When I was a kid one of my favorite things to eat was my
grandmother’s liver ball. Any time the
family would get together there was sure to be a liver ball. It is a simple enough recipe, you mix a pound
of Braunschweiger with one packet of Hidden Valley ranch dry mix, stir them
together form it into a ball and coat the ball with cream cheese. It was and is one of my favorite things to
eat. There was a period of my life when
I realized what I was eating and refused to eat it but got over that in a hurry
and have been in love with it ever since.
Note the multiple liver balls at Christmas
Many people are not fond of the flavor of liver, for some,
it is the texture and for others it is just the thought that it is organ meat and
that puts them off. Liver has a very
strong somewhat mineral like flavor and as far as I can tell doesn’t get better
with age. With all organ meats it is
always a good idea to eat them as fresh as possible. As far as texture is concerned when liver is
over cooked it becomes dry and mealy and can be like taking a bite of really
nasty sawdust. I personally believe that
taste and texture are completely controllable and can be controlled enough to
make liver delicious. If you don’t like liver
because it is an organ and that’s more than your mind can take, I can’t help
you.
Freshness is the key to taste in my opinion, the fresher the
liver the better. On a recent trip to Wyoming
I shot an antelope and actually tried a piece of raw liver right after it was
cut out of the antelope. It had a
completely different flavor than any other liver I have ever had. It was sweet and had a hint of sage in it
from the antelope’s diet. It was perfect,
I used the rest of that liver in a camp stew that afternoon and it was
fantastic. The second key is to not overcook
the liver. Liver should be cooked medium
rare to medium with just a little bit of pink in the middle. This can be tricky because liver cooks so
quickly, it will burn if you are not careful. You should cook the liver over
medium heat and keep a close eye on it. If
you use a meat thermometer shoot for 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once you figure out how to cook the liver then you can try
it in different dishes. I have been playing
around with a recipe to make an antelope liver pate that would be similar to
the liver ball my grandmother makes. After
some experimenting I think I finally got the right flavor and texture. The pate is creamy and smooth and has a
beautiful earthy flavor with a very mild liver finish. I tried it with three different toppings; the
first was a port and honey jelly that was fantastic. The second was a quick onion jam with nettle
salt that complimented the natural sweetness and earthiness of the pate. But hands down the very best topping were the
pickled ramps, the vinegary bite and the powerful garlicky goodness made the
pate bright and delicious.
Antelope Liver Pate
10 oz liver (deer, antelope, pig, duck doesn't matter)
1/2 of a small white onion sliced
3 tablespoons bacon fat
1/4 cup grated onion
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 teaspoon each Dry thyme, white pepper, nutmeg, ground cloves
pinch of mace
4 oz cream cheese
salt to taste
Saute the sliced onions and the livers in bacon fat until the liver is done to your liking. Place the liver and onions and bacon fat all in a food processor and pulse until well chopped. add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Add salt to you taste but remember that this is going to be served cold so the flavors will mellow. Chill in the fridge for a couple of days to let all the flavors blend and enjoy.
