you want to convince me that you're the more moral person, you can start by not being a jerk. If you're looking for a fight in order to treat people badly, I have a hard time agreeing with you when you try to claim superior morality. It just seems like an excuse to be horrible to people.
Frankly, if you think we should be eating fewer animals, clearly it makes sense that the people who eat animals should eat all the parts of the animal. I know, you think we should all go vegan. Many of us can't, or won't (I've been told by my doctor that I can't handle a vegetarian diet).
My diet is mostly vegetarian, but only because FACTORY farming is unnatural on principle and revolting in practice.
I will gladly eat meat (organs, gizzards, and all) from local/organic/sustainable sources, or when hunted from stable populations. I hope articles like this help Americans in becoming accustomed to making use of the ENTIRE animal, as is common in most cultures throughout the world. Please keep in mind the sustainability of our food sources, and don't be wasteful when an animal has died for your sustenance.
How egregious to see a human being have complete disregard for innocent creatures who do not exist to satisfy people's ignorance, selfishness, and true stupidity. This man makes me embarrassed to be an American.
If you don't eat meat, then come to a food blag about eating meat!!! Also, don't complain when you go to a restaurant and they don't have anything that you can eat! Jerks...
Eat larger animals if you must eat animals. If you do you will not be killing or contributing to the demise of so many lives if you don't eat smaller sentient beings. Senient beings like ourselves. You may think it doesn't matter because there are so many anyway, but it absolutely mattered to each one that is murdered for you..
Cow cock soup is the best soup for men. It is the most natural Viagra that your doctor won't tell you about. And you can get it to buy in the butcher shop. Just ask for cow cock. Been around for years. Ask the men from the Caribbean Islands!
When the day comes that food can be grown in vats, constructed by nanoassemblers, or otherwise made in such a manner that it was never at any point alive, I will happily switch to that. Until then, the fact is that EVERY SINGLE THING WE EAT relies at some point on the death of a living thing, whether in the harvesting, in the growing process, or at any other point. Since there isn't any justifiable distinction between killing one living thing and killing a different living thing, regardless of the scale of the organism, the only honest way to deal with it is to accept that we all kill in order to live and simply seek to kill as little and as cleanly as possible, without wasting a death by killing unnecessarily.
And the angel of the lord came unto me, snatching me up from my place of slumber. And took me on high, and higher still until we moved to the spaces betwixt the air itself. And he brought me into a vast farmlands of our own midwest. And as we descended, cries of impending doom rose from the soil. One thousand, nay a million voices full of fear. And terror possesed me then. And I begged, "Angel of the Lord, what are these tortured screams?" And the angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots! You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust." And I sprang from my slumber drenched in sweat like the tears of one million terrified brothers and roared, "Hear me now, I have seen the light! They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers!" Can I get an amen? Can I get a hallelujah? Thank you Jesus.
Life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on........
Aw, don't spill the beans on beef tongue. I won't be able to get it cheap at the supermarket. What he didn't tell you though is when you boil the tongue it looks like a foot in a ballet slipper that's been chopped from the leg just above the ankle.
I swear, I almost puked 5 different times when reading this. You could not possibly pay me to eat ANY of those things. YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!
I learned to love chicken hearts and gizzards as a child. My mother also prepares beef liver with bacon and onions to die for. The most important thing is choosing the right cuts at the store in the first place. I wouldn't mind trying tongue sometime, as long as someone else prepares it. It would turn me off to see it in its raw state. I don't know if I could knowingly eat a testicle without the gag reflex kicking in. I guess it is all in the mind.
I enjoyed the article. I have had spiced tongue which was delicious, hearts and gizzards from all sorts of fowl have been some of my favorites for many years (dove hearts are particularly tasty), haven't ever had any liver that I found palatable, and have never been anywhere that testicles were being served, so no opinion there. All the fixation on the opening photo is pretty hilarious. I have never understood how those who eat meat but don't hunt see themselves as somehow morally superior (vegetarians and vegans are another matter, absolutely no use in even talking to them). Those who know who Nimrod was would logically conclude that I might be among the fraternity of those who hunt and fish, and they would be right. I have harvested deer, rabbits, nilgai antelope, feral hogs, ducks, quail. and my personal favorite dove (yummy!!) We brethren of the outdoors have done more to ensure the preservation of our natural areas and native wildlife than all the vegans, tree huggers, and peta members combined. We pay license fees, we pay taxes on all hunting and fishing equipment (look up the Pitman Robertson act), we join organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Quail unlimited which raise millions for the preservation of critical habitat. We go to college and get degrees in wildlife/fisheries sciences and spend lifetimes attempting to unravel the unbelievably complex relationships involved in natural systems. I know plenty of hunting/fishing men AND women who are MENSA members, engineers, doctors, college professors, and so on. Articulate, thinking, well educated people who enjoy the outdoors, and see no moral superiority in allowing others to kill things so that they can eat. Hunters and fishermen (women) are the lions, tigers, wolves, those who are unwilling to harvest their own meat are the jackals and vultures. I prefer to live as a lion.
No, we are the kings who enjoy the fruits of your labor. Since we can pay you meat gatherers to serve us, why should we get our own hands filthy with blood? Oh, and thanks. Keep up the good work.
My mom's family are farm people, so I grew up eating liver, gizzards, heart, kidney, mountain oysters (testicles), etc. Her parent's generation ate them because you didn't waste anything. I made them for my family because they are delicious and not terribly expensive. My children (now grown) see them as a bit of a delicacy.
Someone wanna tell me why a feature image of a bloodied, milky-eyed, severed deer head is relevant to an article on a food blog, on an article that doesn't list anything from deer? :P
I developed a taste for beef tongue ("lingua") while hanging out with some of my Mexican friends. You get the beef flavor and it's very tender and easy to chew. No grissle. My capricious son got me to try calve's testicles (fried) as a dare...Tasted a little like sausage...Oh, and BTW, another name for them is "Mountain oysters." Just so you'll know.
Whoever spoke of not wanting to eat the brains of a cow because of the risk of mad cow disease is way way off on their thinking. Mad cow or prion disease happens NOT because they ate the brains of a cow, they essentially ate the infected protein of a cow. Thankfully it is becoming a thing of the past, and unless some stupid farmer feeds beef to his cattle again you'll never see it.
You are more likely to get infected if you eat the cow's brains and offal. That's why kuru (original human form of Jakob-Kreutzfeld) had higher incidence on cannibals that ate human brains rather than cannibals that ate human muscle.
I clicked on this article hoping to be informed but was horrified to see that disgusting picture. Couldn't they have shown something different than a poor beheaded deer?
You are a pathetic, small "man", Ian Knauer. Once upon a time people ate to survive. Now they enslave and kill for culinary delights. Proud of yourself? I wonder how many meat eaters realize that they don't need to enslave and kill sentient beings to be happy and healthy. Watch the documentary "Earthlings". I dare you.
The acclaimed NY restaurant Prune has weird stuff like this... I heard their bone marrow is phenom but the concept of consuming BONE MARROW freaks me out..
Can u guys suggest some other restaurants that serve innerds, tongues, and such. The cheaper the better.
Also, is there a (non-bias) website where I can find the statistical nutritional info of these abstract meals? The last thing I need is 12000g of sodium 85% cholesterol, or 1000% Vitamin ANYTHING for one serving of meat. Thanks.
Oh, and unrelated but worth knowing. Know that delicious pint of Ben & Jerry's that you always finish in one sitting? 80% of your recommended daily intake of cholesterol...
Chris Cosentino has a restaurant in SF that specializes in offal. Le Pigeon in Portland has some items on its menu. Many authentic Mexican taco places or restaurants will have beef tongue. You can also find a number of palces in CO that serve Rocky Mountain Oysters. (testiclesa)
I don't have a problem eating beef, bison, chicken, turkey, or fish muscle but I'll be damned if I'm going to eat their organ meat especially if it is game organs.
The point of holding up a deer head isn't to be crude, it's supposed to make you think! For every hamburger you eat, there is a severed cow's head somewhere. So? It's a fact of life, just because it's distasteful (no pun intended) doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If you can't handle the truth behind your neatly packaged 98% lean ground beef you pick up at the store, you shouldn't be eating it.
And as long as I'm ranting, to those of you who exclaim how barbaric it is that he eats *gasp* offal, why is this so unappealing to you? It's part of the animal that's already been killed, it will go to waste otherwise, why disrespect the kill by throwing away half of it? Hunting for sport confuses me (I don't get the point, frankly), but hunting your own food is anything but barbaric. This is a professional chef who has a grounding in where his food comes from.
So eat meat, or don't; to each their own and that's quite alright. I won't call you a judgemental hippie so long as you don't call me a barbaric cavewoman. But when you DO eat meat, and you criticize someone who hunts their own and wastes as little of it as possible, well, go visit a slaughterhouse before your next visit to the butchers.
"So eat meat, or don't; to each their own and that's quite alright. I won't call you a judgemental hippie so long as you don't call me a barbaric cavewoman."
This sentiment is often used by meat-eaters in defense of their diet. But it is simply an attempt to dodge criticism under the guise of mutual tolerance. You would have a good point if all opinions/behaviours were equally harmless. But of course this isn't the case at all, is it. Eating meat causes immense – IMMENSE – death and suffering around the world, let alone various environmental and health issues. The liberal "everyone can do what they want, it's all fine and dandy and no one has the right to say otherwise" rhetoric doesn't stand up.
What's wrong with fruit, vegetables, beans, grains, etc? Not always as tasty as animal flesh? Right. Tell that to the animals.
[cue advertisement-echoing attempts at emasculation by insecure meat-eating males]
I love how you have to list beans out separately from other foods because its the only way you can get protein. You enjoy your beans while your hair falls out and the fingernails become tissue paper.
Is that what the meat commercials are telling you about vegetarianism/veganism these days? lol, hilarious. You don't research for yourself much, do you. You should get on that, lest you keep looking..well...stupid. Now run along back to 4chan or wherever you frequently failtroll.
Fair play, thanks for coherence in your disagreement, it's rare to find that here.
You're right, for the most part the nutrients we need can be found in plants if we look hard enough. However, meat has it's advantages on plants in some cases. For example, we can absorb twice as much Haem iron (found in meat) than we can non-haem iron (plant sources), and offal is a great source of many important nutrients. That's why a balanced diet most often contains meat and plants. Yes, you can get the same nutrition from plants, however I won't lie and say I'd prefer two large salads to a steak. After living around small farms and people that hunt for their table for several years, I don't see anything wrong with eating meat, and certainly not what you killed yourself. There is nothing inhumane about shooting a deer to feed your family, and I think it extremely commendable to "think outside the box" when using the animal to it's full potential. If you have a problem with industrial farming, that's something I'll agree with (especially after having fresh meat off the field down the road), however to say ALL meat eating is wrong, inhumane, and barbaric is to be close minded.
For the record, I don't bend backwards and let everyone have their way or opinions; I have grown up in an area rife with sectarian violence so of all people I should understand the limits of open mindedness. I will never agree with you 100%, you will never agree with me 100%, so I figured I would be at least respectful of that fact. Criticize the morons from both sides of the fence who are tossing petty insults at each other, not those of us who enjoy an intelligent debate.
I was at the register at my local grocery store and when the cashier rang up the beef tongue and the box boy said, "Ugh, do you really eat that?" The young cashier, about the same age as the box boy, said, "Oh, you should try it, it's really good!" I couldn't resist adding, "and then you should try calf"s brains, they're really good in an egg omelet." At that, both young men said, "Ugh!" (But they are good.)
Actually, having a new hire wave my last produce choice in my face, and asking his trainer what to ring it up as... Not sure. I am concerned about anyone asking if I really eat such and so. Ever.
The item of produce this fellow had not the slightest clue as to what it was????
This is one of those guy whom I loathe on sight. Aryan Nation-esque looks, wearing a SCULLY cap of all pretentious things, holding up carnage with the hubris of a Gestapo major, decorating his home with mid-eighties gothware from the Cher home furnishings catalogue. He delights in mooshing his fingers through detritus organs of farm animals, eats chicken hearts, and HE'S A BEEKEEPER. All we need are some death head moths and a little fey poodle and we'd have a Pennsylvania Dutch version of Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs.
I have only one question–what on Earth was Gourmet Magazine thinking?
I'm sorry... but how does "beekeeper" fit into any of this? I respect that you have this particular opinion, I just don't understand why you spit that out like beekeeping was the founding idea behind Khmer Rouge..
I assume SK was just sort of blurting it out as the icing on the cake. Ie not only does he kill animals but he engages in one of the few other main vices of veganism (honey collecting can injure and kill many bees in the process, and all for a sweet liquid that isn't needed for anything other than adding flavour to our food).
You hate his aryan nation looks? Sounds like a racist comment to me. I'm blond and blue eyed, so does that mean you loathe me or anyone who looks like me? My god you're ignorant!
People are way too squeamish about what they eat. The ironic thing is that they ignorantly eat whatever the meat industry puts in the stores, I guess assuming that it must be okay if it is sold. The truth of the matter is that we already eat meat that has been handled and treated in utterly disgusting ways. It's about time that people realize that meat isn't needed for every meal. Once people realize this we will have better quality meat and we'll do less damage to the environment.
I've had limited experience – of course chicken and turkey hearts/gizzards. I did have sweetbreads once- which were really quite delicious – served on rice with a cream sauce, and I thought it was chicken a la king. Calves tongue has long been a favorite – yes it is a bit of trouble to prepare, but sliced, it makes a great sandwich. I used to frequent a local deli, which would customize a sandwich – sliced turkey and tongue is GREAT. Never had balls – not too sure its high on my list – but I'm generally game to try different foods
Well, now there's a pathetic excuse. Not undertaking some cause simply because you don't like some of the cause's supporters, regardless of any merit of the cause itself. Good one, graduate.
I love when people say ignorant things like this, as if vegans/vegetarians wouldn't do what is necessary to survive. I'm vegetarian and of course I'd kill an animal to survive if I was stranded in the wild and had no other option. But of course this is very far from the reality of the lives of the vast majority of us (assumedly anyone using a computer). Nice try anyway. Let me know next time you need to kill an animal to survive in your suburban, middle-class home.
i think this was a great story, i love trying new foods from all kinds of cultures. i'm openminded and will try anything once, and if i don't like it – so what? to each their own. great article, would definitely be down to try any of it. for all the less openminded people out there – it's ok to think it's weird, but it's important to respect each other's opinions. unfortunately.. these comment sections tend to attract the naysayers, never the supporters...
SLAVES picking cotton – Children working in mines and mills – Dog Fights – Cock fights – aging cheese by piling manure on top – scooping the brains out of live monkeys with a spoon. Humans are savage ugly monsters that may survive long enough to become less horrible – maybe not.
Yes! look at him hold forth his prize. Now that's a real man, he hunts his own food. I didn't know the CNN comments page was full of sissies and self righteous vegans, who upon reflection, are inherently sissies. Meat is gross? lets all be vegans? Why don't you go hold out a carrot to a lion while it rips open a gazelle.
lol. I always love meat-eaters' attempts at argumentation. Instead of addressing suffering and death at all, you just spew nonsense about the masculine quality (or lack thereof) of those who care about animals and think beyond their tastebuds. Grow up and evolve, you tool. Oh, and the hilarious "but animals eat other animals" argument.... nice try. They do, yes, because they do not know any better and can not survive otherwise. If you are claiming that you are as unintelligent and instinct-driven as any non-human animal and incapable of critical thought or of figuring out how to survive without slaughtering sentient beings....well...actually I might just agree, in your case...
cattle balls: Rocky Mountain Oysters. We castrate at about 500-600 pounds , the balls are about the size of a brat bun. I "shuck" them within hours of removal. Split in half and they are soaked in a salt brine for about 24-36 hours and then frozen. Thawed and dipped in egg bath coated with crushed crackers or shore lunch type batter and deep fat fried. Good for a night with friends served with beer and Raw Dawg (that is another story). I haven't had monkfish but the rest on your list is tops with me!!! Most people don't understand how tongue can be so good, melts in your moth!
unbelievable. really CNN? You ran out of all other story ideas and had to stoop as low as promoting cruelty to animals? Maybe your writers should look at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website to see how healthy the 5 animal parts you're promoting for dinner are for you. http://pcrm.org/
Defensive, immature, meat-eating flamers. Always a treat. Crazy idea: consider death and suffering and other consequences of your actions before delighting your taste buds for once. Or don't an take the ignorant fool's way out. Your choice.
What does a a picture of some redneck with an IQ of maybe 50 gleefully holding the severed head of a deer got to do with parts of animals that should be cooked well? The picture belongs to a story about HUNTING and the morons who participate in this so-called "sport." Its relationship to the story is peripheral at best. It's up there for shock value and nothing more. TAKE IT DOWN.
I'm definitely with Rob on this one. CNN has stooped to a new low here. The picture has nothing to do with the article and this guy obviously has some issues. Good job promoting animal cruelty CNN. Dislike.
you dont eat meat? for every piece of meat you dont eat, i am going to eat two. hell, im going to eat three pieces of meat just to offset the pieces i would normally eat while im making up for you. every bit of high and mighty vegetarian propaganda will force me to eat another piece.
What is high and mighty about healthyfitandvegetarian's statement? I think you are being high and mighty yourself.
I am an omnivore and I eat offal as well. At least this person who finds this article/lead photo disgusting actually DOESN"T eat meat. The ones who worry me are the meat eaters who are fine as long as it is supermarket plasticized.
I remember a cartoon I saw once: people gathered around a dinner party table. Caption, in the voice of one of the attendees: "Deer hunting is sooooo horrible! Pass the steak, please!".
What I am saying is that healthyfitandvegetarian is not a hypocrite.
I can respect this person without agreeing with him or her.
(I can even say I understand this person's mindset, although under other circumstances, this could get me arrested, in our politically-correct world of today...)
Holding a bleeding deer head with dead looking eyes is repugnant. I can't imagine any decent, quality woman wanting to date a man who eats organs that filter toxins or release sperm. If a man has bad oral hygiene or nasty looking teeth, don't expect to date a decent, attractive person. Same goes for what you put in your mouth and hands.
Yeah, pffff, only pansies have respect and concern for animal life and suffering, and make conscientious decisions to go against blindly accepted culture and live a lifestyle to reduce harm. Don't you have a mammoth to go club, Jack? Don't let evolution hit your ass on the way out of your cave.
I think it's safe to assume the author has no interest in dating you. Most women, however, would probably find a guy who's resourceful, open-minded, writes introspectively (have you even clicked on his blog link?), has been employed by a major magazine, is writing a book, and hosts a television series a pretty good catch. Heck, most of them would settle for a guy who liked to cook for them.
I don't see why everyone is being so judgmental. At least the animal was killed quickly by a human instead of have it's trachea slowly crushed by the jaws of a hungry lion which will probably leave the rest of it to rot in the sun for the buzzards to pick off of. :)
It is understandable though that in the States people may feel repugnance towards something that has definitely been culturally taboo. In most of the world, organ meat and bone marrow is a sought out delicacy and for a reason. There is tradition behind those countless dishes which take advantage of these ingredients and are definitely the epitome of flavor, texture and variety when it comes to meat. I do know many people that have traveled the world and though they thought they'd never eat a gizzard or a heart, they actually found that they enjoyed it when prepared properly. Even tripe can be a delicious dish if made the right way (of course it needs thorough cleaning and cooking). You don't have to try it, but I've never seen anyone regret trying. At least when you eat the organs you know what part of the animal you're eating, unlike with hot-dogs, but that's another story.
Ellie, I'm female. I'll eat these things. I am careful about the source of liver (a filtering organ): take from managed free range sources not factory farmed, and I hesitate over venison liver depending on area of the country. At any rate, the liver is less interesting than tongue or heart. or gizzard. (Yes, I have had Rocky Mountain Oysters, too, and while I liked them it was a sample size of once.) I love brains - Dad would make the best cold brain salad. I don't do that any more due to the mad cow thing.
I simply grew up in a family where we tried just about anything. It didn't seem weird, odd or anything else at the time. It certainly doesn't seem like it should be considered weird or odd now, either. It just seems senseless to waste good food. When i can score chicken feet, they make excellent stock.
This is very cute but the eating of filter organs such as livers makes no sense. Toxins are concentrated in those organs while the animal was alive, so now we should eat that stuff? I think not.
I always thought that too Dave. Perhaps the toxins are cooked out of the organs? My parents cook "zoo" food for their Greyhounds (parts that are horrid looking from the butcher intended for zoo animals), but they say it's extremely healthy/no antibiotics and high in nutrients and iron. According to my mother, everything is toxin free after boiling.
the liver removes waste. waste is excreted through the urinary tract system and in scat. why is this a topic of discussion? 2nd graders are taught this stuff.
If you watch wild animals, most of the internal organs are the first to get eaten and generally taken by the pack members that reside higher in the social hierarchy. For humans, the only risk from eating liver is that some species' livers have toxic levels of Vitamin A, but disease or other toxins aren't a concern.
Brian, not always true. Parasites can lurk in some liver, most notably bear liver from bears taken after hibernation is over. This is however not the only situation.
chop the ballzin small pieces and take the skin off then stir fry them in oil, sprinkle some salt, paprika, some curry powder, little bit of garlic and ginger, some finely chopped jalapeno peppers. When it is ready, get some pita bread, warm it up maybe put a little bit of water on you hand and wipe it off the the bread and then put some oil on the bread and put it in the frying pan for a minute-. You will like it.
om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom
This guy has a microscopic weenie. Men who do things like this telegraph this fact to the whole world. If you are going to hunt, then hunt. But have some respect for the animal who gave its life to feed you.
He is, because he's going to eat the head, and he's suggesting to you that you should try it too. I'm pretty sure he's average to above average size. A man who is comfortable eating a deer head is comfortable with the size of his wiener.
As has already been said, he mentioned nothing about eating anything from the deer's head. The only tongue he mentioned was beef. I have nothing against hunting, eat meat, and am interested in the monkfish liver. But how come I don't see photos of severed cow heads at the grocery or at mail I get from Omaha Steaks? The photo added nothing to the article.
It may just be a cultural issue, but I have lived in Europe, Japan and visited Korea and it is actually not unusual to see a severed head at the butcher's shop. I may not like the way farm animals are treated and killed but I have come to understand that there is nothing immoral about hunting and consuming your own game especially considering that you're only allowed to hunt animals that are not endangered and that are usually overpopulating. I would rather see someone kill an animal for food than see an orca be imprisoned to turn tricks for a lifetime.
He does mention eating tongue although he speaks specifically of cow's tongue. As an aside, that's not much of a trophy, so that probably wasn't the point. Meat eaters shouldn't be so squeamish, and what the heck are vegans even doing reading the article?
My thoughts exactly. I am not against eating meat at all, although I choose not to. That being said, I believe it's a gift from God and it should be respected as a Blessing. Not held up like a trophy!
clearly you have never been hunting before. when one kills an animal, one has to move the animals body. cutting an animals body into pieces makes it easier to move; it is not an act of disrespect. plus, im willing to bet that cnn used a stock photo specifically to get you all frothed up and butthurt.
Yes because cutting a hunted animal up to move its body has everything to do with proudly holding up its bloody, severed head for a kodak moment in your house. Idiot.
And I don't know that you've ever hunted either. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin and everyone there hunts. (and stores the heads of "trophy" bucks on their wall) Usually, you field dress the deer which includes making an incision along the belly and pulling out the guts. You then either drag or get a four wheeler to drag the animal to your truck. The head is not cut off until the animal is processed.
The hunted animal definitely had a far better life, and quite probably a better death (assuming he's good with his gun), than the factory farmed animal you quite possibly have no problem with his purchasing all pre-packaged at the supermarket.
While the subject matter of the article didn't offend me, the photograph of a guy proudly displaying a freshly-severed head of a deer is one of the vilest things I've seen on a professional news site. The whole concept of hunters showing off their kill like it's a trophy baffles me...it lacks respect for the animal and what it's about to provide.
Simply imagine they same photo with someone holding up a severed human head and maybe you can begin to understand how offensive this is to some people.
"While the subject matter of the article didn't offend me, the photograph of a guy proudly displaying a freshly-severed head of a deer is one of the vilest things I've seen on a professional news site"
Had the same picture showed the man holding up a nicely-trimmed porterhouse, it would have been fine? Dead animal is dead animal. Apparently, you're more offended by someone exposing the part of meat-eating that you would like to conveniently forget.
Perhaps if the head actually related to something in the article it might have been o.k. Did I miss something....was there some part of that head he was going to eat. Look the skull lamp in the background ... this guy is just creepy. I wouldn't doubt that animal head will end up in bed with him.
Yea, he's holding up the head as a trophy. Not much of one since it looks like a 4-pointer. Around my neck of the woods, no one would have a picture taken of a 4-point bucks head. As for the guy being "Creepy", that sounds like a comment from a city boy!!
B-Riff, a few points.
First, the photograph DOES show the kid in a bad light. With the skull framed between the antlers...
Second, LOAD of CNN readers ARE city folks and they most certainly don't understand.
Third, I'll agree about the pathetic specimen. BUT, in eastern Pennsylvania, that is pretty much the pick of the herds. Thank the PA game commission for their pseudo-scientific deer population management programs.
And for those who don't know what to do with the head, FIRST one does NOT bring it into the living room. Too messy,
Second, there is tongue, face meat (what scrapple is made of traditionally) and the brain. Personally, I can't tolerate testicles or brain, something about the fat content or something that I can't digest.
So, I'll stick with the heart, stomach and liver.
And of course, the bones to make good stock and gelatin.
While I understand your reaction, the reality is if you can't accept looking at the severed head of a dead animal, then you shouldn't be eating meat. I don't think the point of the picture is to proudly display his trophy. It's instead to proudly display that yes, this head can be eaten and you should try it. Why waste it?
I actually have enjoyed eating lamb brains (and yes, out of a half skull) when I was visiting a friend's house back in junior high school. The brains aren't usually the safest to eat and I would never eat those of a cow just because of the danger of mad cow disease, but it is definitely a waste to throw away the head when it has so much nutritional value. Just as Bear Grylls!
Steve you are so right. There is nothing about cooking the deer head hence your are morally superior about this insignificant picture on the internets.
Sorry dude, but Steve is right on this one – there is no mention anywhere, ANYWHERE!, about cooking deer heads! He said it 5 times already, so everyone know that he is right on this point. Forget that a blog use a intentionally provocative photo to make a statement about the articles content. ITS CLEARLY WRONG!
Actually, Steve forgot to mention that the article doesn't mention anything about wearing a tan shirt and a silly hat while cooking. So it should definitely be removed. Never mind that the tongue actually comes from the head of an animal, and that the general point is that it's about looking cool for all the other food-hipsters out there.
Ah the good ol' cultural relativism argument. Hey, you know what? The Nazis had a certain "culture" too. I hope you don't hate on their practices, lest you be guilty of your own culture-bashing. See what I did there?
While I agree with this (as a hunter): ".it lacks respect for the animal and what it's about to provide."
I COMPLETELY disagree with this: "Simply imagine they same photo with someone holding up a severed human head and maybe you can begin to understand how offensive this is to some people."
If you're equating a butchered deer with human decapitation, there's simply no explaining it to you.
Of course. It's not comforting imagining humans being treated as we currently treat non-human animals, is it, despite them feeling pain and death as we do, and experiencing many emotions similarly as well, including happiness, fear, and relationships.
Actually David- I'm pretty comfortable imagining people like you in this manner. It's lefty dirtbags like you that brought us the stalinist purges, the mao death-revolution and the cambodian khmer rouge genocide. keep up the good work.
David brings up Nazis, Wilko brings up Khmer Rouge... guys, lighten up. You're both comparing molehills to mountains.
I'm remembering, instead and fondly, dad bringing home a lamb's head for dinner one night. He roasted it, and we ate it and we definitely enjoyed it. There were parts of it mother didn't want have anything to do with, but my brother and I: we seem to come from the school of thought which says "Try any edible food at least once. THEN decide if you like, hate or just simply tolerate it".
Cheeks and tongue are especially good.
(One thing that sets me on edge is the whole topic of "children's food" - this child at age 12 ate snake and liked it. Sorta like chicken, as the saying goes...)
Actually holding up the severed head of a human killed in battle is a long standing tradition, think David and Goliath for instance. Blackbeard's head was mounted on the bowsprit of the ship captained by the man who killed him, and so, so what's so offensive?
The severed head of the deer was definitely an image I did not expect to see when I clicked on the link.I thought I will learn about watching out for E.coli, viral and bacteria-borne diseases. Definitely it was a poor image choice for this article...
I thought i would see alot of people cursing you out for the decapitated deer lol im sure it will happen soon though be prepared to hear people say maybe you should have your head cut off instead...by the way liver heart lungs always good to eat...delicious
Not sure how I came across this page. I thought it looked like some tough guy from Ireland's web page. What a shock to read the credentials! Not sure what to think of the plastic human skull on the ship's bell.
Right. Dietary cholesterol has a minimal effect on blood cholesterol levels. Its primarily a function of the liver. If you do eat more or less cholesterol in your diet your liver adjusts to make more or less to stay about the same. You can lower your cholesterol by eating less saturated fat (animal fat) and calories in general but simply eating foods lower in cholesterol doesn't cut it.
Dietary cholesterol has an effect on some people, not on others. So both "sides" are technically right. At any rate, the heart is a low-cholesterol organ. I remove any exterior globs of fat that might be clinging to it or them., if there is such.
If you are cooking testicles, say of the cow, you have to throw away the initial boiled water and put on new water. You may have to repeat again. . Boiled cow testicles is called in the Philippines "soup number 5". It's really good.
Actually GJim is correct. The female of the species is a cow, the male is a bull. And a heifer is a young cow, usually one that hasn't yet birthed a calf.
Oh, and the whole idea of eating any balls makes me gag!
Garwin1 – so if the male cow has the balls, what does the bull have? ... jeez. (Some things are just basic education.) Oh yes ... and hot dogs – mechanically-recovered meat – testicles, spinal cords, uteruses, all the gross parts, packed with salt to make you eat what is really just pet food. A friend of mine once found a pigs eyelid in a sausage link, complete with eyelashes. Yum!!! If you're going to to meat (which I do) I prefer it in one identifiable piece ...
Main Entry: 1cow
Pronunciation: \ˈkau̇\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English cou, from Old English cū; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the mature female of cattle (genus Bos) b : the mature female of various usually large animals (as an elephant, whale, or moose)
2 : a domestic bovine animal regardless of sex or age
People please, where did you learn to use the internet. I was raised on a farm, you can call them cattle. There are many different animals that the male of the species is called a bull, so saying bull testicles is wrong also. You all turned a mountain into a mole hill here. The best term is probabley to say beef testicles or in the case of pork or swine testicles "Rocky mountain oysters". You commenters should stop being the word police if you have anything serious to say.
I've always loved chicken/turkey hearts. I always rush for them before my grandma makes the giblet gravy at Christmas or thanksgiving. Hate the gizzards, though I might have to try them prepared this way. YUM! thx~
I love chicken and turkey hearts! As a child, I usually cajoled my way to the heart; no one particularly hated them, but no one loved them with the passion I did, and do. I now know of a place where I can get a quarter or half pound of them at a time.
I like gizzards too, but chicken more than turkey, which have been fine in the gravy. I'll have to try the new method of preparing them.
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Man those sound good if i was they kinda guy who skinned cheeks off people or hunted deer to steal there tendons for a spaghetti. Yeah. but no lie the hearts might be good
Living in Cleveland, i have the great pleasure of being in very close proximity to 4 Michael Symon restaurants. He loves offul and cooks it very well. Beef Cheek Perogies at Lola are a dream and Breaded and Fried Chicken Livers at Lolita are fantastic. i've never tried to cook them before, though.
I will use turkey innards to make the double-rich broth that is part of the stuffing at Turkey Day (made outside of the bird, for safety's sake) but I don't cut them up to include the stuffing. Those innards have to be from a proud bird raised organically. But I don't throw them away, I chop them up and offer as an appetizer for the kitties, they love it, makes them purr!
The rest of the list is just gross. Gross gross gross!
I see one raging socio here...I wonder if Ian was one of the causes of Gourmet's demise...Ian Testicles with broccoli. I'll toss the testes, but at least he'll know how it feels. All I see is a braggart showing off non physical prowess by way of gun..what happened in this guy's youth? He can sadly cook all the parts he wants of unsuspecting souls, but I know something went on...people don't do this for true pleasure...This is a payback for what happened to him earlier in life. The countryside can be lonely and scary.
Oh please! Give me a break. There is nothing fundamentally "wrong" with hunting or being proud of your kill. You assume the kill was made with a gun but most of the hunters I know much prefer hunting with a bow–which is far more challenging. Animals are not people. I have just hatched out 9 baby chicks, each one of them is a cute as can be but I know some of them will end up in the stew pot–its called survival of the fittest. And seriously, a plant is a living thing too, but nobody has a problem chopping them up and cooking by method of choice. I'm tired of it already. If you dont want to eat meat, for what ever reason–good for you. Now leave the rest of us alone.
Can you challenge yourself with something other than a bow? Great online grad programs or PHd programs exist...There's a challenge! How about protecting animals and wildlife? Equally challenging...Maybe try it?
At least I'm nice to people...
Exactly! Meanspirited people seem only to be happy when being contentious and rude. I applaud you for using sustainable food in creative and nutritious ways, without being wasteful. The few intelligent conversations on here I've seen agree that we need to respect others' views, not slam them. I hope that more people read this and think about trying more organ meats and non-traditional parts, they are a wonderful culinary and cultural experience.
Somehow I doubt it – a killer is a killer. Bloodthirsty isn't just an expression. Anyone who will gleefully drink the blood of a dying animal whose throat he has just slit is not to be trusted around children or other vulnerable ones. Hunters with grinning death skulls on their wall and a psycho-killer look in their eye as they hold a severed head in their hand – probably should be under observation by a good psychiatrist.
I have never asked these questions so directly...Do you feel any pain or remorse knowing you might be killing the mother of fawns waiting for food (or any other animal protecting/feeding its young)? You must know animals feel pain. What makes you think that because you have a gun or bow/arrow that you have the right to kill? Because you can or because you want to? Does this make hunters feel powerful? Would you consider not killing and taking the side of animals to live their lives?
Sez you...can we have a look in your freezer?
Savages. Limp dicked little men trying to prove how tough they are. Pathetic.
Hey! Plants have feelings too! Guess I'll just stick with...uh-oh ran out of options.
Again, this is a food blog and this particular article is about eating meat. You are an asshole!
Cooking a whole hogs head underground is one of the most rewarding cooking and eating experiences I have ever had in my life. Details and instructions on how you can do it yourself are here.
http://bit.ly/9bOUBJ
Apparently, you don't have much of a life. Another pathetic flesh eater.
Go stick another frozen puck of vegan 'food' in the microwave before you pass out at your keyboard
Boiled cow testicles are called "soup number 5" in Luzon Province in the Philippines. In Colorado you will find them on some restaurant menus defined as “Rocky Mountain Oysters”.
childhood nightmare: beef tongue... still sends chills throw me
Its good to see people embracing offal. America as a whole seems to be a little more squimish that the rest of the world when it comes to eating the whole animal and because of that many are missing out on the best textures and flavors. It has always puzzled me that we can eat one part and not the other, that muscle tissue is delicious but organ is not. hopefully this trend continues and the dietary habits of Americans loosen up a little.
I grew up in a hunting family, have absolutely no problem with responsible hunting, and have enjoyed many wonderful meals of wild game. HOWEVER, I find the choice of image for this story to be completely inappropriate and disgusting. I totally agree with many others that a picture of a bloody, mangled deer head is upsetting and seems misplaced given the context of the story. Use better judgment, CNN.
I'll partially agree with you.
I disagree about the "mangled deer head", it doesn't appear mangled to me. Removed from the body, but that is what one DOES when preparing a carcass for food. Remove the head for separate processing. Remove the organs for the same deal.
Me? I toss the head, too much work getting the face meat (such as is in scrapple), brain is too fatty for me to tolerate. Couldn't care less about the horns.
But THIS image, it appears that CNN is doing their level best at demonizing hunting. Skull framed in the antlers, blood splattered face on the buck (happens when butchering, but yellow journalism at its worst.
Hey! Plants have feelings too! Guess I'll just stick with...uh-oh ran out of options.
Years ago, when I was growing up, my mother used to buy chicken gizzards and hearts (she could get them packaged together), and slow cook them all day long in a crock pot, with some chicken stock (broth). Served with some steamed veggies, makes for a tasty meal!
One time, when she was buying them in the grocery store, the checkout lady looked at the package, and asked what they were. Mom told her they were chicken gizzards & hearts, to which the checkout lady then asked, "Oh, are these for your CAT???" Mom just smiled, and said, "No, they're for my FAMILY", which caused a hilarious puzzled expression on the checkout lady's face!
After a trip or two to a burger or taco stand, you've probably had most of the stuff mentioned here & more. Not to worry. Basic human design includes an array of organs devoted to digestion and toxic waste elimination. That system enables an omnivorous diet and enhances survival . That's why we can get away with eating all that crap. For a while.
I hope this man gets E. Coli from eating unwashed elk balls.
I don't know what all you liberal softies are complaining about, thats a nice 5 pointer, good for him for wanting to show it off.
^
I am a meat eater – but I am disgusted by that picture. It's one thing to think you're clicking on an article about cooking, then to see that is horrible, disrespectful and inappropriate. You should be ashamed of yourself. And don't give me a lecture about where meat comes from. I get it.
I think its good every once in a while to see a picture or piece of art that may give me a negative reaction. I mean, isn't that the point of art? Does everything have to make you feel good, or just be there for the sake of having a picture with an article? Would you of rather seen some food porn with a plate of delicious looking testicles sprinkled with parsley? If you are disgusted by the picture – then good. If you are not disgusted by the picture then – good. If you don't know how you feel about the picture then – great! People would not be talkign nearly so much on here if the picture was something neutral – that is the point – it adds a whole dimension to what the blog post is all about – the realities of meat – which is to say that it involves killing an animal that is more than just a ribeye.
also I'm sorry I just lectured you – but... the picture IS a lecture about where (this) meat comes from!
I want to lick and eat Ian's balls...
Native American southern cooking... amazing caveman style in Pennsylvania
I think Mr Kauer is a disgusting person.
Meat eater here. No issues with eating animals. BUT–Posing for a picture with the dead animal is idiotic. Shooting an animal and eating it is fine. Acting like you did something spectacular that requires a pat on the back and a picture is silly. After all a dear is just walking around looking for food.
Again, kill them all you want, the population needs to be controlled, but really, is it a proud moment that requires a picture.
What? No Chitterlings or Pig Feet on the list!? This is, thus, INCOMPLETE!!!!
Vegetables aren't food. Vegetables are what "food" eats.
Why shouldn't someone take your tongue and heart out, cook them as described in the article and eat them? You are not above the other species. In fact your stupid and ignorant comment shows how unnecessary you are in this world (you are bringing the average global intelligence down!).
I've entered Socio Nation...Wow. The number of people displaying their lack of concern for animals that feel pain and suffering is a sad state of affairs. I've entered the disgusting zone of our country. Ugh.
Queue the angry vegetarians and P.I.T.A. PETA people to start expressing outrage.
It takes a special kind of vegan to check out an article called "5 animal parts you NEED to cook". Specifically, it takes the kind who is on a crusade. If you want to convince me that you're the more moral person, you can start by not being a jerk. If you're looking for a fight in order to treat people badly, I have a hard time agreeing with you when you try to claim superior morality. It just seems like an excuse to be horrible to people.
Frankly, if you think we should be eating fewer animals, clearly it makes sense that the people who eat animals should eat all the parts of the animal. I know, you think we should all go vegan. Many of us can't, or won't (I've been told by my doctor that I can't handle a vegetarian diet).
My diet is mostly vegetarian, but only because FACTORY farming is unnatural on principle and revolting in practice.
I will gladly eat meat (organs, gizzards, and all) from local/organic/sustainable sources, or when hunted from stable populations. I hope articles like this help Americans in becoming accustomed to making use of the ENTIRE animal, as is common in most cultures throughout the world. Please keep in mind the sustainability of our food sources, and don't be wasteful when an animal has died for your sustenance.
Yikes! What a freak! Glad I stopped eating that stuff!
Most disgusting blog thing I've seen on CNN. What's going on? Really CNN.
How egregious to see a human being have complete disregard for innocent creatures who do not exist to satisfy people's ignorance, selfishness, and true stupidity. This man makes me embarrassed to be an American.
Wow, grow up. People have been eating animals since long before recorded history.
Why don't you go scream at a lion for killing a gazelle? Oh my gosh, that bear just ate a FISH! He must pay!
If you don't eat meat, then come to a food blag about eating meat!!! Also, don't complain when you go to a restaurant and they don't have anything that you can eat! Jerks...
Eat larger animals if you must eat animals. If you do you will not be killing or contributing to the demise of so many lives if you don't eat smaller sentient beings. Senient beings like ourselves. You may think it doesn't matter because there are so many anyway, but it absolutely mattered to each one that is murdered for you..
Cow cock soup is the best soup for men. It is the most natural Viagra that your doctor won't tell you about. And you can get it to buy in the butcher shop. Just ask for cow cock. Been around for years. Ask the men from the Caribbean Islands!
what exactly do you do with it?
That's nothing.
I serve my balls to my girl friend and give her an extra serving of a delicious fish stick to her afterwards.
Kanye West everyone!
I love monkfish liver. I swear, I dream about the stuff. I've never been able to find it, though. Do I have to go to a dedicated fish market?
When the day comes that food can be grown in vats, constructed by nanoassemblers, or otherwise made in such a manner that it was never at any point alive, I will happily switch to that. Until then, the fact is that EVERY SINGLE THING WE EAT relies at some point on the death of a living thing, whether in the harvesting, in the growing process, or at any other point. Since there isn't any justifiable distinction between killing one living thing and killing a different living thing, regardless of the scale of the organism, the only honest way to deal with it is to accept that we all kill in order to live and simply seek to kill as little and as cleanly as possible, without wasting a death by killing unnecessarily.
Disgustipated
And the angel of the lord came unto me, snatching me up from my place of slumber. And took me on high, and higher still until we moved to the spaces betwixt the air itself. And he brought me into a vast farmlands of our own midwest. And as we descended, cries of impending doom rose from the soil. One thousand, nay a million voices full of fear. And terror possesed me then. And I begged, "Angel of the Lord, what are these tortured screams?" And the angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots! You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust." And I sprang from my slumber drenched in sweat like the tears of one million terrified brothers and roared, "Hear me now, I have seen the light! They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers!" Can I get an amen? Can I get a hallelujah? Thank you Jesus.
Life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on........
Aw, don't spill the beans on beef tongue. I won't be able to get it cheap at the supermarket. What he didn't tell you though is when you boil the tongue it looks like a foot in a ballet slipper that's been chopped from the leg just above the ankle.
I would at to the list: Salmon head.
I would rather chop off my own balls and let someone else eat them, before I would eat the balls off of ANY animal.
I swear, I almost puked 5 different times when reading this. You could not possibly pay me to eat ANY of those things. YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!
I still remember finding out what Rocky Mountain oysters were. ... Ick.
my parents never prepared it for me as a kid
Great!!!!!!!!!! Now I'm hungry
I learned to love chicken hearts and gizzards as a child. My mother also prepares beef liver with bacon and onions to die for. The most important thing is choosing the right cuts at the store in the first place. I wouldn't mind trying tongue sometime, as long as someone else prepares it. It would turn me off to see it in its raw state. I don't know if I could knowingly eat a testicle without the gag reflex kicking in. I guess it is all in the mind.
I enjoyed the article. I have had spiced tongue which was delicious, hearts and gizzards from all sorts of fowl have been some of my favorites for many years (dove hearts are particularly tasty), haven't ever had any liver that I found palatable, and have never been anywhere that testicles were being served, so no opinion there. All the fixation on the opening photo is pretty hilarious. I have never understood how those who eat meat but don't hunt see themselves as somehow morally superior (vegetarians and vegans are another matter, absolutely no use in even talking to them). Those who know who Nimrod was would logically conclude that I might be among the fraternity of those who hunt and fish, and they would be right. I have harvested deer, rabbits, nilgai antelope, feral hogs, ducks, quail. and my personal favorite dove (yummy!!) We brethren of the outdoors have done more to ensure the preservation of our natural areas and native wildlife than all the vegans, tree huggers, and peta members combined. We pay license fees, we pay taxes on all hunting and fishing equipment (look up the Pitman Robertson act), we join organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Quail unlimited which raise millions for the preservation of critical habitat. We go to college and get degrees in wildlife/fisheries sciences and spend lifetimes attempting to unravel the unbelievably complex relationships involved in natural systems. I know plenty of hunting/fishing men AND women who are MENSA members, engineers, doctors, college professors, and so on. Articulate, thinking, well educated people who enjoy the outdoors, and see no moral superiority in allowing others to kill things so that they can eat. Hunters and fishermen (women) are the lions, tigers, wolves, those who are unwilling to harvest their own meat are the jackals and vultures. I prefer to live as a lion.
No, we are the kings who enjoy the fruits of your labor. Since we can pay you meat gatherers to serve us, why should we get our own hands filthy with blood? Oh, and thanks. Keep up the good work.
Nimrod your name is entirely appropriate.
My mom's family are farm people, so I grew up eating liver, gizzards, heart, kidney, mountain oysters (testicles), etc. Her parent's generation ate them because you didn't waste anything. I made them for my family because they are delicious and not terribly expensive. My children (now grown) see them as a bit of a delicacy.
Someone wanna tell me why a feature image of a bloodied, milky-eyed, severed deer head is relevant to an article on a food blog, on an article that doesn't list anything from deer? :P
hunters have such tiny, non-working penises. LOL at all the wimpy hunters commenting here. LOL at you all. f***ing wimps.
no best way for tongue is a pickled tongue , with potato salad. and the front part is better than the fatty back.
i love chicken hearts, and I'm open to trying new foods, but there is no way I'm eating balls......
Yeah, I only tried them once (see above) as an act of motherly love, but the thought of it is a little hard to get over.
I developed a taste for beef tongue ("lingua") while hanging out with some of my Mexican friends. You get the beef flavor and it's very tender and easy to chew. No grissle. My capricious son got me to try calve's testicles (fried) as a dare...Tasted a little like sausage...Oh, and BTW, another name for them is "Mountain oysters." Just so you'll know.
We had a cattle farm. My son actually cooked the dainties for me...LOL!
Whoever spoke of not wanting to eat the brains of a cow because of the risk of mad cow disease is way way off on their thinking. Mad cow or prion disease happens NOT because they ate the brains of a cow, they essentially ate the infected protein of a cow. Thankfully it is becoming a thing of the past, and unless some stupid farmer feeds beef to his cattle again you'll never see it.
You are more likely to get infected if you eat the cow's brains and offal. That's why kuru (original human form of Jakob-Kreutzfeld) had higher incidence on cannibals that ate human brains rather than cannibals that ate human muscle.
I clicked on this article hoping to be informed but was horrified to see that disgusting picture. Couldn't they have shown something different than a poor beheaded deer?
This picture is so vile and offensive. And it has nothing to do with the article. I am so disappointed in CNN.
How dare a photo be provacative!!!! What were they thinking? They should of chose a photo that makes everyone feel neutral!
hurrr derp de durrr. I'm stuffed from my awesome vegan dinner, but thanks :). Don't have a heart attack on me though.
You are a pathetic, small "man", Ian Knauer. Once upon a time people ate to survive. Now they enslave and kill for culinary delights. Proud of yourself? I wonder how many meat eaters realize that they don't need to enslave and kill sentient beings to be happy and healthy. Watch the documentary "Earthlings". I dare you.
Dude, you seriously sound cranky – EAT SOMETHING!
hurrr derp de durrr. Actually I'm stuffed from my awesome vegan dinner, but thanks :). Don't have a heart attack on me though.
shhhhhhh
The acclaimed NY restaurant Prune has weird stuff like this... I heard their bone marrow is phenom but the concept of consuming BONE MARROW freaks me out..
Can u guys suggest some other restaurants that serve innerds, tongues, and such. The cheaper the better.
Also, is there a (non-bias) website where I can find the statistical nutritional info of these abstract meals? The last thing I need is 12000g of sodium 85% cholesterol, or 1000% Vitamin ANYTHING for one serving of meat. Thanks.
Oh, and unrelated but worth knowing. Know that delicious pint of Ben & Jerry's that you always finish in one sitting? 80% of your recommended daily intake of cholesterol...
Chris Cosentino has a restaurant in SF that specializes in offal. Le Pigeon in Portland has some items on its menu. Many authentic Mexican taco places or restaurants will have beef tongue. You can also find a number of palces in CO that serve Rocky Mountain Oysters. (testiclesa)
I don't have a problem eating beef, bison, chicken, turkey, or fish muscle but I'll be damned if I'm going to eat their organ meat especially if it is game organs.
The point of holding up a deer head isn't to be crude, it's supposed to make you think! For every hamburger you eat, there is a severed cow's head somewhere. So? It's a fact of life, just because it's distasteful (no pun intended) doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If you can't handle the truth behind your neatly packaged 98% lean ground beef you pick up at the store, you shouldn't be eating it.
And as long as I'm ranting, to those of you who exclaim how barbaric it is that he eats *gasp* offal, why is this so unappealing to you? It's part of the animal that's already been killed, it will go to waste otherwise, why disrespect the kill by throwing away half of it? Hunting for sport confuses me (I don't get the point, frankly), but hunting your own food is anything but barbaric. This is a professional chef who has a grounding in where his food comes from.
So eat meat, or don't; to each their own and that's quite alright. I won't call you a judgemental hippie so long as you don't call me a barbaric cavewoman. But when you DO eat meat, and you criticize someone who hunts their own and wastes as little of it as possible, well, go visit a slaughterhouse before your next visit to the butchers.
"So eat meat, or don't; to each their own and that's quite alright. I won't call you a judgemental hippie so long as you don't call me a barbaric cavewoman."
This sentiment is often used by meat-eaters in defense of their diet. But it is simply an attempt to dodge criticism under the guise of mutual tolerance. You would have a good point if all opinions/behaviours were equally harmless. But of course this isn't the case at all, is it. Eating meat causes immense – IMMENSE – death and suffering around the world, let alone various environmental and health issues. The liberal "everyone can do what they want, it's all fine and dandy and no one has the right to say otherwise" rhetoric doesn't stand up.
What's wrong with fruit, vegetables, beans, grains, etc? Not always as tasty as animal flesh? Right. Tell that to the animals.
[cue advertisement-echoing attempts at emasculation by insecure meat-eating males]
I love how you have to list beans out separately from other foods because its the only way you can get protein. You enjoy your beans while your hair falls out and the fingernails become tissue paper.
Is that what the meat commercials are telling you about vegetarianism/veganism these days? lol, hilarious. You don't research for yourself much, do you. You should get on that, lest you keep looking..well...stupid. Now run along back to 4chan or wherever you frequently failtroll.
Fair play, thanks for coherence in your disagreement, it's rare to find that here.
You're right, for the most part the nutrients we need can be found in plants if we look hard enough. However, meat has it's advantages on plants in some cases. For example, we can absorb twice as much Haem iron (found in meat) than we can non-haem iron (plant sources), and offal is a great source of many important nutrients. That's why a balanced diet most often contains meat and plants. Yes, you can get the same nutrition from plants, however I won't lie and say I'd prefer two large salads to a steak. After living around small farms and people that hunt for their table for several years, I don't see anything wrong with eating meat, and certainly not what you killed yourself. There is nothing inhumane about shooting a deer to feed your family, and I think it extremely commendable to "think outside the box" when using the animal to it's full potential. If you have a problem with industrial farming, that's something I'll agree with (especially after having fresh meat off the field down the road), however to say ALL meat eating is wrong, inhumane, and barbaric is to be close minded.
For the record, I don't bend backwards and let everyone have their way or opinions; I have grown up in an area rife with sectarian violence so of all people I should understand the limits of open mindedness. I will never agree with you 100%, you will never agree with me 100%, so I figured I would be at least respectful of that fact. Criticize the morons from both sides of the fence who are tossing petty insults at each other, not those of us who enjoy an intelligent debate.
I appreciate your thoughtful and decent response, Coexisting Omnivore. You are a refreshing change from people like "Steve is so Right all the time"!
Wow! Thanks for getting this!
right on.
Word. Meat has a face. Even Lunchables. Props to people who have the guts to not need to sugarcoat that.
Oscar Mayer cold cuts are way, way grosser than a deer head any day of the week.
I'm absolutely offended by this article. Some moronic redneck took the life of an animal. Meat eaters are moronic.
They don't call it awful for nuthin'!
Some good recommendations here, but intro picture is not the best.
we should cook his balls.
Wouldn't make for much of a meal...
right on David!
I was at the register at my local grocery store and when the cashier rang up the beef tongue and the box boy said, "Ugh, do you really eat that?" The young cashier, about the same age as the box boy, said, "Oh, you should try it, it's really good!" I couldn't resist adding, "and then you should try calf"s brains, they're really good in an egg omelet." At that, both young men said, "Ugh!" (But they are good.)
Actually, having a new hire wave my last produce choice in my face, and asking his trainer what to ring it up as... Not sure. I am concerned about anyone asking if I really eat such and so. Ever.
The item of produce this fellow had not the slightest clue as to what it was????
Asparagus.
Big tough man kill the ferocious deer?
Did I just read "Balls" on CNN?
I don't believe that CNN has the biggest balls of them all.
lets eat headless animals, so we can feel guilt free!!!!
This is one of those guy whom I loathe on sight. Aryan Nation-esque looks, wearing a SCULLY cap of all pretentious things, holding up carnage with the hubris of a Gestapo major, decorating his home with mid-eighties gothware from the Cher home furnishings catalogue. He delights in mooshing his fingers through detritus organs of farm animals, eats chicken hearts, and HE'S A BEEKEEPER. All we need are some death head moths and a little fey poodle and we'd have a Pennsylvania Dutch version of Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs.
I have only one question–what on Earth was Gourmet Magazine thinking?
I'm sorry... but how does "beekeeper" fit into any of this? I respect that you have this particular opinion, I just don't understand why you spit that out like beekeeping was the founding idea behind Khmer Rouge..
I assume SK was just sort of blurting it out as the icing on the cake. Ie not only does he kill animals but he engages in one of the few other main vices of veganism (honey collecting can injure and kill many bees in the process, and all for a sweet liquid that isn't needed for anything other than adding flavour to our food).
Yes, David. Because god forbid that food actually have flavor. It should be as bland, nutritive and punishing as possible.
Cute, ZRS. Because, you know, food can't possibly be tasty without killing animals. ....seriously?
Mmmm, nothing puts me in an eatin' mood faster than a picture of a Aryan nation guy holding a severed, bloody, decaying deer head.
You hate his aryan nation looks? Sounds like a racist comment to me. I'm blond and blue eyed, so does that mean you loathe me or anyone who looks like me? My god you're ignorant!
gross.
People are way too squeamish about what they eat. The ironic thing is that they ignorantly eat whatever the meat industry puts in the stores, I guess assuming that it must be okay if it is sold. The truth of the matter is that we already eat meat that has been handled and treated in utterly disgusting ways. It's about time that people realize that meat isn't needed for every meal. Once people realize this we will have better quality meat and we'll do less damage to the environment.
I've had limited experience – of course chicken and turkey hearts/gizzards. I did have sweetbreads once- which were really quite delicious – served on rice with a cream sauce, and I thought it was chicken a la king. Calves tongue has long been a favorite – yes it is a bit of trouble to prepare, but sliced, it makes a great sandwich. I used to frequent a local deli, which would customize a sandwich – sliced turkey and tongue is GREAT. Never had balls – not too sure its high on my list – but I'm generally game to try different foods
I was going to be a vegan, but then I realized I couldn't be as smug and judgemental enough.
Right on, omnivor!
Well, now there's a pathetic excuse. Not undertaking some cause simply because you don't like some of the cause's supporters, regardless of any merit of the cause itself. Good one, graduate.
Well you have arrogance and stupidity in spades!
what is Offal? Wikipedia says innerts, (aka organs), another says meat from the head of the animal, including brains.
It's anything that is not the muscle or bone of an animal.
I would rather be stranded in the woods or somewhere with this guy rather than a vegan.
I love when people say ignorant things like this, as if vegans/vegetarians wouldn't do what is necessary to survive. I'm vegetarian and of course I'd kill an animal to survive if I was stranded in the wild and had no other option. But of course this is very far from the reality of the lives of the vast majority of us (assumedly anyone using a computer). Nice try anyway. Let me know next time you need to kill an animal to survive in your suburban, middle-class home.
i think this was a great story, i love trying new foods from all kinds of cultures. i'm openminded and will try anything once, and if i don't like it – so what? to each their own. great article, would definitely be down to try any of it. for all the less openminded people out there – it's ok to think it's weird, but it's important to respect each other's opinions. unfortunately.. these comment sections tend to attract the naysayers, never the supporters...
How about Schweddy Balls? I hear those are good!
SLAVES picking cotton – Children working in mines and mills – Dog Fights – Cock fights – aging cheese by piling manure on top – scooping the brains out of live monkeys with a spoon. Humans are savage ugly monsters that may survive long enough to become less horrible – maybe not.
Yes! look at him hold forth his prize. Now that's a real man, he hunts his own food. I didn't know the CNN comments page was full of sissies and self righteous vegans, who upon reflection, are inherently sissies. Meat is gross? lets all be vegans? Why don't you go hold out a carrot to a lion while it rips open a gazelle.
Rather offer your silly ass to the lion.
lol. I always love meat-eaters' attempts at argumentation. Instead of addressing suffering and death at all, you just spew nonsense about the masculine quality (or lack thereof) of those who care about animals and think beyond their tastebuds. Grow up and evolve, you tool. Oh, and the hilarious "but animals eat other animals" argument.... nice try. They do, yes, because they do not know any better and can not survive otherwise. If you are claiming that you are as unintelligent and instinct-driven as any non-human animal and incapable of critical thought or of figuring out how to survive without slaughtering sentient beings....well...actually I might just agree, in your case...
David – THAT ITS THE POINT OF THE PICTURE! Death!!! Get it?
I was talking about Brad, chief.
cattle balls: Rocky Mountain Oysters. We castrate at about 500-600 pounds , the balls are about the size of a brat bun. I "shuck" them within hours of removal. Split in half and they are soaked in a salt brine for about 24-36 hours and then frozen. Thawed and dipped in egg bath coated with crushed crackers or shore lunch type batter and deep fat fried. Good for a night with friends served with beer and Raw Dawg (that is another story). I haven't had monkfish but the rest on your list is tops with me!!! Most people don't understand how tongue can be so good, melts in your moth!
Please deep fry your tongue and balls and serve them to your dog. He is after all man's best friend.
This guy looks like and sounds like a serial killer.
Since he is holding a bloody severed head; I believe that is a fair assessment.
unbelievable. really CNN? You ran out of all other story ideas and had to stoop as low as promoting cruelty to animals? Maybe your writers should look at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website to see how healthy the 5 animal parts you're promoting for dinner are for you. http://pcrm.org/
PCRM – they're vegan. They think all meat is unhealthy and cruel. Clearly you don't eat balls, you suck them.
You wish.
OK ...... PETA has officially infiltrated. Have fun being cranky hungry hungry vegans....
Defensive, immature, meat-eating flamers. Always a treat. Crazy idea: consider death and suffering and other consequences of your actions before delighting your taste buds for once. Or don't an take the ignorant fool's way out. Your choice.
You finally got it! MY CHOICE!
Thanks for confirming your willful ignorance and disregard for suffering. I will continue to treat you accordingly.
What does a a picture of some redneck with an IQ of maybe 50 gleefully holding the severed head of a deer got to do with parts of animals that should be cooked well? The picture belongs to a story about HUNTING and the morons who participate in this so-called "sport." Its relationship to the story is peripheral at best. It's up there for shock value and nothing more. TAKE IT DOWN.
I believe the photo – including the grinning 'evil' skull on the wall – give a good representation of the character of the author.
I'm definitely with Rob on this one. CNN has stooped to a new low here. The picture has nothing to do with the article and this guy obviously has some issues. Good job promoting animal cruelty CNN. Dislike.
Disgusting. I don't eat any animal parts.
you dont eat meat? for every piece of meat you dont eat, i am going to eat two. hell, im going to eat three pieces of meat just to offset the pieces i would normally eat while im making up for you. every bit of high and mighty vegetarian propaganda will force me to eat another piece.
You are an ass.
Please feel free to eat all the feces you can stuff down your moronic pie hole.
Awesome, all the speedier cancer and heart disease for you then. Eat up, corpse-muncher. :)
What is high and mighty about healthyfitandvegetarian's statement? I think you are being high and mighty yourself.
I am an omnivore and I eat offal as well. At least this person who finds this article/lead photo disgusting actually DOESN"T eat meat. The ones who worry me are the meat eaters who are fine as long as it is supermarket plasticized.
I remember a cartoon I saw once: people gathered around a dinner party table. Caption, in the voice of one of the attendees: "Deer hunting is sooooo horrible! Pass the steak, please!".
What I am saying is that healthyfitandvegetarian is not a hypocrite.
I can respect this person without agreeing with him or her.
(I can even say I understand this person's mindset, although under other circumstances, this could get me arrested, in our politically-correct world of today...)
Proudly displaying a decapitated deer head,and whats that directly above it.. a human skull on a lamp? What a freak.
All of a sudden I've lost my appetite.
Au contraire, I'm getting ravenous... Laughter with a genial smile. Each to their own which sometimes means more for me at a better price. :)
Holding a bleeding deer head with dead looking eyes is repugnant. I can't imagine any decent, quality woman wanting to date a man who eats organs that filter toxins or release sperm. If a man has bad oral hygiene or nasty looking teeth, don't expect to date a decent, attractive person. Same goes for what you put in your mouth and hands.
Elle, I have no doubt you'll be happy marrying a pansy. You won't have any trouble finding one; I see a few have posted here already.
LOL best comment I've read so far.
One named Jack.
Yeah, pffff, only pansies have respect and concern for animal life and suffering, and make conscientious decisions to go against blindly accepted culture and live a lifestyle to reduce harm. Don't you have a mammoth to go club, Jack? Don't let evolution hit your ass on the way out of your cave.
I think it's safe to assume the author has no interest in dating you. Most women, however, would probably find a guy who's resourceful, open-minded, writes introspectively (have you even clicked on his blog link?), has been employed by a major magazine, is writing a book, and hosts a television series a pretty good catch. Heck, most of them would settle for a guy who liked to cook for them.
Ah... hmmm.... NO.
I don't see why everyone is being so judgmental. At least the animal was killed quickly by a human instead of have it's trachea slowly crushed by the jaws of a hungry lion which will probably leave the rest of it to rot in the sun for the buzzards to pick off of. :)
It is understandable though that in the States people may feel repugnance towards something that has definitely been culturally taboo. In most of the world, organ meat and bone marrow is a sought out delicacy and for a reason. There is tradition behind those countless dishes which take advantage of these ingredients and are definitely the epitome of flavor, texture and variety when it comes to meat. I do know many people that have traveled the world and though they thought they'd never eat a gizzard or a heart, they actually found that they enjoyed it when prepared properly. Even tripe can be a delicious dish if made the right way (of course it needs thorough cleaning and cooking). You don't have to try it, but I've never seen anyone regret trying. At least when you eat the organs you know what part of the animal you're eating, unlike with hot-dogs, but that's another story.
Ellie, I'm female. I'll eat these things. I am careful about the source of liver (a filtering organ): take from managed free range sources not factory farmed, and I hesitate over venison liver depending on area of the country. At any rate, the liver is less interesting than tongue or heart. or gizzard. (Yes, I have had Rocky Mountain Oysters, too, and while I liked them it was a sample size of once.) I love brains - Dad would make the best cold brain salad. I don't do that any more due to the mad cow thing.
I simply grew up in a family where we tried just about anything. It didn't seem weird, odd or anything else at the time. It certainly doesn't seem like it should be considered weird or odd now, either. It just seems senseless to waste good food. When i can score chicken feet, they make excellent stock.
Tongue is one of the best and tastiest meats around. As for oxtail – the meatiest most delicious meat when cooked well.
All of that sounds really good.....for fish bait!! I bet you'd catch some nice catfish with all that bait, you're trying to feed humans.
What a whopping gout fest! Yikes! Appetizing photo.
This is very cute but the eating of filter organs such as livers makes no sense. Toxins are concentrated in those organs while the animal was alive, so now we should eat that stuff? I think not.
I always thought that too Dave. Perhaps the toxins are cooked out of the organs? My parents cook "zoo" food for their Greyhounds (parts that are horrid looking from the butcher intended for zoo animals), but they say it's extremely healthy/no antibiotics and high in nutrients and iron. According to my mother, everything is toxin free after boiling.
the liver removes waste. waste is excreted through the urinary tract system and in scat. why is this a topic of discussion? 2nd graders are taught this stuff.
Looks like you didn't make it past second grade because MANY toxins are not water soluble and end up being concentrated in the liver and adipose.
Owned.
If you watch wild animals, most of the internal organs are the first to get eaten and generally taken by the pack members that reside higher in the social hierarchy. For humans, the only risk from eating liver is that some species' livers have toxic levels of Vitamin A, but disease or other toxins aren't a concern.
Simply not true.
Brian, not always true. Parasites can lurk in some liver, most notably bear liver from bears taken after hibernation is over. This is however not the only situation.
chop the ballzin small pieces and take the skin off then stir fry them in oil, sprinkle some salt, paprika, some curry powder, little bit of garlic and ginger, some finely chopped jalapeno peppers. When it is ready, get some pita bread, warm it up maybe put a little bit of water on you hand and wipe it off the the bread and then put some oil on the bread and put it in the frying pan for a minute-. You will like it.
What happened to Ox Tail. Try it. It's like "fall of the bone" good.
The OX has been P00ping on the tail its entire life.
Well, if you're worried about fecal matter, you may want to avoid most mass produced farm meat :).
om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom om nom nom nom
This guy has a microscopic weenie. Men who do things like this telegraph this fact to the whole world. If you are going to hunt, then hunt. But have some respect for the animal who gave its life to feed you.
He is, because he's going to eat the head, and he's suggesting to you that you should try it too. I'm pretty sure he's average to above average size. A man who is comfortable eating a deer head is comfortable with the size of his wiener.
As has already been said, he mentioned nothing about eating anything from the deer's head. The only tongue he mentioned was beef. I have nothing against hunting, eat meat, and am interested in the monkfish liver. But how come I don't see photos of severed cow heads at the grocery or at mail I get from Omaha Steaks? The photo added nothing to the article.
It may just be a cultural issue, but I have lived in Europe, Japan and visited Korea and it is actually not unusual to see a severed head at the butcher's shop. I may not like the way farm animals are treated and killed but I have come to understand that there is nothing immoral about hunting and consuming your own game especially considering that you're only allowed to hunt animals that are not endangered and that are usually overpopulating. I would rather see someone kill an animal for food than see an orca be imprisoned to turn tricks for a lifetime.
He does mention eating tongue although he speaks specifically of cow's tongue. As an aside, that's not much of a trophy, so that probably wasn't the point. Meat eaters shouldn't be so squeamish, and what the heck are vegans even doing reading the article?
My thoughts exactly. I am not against eating meat at all, although I choose not to. That being said, I believe it's a gift from God and it should be respected as a Blessing. Not held up like a trophy!
clearly you have never been hunting before. when one kills an animal, one has to move the animals body. cutting an animals body into pieces makes it easier to move; it is not an act of disrespect. plus, im willing to bet that cnn used a stock photo specifically to get you all frothed up and butthurt.
yeah...i thought avatar cleared all this up!!!
Yes because cutting a hunted animal up to move its body has everything to do with proudly holding up its bloody, severed head for a kodak moment in your house. Idiot.
This is a blog, not a Christmas card. Idiot.
And I don't know that you've ever hunted either. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin and everyone there hunts. (and stores the heads of "trophy" bucks on their wall) Usually, you field dress the deer which includes making an incision along the belly and pulling out the guts. You then either drag or get a four wheeler to drag the animal to your truck. The head is not cut off until the animal is processed.
The hunted animal definitely had a far better life, and quite probably a better death (assuming he's good with his gun), than the factory farmed animal you quite possibly have no problem with his purchasing all pre-packaged at the supermarket.
I am actually a meat eater and after reading this I'm considering converting to veggie-tarian!.......At least he's eating what he kills.
I was on a vegetarian diet once. For a whole year I ate nothing but vegetarians. :)
Sick.
i like this guy. hes got balls. i like balls.
try cooking them ala recipe number 5.
So the banjo playing kid from Deliverance actually survived and grew up. Cool.
That was the funny Made my night
Sadly enough.
LOL! Now that made me giggle.
While the subject matter of the article didn't offend me, the photograph of a guy proudly displaying a freshly-severed head of a deer is one of the vilest things I've seen on a professional news site. The whole concept of hunters showing off their kill like it's a trophy baffles me...it lacks respect for the animal and what it's about to provide.
Simply imagine they same photo with someone holding up a severed human head and maybe you can begin to understand how offensive this is to some people.
do you eat people or something?
Thank you!
"While the subject matter of the article didn't offend me, the photograph of a guy proudly displaying a freshly-severed head of a deer is one of the vilest things I've seen on a professional news site"
Had the same picture showed the man holding up a nicely-trimmed porterhouse, it would have been fine? Dead animal is dead animal. Apparently, you're more offended by someone exposing the part of meat-eating that you would like to conveniently forget.
Perhaps if the head actually related to something in the article it might have been o.k. Did I miss something....was there some part of that head he was going to eat. Look the skull lamp in the background ... this guy is just creepy. I wouldn't doubt that animal head will end up in bed with him.
Yup. That's right. There is no point to that photo.
yes nothing wrong with eating meet. it's called the food chain.
Yea, he's holding up the head as a trophy. Not much of one since it looks like a 4-pointer. Around my neck of the woods, no one would have a picture taken of a 4-point bucks head. As for the guy being "Creepy", that sounds like a comment from a city boy!!
B-Riff, a few points.
First, the photograph DOES show the kid in a bad light. With the skull framed between the antlers...
Second, LOAD of CNN readers ARE city folks and they most certainly don't understand.
Third, I'll agree about the pathetic specimen. BUT, in eastern Pennsylvania, that is pretty much the pick of the herds. Thank the PA game commission for their pseudo-scientific deer population management programs.
And for those who don't know what to do with the head, FIRST one does NOT bring it into the living room. Too messy,
Second, there is tongue, face meat (what scrapple is made of traditionally) and the brain. Personally, I can't tolerate testicles or brain, something about the fat content or something that I can't digest.
So, I'll stick with the heart, stomach and liver.
And of course, the bones to make good stock and gelatin.
My thoughts exactly.
While I understand your reaction, the reality is if you can't accept looking at the severed head of a dead animal, then you shouldn't be eating meat. I don't think the point of the picture is to proudly display his trophy. It's instead to proudly display that yes, this head can be eaten and you should try it. Why waste it?
And so what part of the article suggests eating any part of that head? They guy is just creepy and he is no doubt holding it up as a trophy.
The article suggests going to his blog site, which talks about all things offal.
OK...so now I'm on his blog. Where do I find the recipes for eating any part of that head?
I actually have enjoyed eating lamb brains (and yes, out of a half skull) when I was visiting a friend's house back in junior high school. The brains aren't usually the safest to eat and I would never eat those of a cow just because of the danger of mad cow disease, but it is definitely a waste to throw away the head when it has so much nutritional value. Just as Bear Grylls!
Ian does discuss eating tongue in this article. Which last I noticed was located in the head.
Steve you are so right. There is nothing about cooking the deer head hence your are morally superior about this insignificant picture on the internets.
lame troll is lame
Sorry dude, but Steve is right on this one – there is no mention anywhere, ANYWHERE!, about cooking deer heads! He said it 5 times already, so everyone know that he is right on this point. Forget that a blog use a intentionally provocative photo to make a statement about the articles content. ITS CLEARLY WRONG!
Actually, Steve forgot to mention that the article doesn't mention anything about wearing a tan shirt and a silly hat while cooking. So it should definitely be removed. Never mind that the tongue actually comes from the head of an animal, and that the general point is that it's about looking cool for all the other food-hipsters out there.
Eric T's lack of respect for other people's cultures is simply disgusting. He sounds like some sort of Nazi forcing his views on everyone else.
Ah the good ol' cultural relativism argument. Hey, you know what? The Nazis had a certain "culture" too. I hope you don't hate on their practices, lest you be guilty of your own culture-bashing. See what I did there?
Pussy...
While I agree with this (as a hunter): ".it lacks respect for the animal and what it's about to provide."
I COMPLETELY disagree with this: "Simply imagine they same photo with someone holding up a severed human head and maybe you can begin to understand how offensive this is to some people."
If you're equating a butchered deer with human decapitation, there's simply no explaining it to you.
Of course. It's not comforting imagining humans being treated as we currently treat non-human animals, is it, despite them feeling pain and death as we do, and experiencing many emotions similarly as well, including happiness, fear, and relationships.
Actually David- I'm pretty comfortable imagining people like you in this manner. It's lefty dirtbags like you that brought us the stalinist purges, the mao death-revolution and the cambodian khmer rouge genocide. keep up the good work.
David brings up Nazis, Wilko brings up Khmer Rouge... guys, lighten up. You're both comparing molehills to mountains.
I'm remembering, instead and fondly, dad bringing home a lamb's head for dinner one night. He roasted it, and we ate it and we definitely enjoyed it. There were parts of it mother didn't want have anything to do with, but my brother and I: we seem to come from the school of thought which says "Try any edible food at least once. THEN decide if you like, hate or just simply tolerate it".
Cheeks and tongue are especially good.
(One thing that sets me on edge is the whole topic of "children's food" - this child at age 12 ate snake and liked it. Sorta like chicken, as the saying goes...)
Actually holding up the severed head of a human killed in battle is a long standing tradition, think David and Goliath for instance. Blackbeard's head was mounted on the bowsprit of the ship captained by the man who killed him, and so, so what's so offensive?
The severed head of the deer was definitely an image I did not expect to see when I clicked on the link.I thought I will learn about watching out for E.coli, viral and bacteria-borne diseases. Definitely it was a poor image choice for this article...
Agree 100%. I eat meat, but don't like to be confronted with their miserable fate.
Thank you! Yes!! So very disturbing! Wish they would take it down.
Eric T. and all the other Sensitive souls: TOUGHEN UP!
Eric- you're offended because you're a pussy. I bet you like ball in your mouth though.
I thought i would see alot of people cursing you out for the decapitated deer lol im sure it will happen soon though be prepared to hear people say maybe you should have your head cut off instead...by the way liver heart lungs always good to eat...delicious
Not sure how I came across this page. I thought it looked like some tough guy from Ireland's web page. What a shock to read the credentials! Not sure what to think of the plastic human skull on the ship's bell.
Thank you, Hannibal Lecter. By the way, try the infamous liver (BEEF!), fava beans, and a nice chianti. This is a really terrific combination.
Lungs, eh? This is the first i've heard they can be eaten. How do you prepare them?
The only balls I would put in my mouth are...actually, I am a guy. I would never put ANY balls in my mouth!!!
homophobe
heterophobe !!!
Homophiliac.
Homophile.
Dumbasses!
coward
I love a bulls big balls in my mouth. Oh yeah, and I like fish sticks !
you're a gay fish
I like to put fish sticks in my mouth !
Technically if you're eating hot-dogs you're probably eating a good percentage of testicle meat.
Ick! Never thought about that! Going now to throw away my hot dogs.
And McDonalds. Big buyer of Beef parts.
Why did you have to share that, now i cant eat hotdogs anymore.
That's the least of the problem with hot dogs. At least the testicles are meat.
no GumBalls. UnAmerican
As long as it shows up in haggis... Nom!
Haggis, offal stew in a sack (stomach).
Always wanted to try it, but when I was overseas, it was CRAZY expensive.
Problem with hearts and gizzards is they are heart attacks on a plate (ridiculously high in cholesterol), delicious, but deadly.
Not so much for the hearts. Only 8mg of cholesterol per chicken heart, gizzards are another story...upwards of 300 mg.
You do realize there's no correlation between cholesterol ingested an your cholesterol, don't you?
I guess if you didn't before, now you do.
Completely wrong – want to have a scientific discussion about that one? Try me.
Right. Dietary cholesterol has a minimal effect on blood cholesterol levels. Its primarily a function of the liver. If you do eat more or less cholesterol in your diet your liver adjusts to make more or less to stay about the same. You can lower your cholesterol by eating less saturated fat (animal fat) and calories in general but simply eating foods lower in cholesterol doesn't cut it.
Dietary cholesterol has an effect on some people, not on others. So both "sides" are technically right. At any rate, the heart is a low-cholesterol organ. I remove any exterior globs of fat that might be clinging to it or them., if there is such.
If you are cooking testicles, say of the cow, you have to throw away the initial boiled water and put on new water. You may have to repeat again. . Boiled cow testicles is called in the Philippines "soup number 5". It's really good.
Cows don't have balls. Bulls have balls - once the balls are removed the animal is now called a steer.
LOL...LOL.....LOL
Male cows do have balls. Female cows (heifers) do not.
Right on!!
Actually GJim is correct. The female of the species is a cow, the male is a bull. And a heifer is a young cow, usually one that hasn't yet birthed a calf.
Oh, and the whole idea of eating any balls makes me gag!
Garwin1 – so if the male cow has the balls, what does the bull have? ... jeez. (Some things are just basic education.) Oh yes ... and hot dogs – mechanically-recovered meat – testicles, spinal cords, uteruses, all the gross parts, packed with salt to make you eat what is really just pet food. A friend of mine once found a pigs eyelid in a sausage link, complete with eyelashes. Yum!!! If you're going to to meat (which I do) I prefer it in one identifiable piece ...
Main Entry: 1cow
Pronunciation: \ˈkau̇\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English cou, from Old English cū; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the mature female of cattle (genus Bos) b : the mature female of various usually large animals (as an elephant, whale, or moose)
2 : a domestic bovine animal regardless of sex or age
People please, where did you learn to use the internet. I was raised on a farm, you can call them cattle. There are many different animals that the male of the species is called a bull, so saying bull testicles is wrong also. You all turned a mountain into a mole hill here. The best term is probabley to say beef testicles or in the case of pork or swine testicles "Rocky mountain oysters". You commenters should stop being the word police if you have anything serious to say.
Cows do not have testicles..plz...
I love balls
in and around the mouth....
Haha!!
creamy and delicious...just don't forget to pick out the pubies
I've always loved chicken/turkey hearts. I always rush for them before my grandma makes the giblet gravy at Christmas or thanksgiving. Hate the gizzards, though I might have to try them prepared this way. YUM! thx~
We'd call 'em chicken souls, and they are fantastic. Skewer them up and marinate in teryiaki, then grill, and shazam! Delicious.
I love chicken and turkey hearts! As a child, I usually cajoled my way to the heart; no one particularly hated them, but no one loved them with the passion I did, and do. I now know of a place where I can get a quarter or half pound of them at a time.
I like gizzards too, but chicken more than turkey, which have been fine in the gravy. I'll have to try the new method of preparing them.