I'd be too worried about liver flukes to ever consider eating deer liver.

 

Mmm, fresh deer liver and onions. Not much better on a cold day after a successful hunt and a couple of whiskies. I find the flavor considerably milder than beef liver. We always cooked it at the camp when one of us made a kill.

 

Mmm, fresh deer liver and onions. Not much better on a cold day after a successful hunt and a couple of whiskies. I find the flavor considerably milder than beef liver. We always cooked it at the camp when one of us made a kill.

This is as good as it gets. Last year on an elk hunt in western NM my uncle killed a bull opening morning. That night we cooked the tenderloins, liver, and heart. The guys camped next to us were from the Chicago area and had never eaten liver. They tried it and some tenderloin then went back for seconds. They passed the tenderloin and went for more liver! Sliced thin, lightly breaded, excellent.

 

I'd be too worried about liver flukes to ever consider eating deer liver.

Never heard of this. Apparently it is not harmful to eat.Icky maybe, but if you don't like stuff like this you would never eat Halibut, Swordfish and any other number of yummy beasts that host icky things. I would never have guessed you to be the squeamish type.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-15 ... --,00.html

MWAG

 

When I started hunting deer some 30 yrs. ago, my Grandpa would always remind me that when I got a deer to save the heart and liver for him. So I would always carry plastic bags with me to put them in.

Although I do not care for beef liver, the deer liver was OK, but I preferred the heart. He always sliced it thin and fryed it.

Now that my Grandpa is gone, I don't mess with saving them. Boy, I miss that.

 

Livers from mature deer (more than one year old) are not the greatest. I really love the livers from the young ones. I have been fortunate enough to harvest (1) button-buck in each of the last few seasons, in addition to many does, with this years weighing 90 lb field dressed. His liver provided (3) great meals. I know there are many hunters out there who become despondent when they "accidently" kill a button buck, but I dont think they would be so sad if they tried the liver. In my opinion, 6 months is the best time to harvest a buck, the venison is good and the liver is great. I wont even shoot a buck that I can see horns on unless they are really worth mounting, and an argument with my wife who is growing protective of our remaining wallspace.

 

First off, it goes with out saying.....you have to like to eat liver.
I fried one up years ago (sliced of course) and it was fine. Some folks like it, some don`t. Try some..

 

MMMMMMM deer liver is delicious (of course I'll eat mountain oysters too). It would depend on the outside temps as to wether or not the liver was still good but I'd say you were probably in the clear. I'd have just rinsed it off when I got home.

 

We always cook up the heart and liver at camp. It is really great with a little dusting of flour and huge red onions and sweet peppers cooked in a huge iron frying pan over the fire.

 

Disected and looked at deer liver under a microscope in college. Never ate liver after that.

 

slice it, marinade with honey and apple juice, cook, eat.... mmmmmmm

 

Mmm, fresh deer liver and onions. Not much better on a cold day after a successful hunt and a couple of whiskies. I find the flavor considerably milder than beef liver. We always cooked it at the camp when one of us made a kill.

Liver and onions is the way we do it. Eat it fresh - don't expect it to be good after freezing it. First things to be eaten here are liver, heart, and tenderloins. Just had that today, in fact...we filled three doe tags yesterday.

Jeremiah

 

I eat the liver all the time, just slice the fresh liver and if anything is wrong with it you will see it.

 

Try your deer liver with the kidneys and some bacon!

Check that the liver (and any other organs you are going to eat) are free from any abnormality - growths or discolourations.

Thin slice the liver about half inch thick and the kidneys into about thirds, wash and roll in some flour with pepper and salt. Fry the whole lot up lightly and then add some water to make a thick gravy, when the flour / gravy is cooked (on boiling) you have the best, first meal off a deer or caribou. Onions etc can also be added

This is a quickly prepared nutritious meal for camp.

(In 40 plus years of hunting and eating liver and kidneys I have never seen one that was not OK).

Tahrhunter

 

The only time I'll eat liver is off a fresh deer kill. Liver and Onions that way is actually quite tasty. I'll have to try the bacon though, that actually sounds pretty good.

 

The heart and liver from our first kill of the season always make it into the dressing(stuffing) on Thanksgiving day. Here in Wisconsin, thanksgiving always falls during the hunting season. Our big thanksgiving feast is always held at deer camp, and we always make sure we have a little meat in the stuffing...excellent stuff!!

 

Livers from mature deer (more than one year old) are not the greatest. I really love the livers from the young ones. I have been fortunate enough to harvest (1) button-buck in each of the last few seasons, in addition to many does, with this years weighing 90 lb field dressed. His liver provided (3) great meals. I know there are many hunters out there who become despondent when they "accidently" kill a button buck, but I dont think they would be so sad if they tried the liver. In my opinion, 6 months is the best time to harvest a buck, the venison is good and the liver is great. I wont even shoot a buck that I can see horns on unless they are really worth mounting, and an argument with my wife who is growing protective of our remaining wallspace.

+1 on button bucks and does. I have one 11 point white tail and have no desire to have more taxidermy bills unless it exceeds this one. Heart, liver and onions, thin sliced, breaded, fried or casserole with tomatoes and other goodies. Two kinds of deer: good eating and trophies.

 

Ummm, gettin' hungry!

:mrgreen:

 

I was amazed that some of my hunting buddies, who are Idaho natives, left the hearts and livers in the gut pile. Fresh liver-deer, elk, beef-is the best. The first elk liver i ever had was from a spike bull and still steaming when my BIL brought it into the cabin. It was in the pan before it could cool. That meal is still in the top ten best meals I've ever had.
A few years ago, we had a young buck and a young black bear on the pole and had the liver of both that night. The leftovers came home in my cooler and made the BEST pate'.
I've not, however, found a way to make deer and elk tongues edible.

 

If you are squeamish about eating deer liver, don't continue reading this post.

I grew up eating fresh RAW veal liver, and also ate it cooked on occasion. Where I come from, it is considered somewhat of a delicacy eating it raw, but you only got it from a butcher you trust, knowing that the calf has just been slaughtered. We had it for breakfast Sunday mornings, or for lunch with Arak (the equivalent of Greek Ouzo), which is a Licorice based alcoholic drink (about 50 proof)!

 

people love to be around me when I am cleaning a deer. i am very generous as in only wanting the back and hams. if i am alone, i end up saving the rest of the deer for someone because i saw what poachers used to leave behind on deer, its a shame.

 

Anyone throwing out the liver and heart is for sure nutz....I may have to try some kidneys. But even if you don't lie liver or are squeamish about the heart, both would make outstanding additions to any ground venison sausage, etc. that you have processed from the rest of your deer. A fresh heart can have the same flavor as the tenderloin. Even a large liver can be brine soaked over night, after slicing thin (1/2"), and make a very nice meal...but those small ones that go straight from the deer to the skillet are probably the best.....I've never been able to partake of elk or moose liver/heart, but I'd darn sure want to pack it out, if I could. :mrgreen:

 

After reading all of the posts, I'm definitely going to cook up the first deer liver I get this year. I tried largemouth bass liver a few years back and it was pretty good. I imagine deer liver will be great.

 

The tongue is near the top of the list of my favorite foods. We used to raise and butcher beef when I was a kid, and my mom and grandma would always pickle the hearts and tongues. The tongue was my favorite, it was just so tender compared to the heart. We raised hogs for a while and their tongues were good also. The best tongue I ever ate however, came out of a cow moose. That tongue was larger than any beef tongue I have seen and man did it have a fine flavor. Deer tongues, even from a very large buck, are just too small to deal with. As good as elk meat that I have has was, I sure would like to try one of those tongues.

 

FYI, if there are liver flukes in the liver, it's fine to eat. That is not the infectious stage of the parasite in humans.