Calf's Liver with Bacon Gravy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak liver in milk before cooking? ›

Soak the liver in a dish or bowl of milk for 30-60 minutes. This is an important step in removing the bitter flavor from the liver. Salt and pepper the liver generously, and leave it out at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Traditionally, cooking liver requires slicing it into strips or diagonal slices that can cook quickly, helping minimize the risk of overcooking the meat. If you overcook liver, it will develop a tough and grainy texture.

Also fairly common among liver recipes is to sear on fairly high heat, usually after breading or dipping the liver in flour. This will retain juices within and cook quickly.

Do not wash or rinse raw meat or poultry before you cook it. Washing can cause bacteria found on the surface of meat or poultry to be spread to ready-to-eat foods, kitchen utensils, and counter surfaces.

Calf liver.

Also called veal liver, it comes from young cows (under 1 year old). It's similar to beef liver and can be cooked in similar ways. But it has a more tender texture.

It's very simple to make but the three things that will set your liver above all others are: 1) soak in milk, 2) turn the liver as little as possible when cooking, and 3) don't overcook.

Soak liver in milk for 1-2 hours before cooking.

If you follow a strict paleo diet, you can use coconut milk instead of dairy milk; you'll get the same benefit of mellowing out the flavor. Buttermilk is also a great option!

Dredge liver in flour. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add liver and cook until browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Serve liver smothered with caramelized onions.

Place your liver in a bowl with filtered water. Add 4-8 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or whole milk (raw preferred.) Allow to soak for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The time you soak is determined by the thickness of your slices and your texture preferences.

It shouldn't be mushy, crumble, or disintegrate under gentle pressure – if it does, then a process known as 'autolysis' has started, and the liver is starting to break down. Blotchiness and pale areas can also suggest less than ideal freshness, or issues with the health of the liver.

What are the most appropriate cooking methods for liver? ›

While we are used to soaking liver in vinegar or lemon to get rid of the bad smell and kill any remaining toxins, American and European chefs advise to soak liver in milk. Yes, that's right: Milk! They claim that in addition to getting rid of toxins that usually are present in raw liver, milk helps tenderizing it.

Soaking liver in milk or buttermilk is optional. It's not necessary if the liver is fresh and of high quality. Soaking is done to make the flavor less "gamey" and to tenderize the meat. The lactic acid in buttermilk (and milk) tenderizes protein.

This is because buttermilk (and milk in general) contains calcium. The alkaline calcium interacts with chicken liver and tempers its acidic nature to leave a mild-tasting liver. Milk also helps remove any blood left in the liver, making it taste less metallic.

The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.