Beef offal stew is surprisingly delicious and budget-friendly too! If you’re looking for an easy way to add organ meat to your diet, try this slow cooker stew with beef heart and kidney. It’s a nourishing one-pot dinner made from low-carb and keto ingredients that beginners and advanced nose-to-tail eaters will enjoy.
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What is Offal?
Offal, is the general term for organs like heart, liver, and kidney. These parts have an important and respected place in traditional diets around the world as beneficial and in some cases, medicinal foods. (1)
Believe it or not, organ meats are excellent in any diet and should not be missed!
There are many benefits of organ meats. Some of them include the following:
- All organ meats are concentrated sources of nutrition that can help you feel fuller longer and retain muscle mass as you age. (2, 3, 4) For these reasons alone, they are worth eating. Aside from amino acids, offal also contains fat-soluble vitamins and minerals found in great abundance. (5, 6)
- Organ meats are cheap! Since they are largely absent from modern day Western diets, there is low demand, and thus, organ meat can be the most affordable cuts in the butcher’s case.
- Using as much as possible from an animal lets little to nothing go to waste. No one likes wasting food; this is especially true if you raise the animal yourself and want to maximize your efforts. Nose-to-tail recipes are utilitarian and frugal.
If you have the pleasure of buying directly from a rancher or a small local butcher, ask if they can source your offal. You may find they even give it away!
Offal recipes are gaining popularity and are now included in many wellness diet types:
- Keto diet
- Carnivore diet
- GAPS diet
- AIP diet
- Paleo diet
- Primal diet
- Whole 30
Take a look at these 34 Keto Organ Meat Recipes (AIP, GAPS, + Carnivore Friendly) for more examples.
How to Make an Offal Stew Recipe
Prepare all your low-carb ingredients, and follow the easy directions. Then, you’ll have this organ meat stew simmering away in no time!
Keto slow cooker recipes are some of the best for meal prep! This one doesn’t disappoint.
Ingredients
Beef heart – Many people consider the heart a muscle, not an organ. You’ll notice heart has a very mellow flavor which is not dissimilar to regular stew meat. Since it takes so well to stewing, you could make a Beef Heart Stew with just heart exclusively if you wanted to.
Beef kidney – Kidney usually comes with a strip of suet attached down the center. Keep that on while you chop the meat so it renders into the stew, thereby, adding healthy animal fats to your meal.
Low-carb vegetables – Onion, garlic, cauliflower, and mushrooms are the top picks for this low-carb stew. They are classic ingredients for soup!
Parsley – Fresh or dry parsley will work. You may also substitute with rosemary, thyme, oregano, or another savory culinary herb.
Whole peppercorn – I love the look and texture of adding the whole peppercorn to stew! If you don’t have any, a ¼ teaspoon of ground black will work just fine. Pepper seasons the soup with a pinch of salt too.
Bone broth – I prefer a homemade beef bone broth; however, Kettle and Fire makes an organic shelf-stable broth you can store in your pantry. You can read my Kettle and Fire Bone Broth Review and learn why they are my top choice.
If desired, substitute beef heart and kidney with corresponding cuts from other ruminant animals like lamb, bison, and mutton. There’s a high likelihood rabbit and pork heart and kidney will also work, although, I have not tested them myself. I do not suggest using chicken organs in this recipe.
Directions
Follow along step-by-step, and you’ll make this keto slow cooker dinner perfectly the first time you try!
- Prepare the heart by trimming off and discarding connective tissues and large vessels. Cube into 1 ½-inch pieces. I leave as much fat on as possible.
- Cut kidney into similarity sized pieces. I also recommend leaving the fat on here too.
- Add the meat to the crockpot.
- Arrange the onion, garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms, and parsley over the meat. Season with salt. Add peppercorn.
- Pour in bone broth.
- Cover with the lid. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
If you’re cooking on the stovetop, the recipe continues the same; however, you will add the ingredients to a stockpot instead of a slow cooker. Raise the temperature to a boil after adding the broth, then reduce it to a simmer. Maintain a simmer for 2-3 hours until the heart is fork-tender.
Grab your favorite soup bowl and spoon. You’ll probably want a label too. Finally, serve hot.
Where do You Buy Organ Meats?
The best place to buy organ meats is from the person who raised or butchered the animal. This means connecting with a farmer or a local butcher.
Getting as close as possible to your food source is of great value. Search the online directory at Eat Wild and find a food producer in your area. EatWild is best for US and Canada, but also has some international listings, although they are sparse.
In case, nothing shows up near you, consider buying organ meat online instead.
I recommend US Wellness for everything from grass-fed liver, heart, kidney, tongue, bones, and more (from beef, chicken, lamb, and bison). If they are out of stock on something, White Oak Pastures is another great place for buying offal online. They are a regenerative farm and oversee the entire process from raising to butchering!
More Organ Meat Recipes
Learning how to cook organ meat recipes is an eye-opening experience! These recipes are as easy as they are delicious. Enjoy!
- Classic Beef Liver Pate
- Organ Meat Pie
- Easy Beef Kidney
- Beef Heart Meatballs
- Braised Beef Heart Recipe (Slow Cook)
Beef Offal Stew (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef heart
- 1 pound beef kidney
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium cauliflower chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorn
- 8 cups bone broth
Instructions
- Prepare the heart by trimming off and discarding connective tissues and large vessels. Cube into 1 ½-inch pieces. I leave as much fat on as possible.Cut kidney from into similarity sized pieces. I also recommend leaving the fat on here too. Add the meat to the crockpot.2 pounds beef heart, 1 pound beef kidney
- Arrange the onion, garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms, and parsley over the meat. Season with salt. Add peppercorn.1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 medium cauliflower, 1 cup mushrooms, ¼ cup parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorn
- Pour in bone broth.8 cups bone broth
- Cover with the lid. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
Notes
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
Originally published on October 9, 2015.
More Keto Soup Recipes
More Slow Cooked Keto Recipes
You don’t want to miss these easy keto crockpot recipes for meal prep! Keto slow cooker recipes are so delicious and easy.
- Keto Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
- Slow Cooker Keto Pot Roast
- Keto Shepherd’s Pie (Crock Pot)
- Keto Beef Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Keto Beef and Broccoli
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Super easy to prepare, and the slow cooking made the meats really tender. The combo of heart and kidney gave it a rich flavor! I’m new to organ meats, and this felt like a comfortable introduction. Have you tried adding other types of organ meats to this stew? Would like to add some tripe or liver the next time I make it!
Hi Jana, I’m so glad you like this recipe! I have added beef liver to this stew but never tripe. Please let me know what you think if you try that! I’d love to hear your experience. Personally, I prefer enjoying liver other ways and not in this soup. Please let me know what you think if you try that! I’d love to hear your experience.
My daughter’s roommate has access to an entire cow when her father butchers, and they do their part to ensure no part of the animal goes to waste. Since my daughter is the cook at their house (and not the roommate), I shared this recipe with them. The report back was that it was easy to follow and quite delicious.
Thanks for sharing the recipe, Kelly. Glad to hear the report back was a success.
Very delicious! It came out very tender. Packed full of flavor and nutrients.
I gave this recipe to my dad and he loved it! He said it was easy to follow and enjoyed the flavor a lot. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
You’re welcome Liz – thanks for sharing with family.
In your recipe for simple boiled kidney you mention the ammonia flavor and how boiling gets rid of it. My one experience with kidney was bad so I’m a little skiddish about that flavor. This recipe doesn’t mention boiling first, what happens to the ammonia flavor? Thanks for all the great carnivore recipes!
Hi Ricky, I understand your hesitancy to try again but hope you do because when done right, kidney is delicious. Since the kidney is boiled in one single step, there isn’t any pre-boiling needed. I don’t know the chemical or scientific mechanism for what happens to the ammonia or how it is released. However, from a practical view, I know that boiling is a consistent way to the kidney edible and enjoyable. It’s worth the effort to try! I hope this helps!
I had never tried making organ meat before but my butcher convinced me to get some and I came across your recipe. How delicious! I loved the ease of making it in the slow cooker and the flavor was outstanding. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like you have a great butcher, Mindy! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and leaving a review. I’m glad you find the slow cooker to be a useful tool. I sure do love the easy, dump method of cooking.
Can I use an Instant Pot for this recipe?
You sure can! I don’t have an instant pot myself but do understand you can follow along with the manufacture’s instructions.
It’s so important to use all the cuts of meat so nothing is wasted. Great stew recipe!
You can find some really great deals on affordable organ meats. I hope you like this stew as much as we do!
Very interesting recipe. I never used organ meat before but I might just give it a try. This sounds really good!
This is a great recipe for beginners. I encourage you to try it out!
This is a meat source I hadn’t considered before. Great information! Thanks for sharing.
What a yummy looking stew! So healthy and comforting for the whole family.
It’s really great for families – our children love kidney! They say it’s called KIDney because kids like it so much.
This is so flavourful and smells amazing.
I’m glad you think so Romina! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
I tried to cook a keto version of lambs fry a while back using lambs liver which is readily available in australia. I really wanted to like it but found the after taste too strange. I persisted and almost got through the meal but in the end couldn’t finish it. I was thinking maybe pate could be a better option. What’s the taste of heart like. I supose all offal meat has a similar twang to it.
Pates are a good “beginners” recipe. Blend up the liver with lots of butter, cream, and herbs. Serve with celery sticks or cucumber slices. I think heart has a very mellow flavor. It is different from liver. Liver can be a bit touchy to cook also, if you cook it too long – not good. If you cook it not long enough – not good. I had to practice a lot before I got the timing and cooking temperature just right. Go ahead and give heart a try!
I like ground heart the most. It is easy to mix in with ground beef. Use 25% beef heart to 75% normal muscle meat. Then move up to 50+%. Tell me how it goes!
We were raised to use everything from an animal we killed. Its all edible, and delicious. There is certain things you do however. Kidneys should never be consumed without soaking in salt water for a few hours. Overnight is best. Steak and kidney pie is my favorite. This recipe sounds great for a slow cooker.
I have used 1 ox heart, 1 ox liver and lambs liver. I have been cooking it in my slow cooker for about an hour now. I gave a piece of liver a taste. Wow intense flavor. Gonna take time to get used to it!!
What kind of animal did you use for the organ meat? Did you mix and match?
These are sourced from local grass-fed beef. Any cud chewing animal would be great, goat, elk, moose, deer, bison… Beef is what we have readily available so it is what we use the most of. Here in Ecuador, it is pretty much chicken or beef. We don’t eat much chicken and have not mixed and matched the two together.