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Caribou Heart Chili

For dinner last night, we ate chili. Caribou heart chili to be exact. I have to give thanks to our friend, Grant Petersen, for giving us the heart from the caribou he shot a couple of weeks ago. While many people to not enjoy organ meats, we really do. Other than the fact that they're delicious, it is also probably because I did not grow up on them, and only began incorporating them into our meals a year ago.

Did you know organ meats were highly prized by native groups traditionally? I've read that they would eat the organ meats first, saving the muscle meat for the dogs. This was especially true for their warriors and pregnant and lactating women. Organ meats just have a greater nutrient profile than muscle meats. I know I feel SO great after a meal that contains organ meats. 

Let's look at the nutrient profile of heart meat: (This is for beef, but caribou is going to be similar, with probably greater values since it is wild game).

Heart Nutrients
  • High in zinc
  • Iron
  • Selenium
  • B vitamins
  • It is the best food source for pre-formed CoQ10, which is super good for heart health! (source)
The nice thing about heart is that it is so lean and firm. It does not have the texture of liver, which many people are turned off to. If you aren't sure if you will like heart, try mixing it with ground beef to help mask the flavor. Mixing organ meats with ground beef is the best way to start incorporating organ meats into your diet. Your body will thank you!

Caribou heart chili!
Click for recipe


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