Cookin’ in Camo: Bison Heart Anticucho

   09.03.14

Cookin’ in Camo: Bison Heart Anticucho

Heart is one of my favorite cuts on an animal. It’s highly underestimated and overlooked. Its rich, deep, meaty flavor stands up to any steak. Along with that, have I mentioned my obsession with peanut butter? It would make my boot edible. In this preparation I combine peanut butter with spicy red curry and sweet hoisin to create the perfect “heart topper.” From the first bite, this dish will be everything your heart desires!

Note: Tradionally anticuchos are skewered pieces of grilled meat. However, I love the sear that a cast iron gives the meat.

Ingredients

Bison heart

  • 2 pounds very fresh bison heart
  • 1 cup fresh minced cilantro
  • 1/4-cup red onion
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1/4-cup roasted ground peanuts
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • Kosher salt

Sauce

  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2-cup chicken broth
  • 1/2-teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1/4-cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 fresh red Thai chili, seeded and thinly sliced

Directions

Bison heart

To start out, I think it’s only fitting to pour a drink and turn on Ted Nugent’s “Great White Buffalo.” Refrain from firing flaming arrows.

Trim away any connective tissue, aortic, and ventricle tissue. Slice into triangles 1/4-inch thick with 2-inch long sides. Marinate the sliced heart for a minimum of two hours (overnight is best) in the minced cilantro, red onion, peanut oil, garlic, and ground pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until screaming hot. Season the heart liberally with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and sear the heart slices two minutes a side or until medium-rare. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with the sauce below.

Sauce

Heat the oil in a small pan and add the garlic, curry paste, and tomato paste. Fry until the garlic turns light brown. Add the broth, peanut butter, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. Simmer for roughly 3 minutes. Cool and add the peanuts and chiles. Hunt, cook, eat, share, enjoy, and, as always, keep Cookin’ in Camo!

Be sure and share your own version of this recipe, thoughts, questions, and pictures with me. I want to hear from you. Post on OutdoorHub and also on my social media via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Meat courtesy of North Market Poultry and Game in Columbus, Ohio.

Editor’s note: This recipe is the seventh in a series of several provided by Tyler Viars, a dedicated “forest to fork” hunter and professional chef. Click here to read last week’s recipe, coniglio alla cacciatora (hunter-style rabbit).

Avatar Author ID 578 - 2176896

Born in small town, Wilmington, Ohio, Tyler is, first and foremost, a God-fearing, family man. His two brothers, Jacob and Lucas, his dog Gunner, and parents, Todd and Brenda, are his everything. Family aside, his other loves are competitive natural bodybuilding, food, and the outdoors. While attending Auburn University, Tyler launched his outdoor career by working as a field producer for Jordan Outdoor Enterprises. From the base of Kilimanjaro to Alberta’s frozen tundra, Tyler has been blessed to document hunts for ESPN 2 and the Outdoor Channel’s top-rated television shows. As an avid hunter, he prides himself as a "rooter to the tooter," waste-nothing cook. Utilizing his Cookin' in Camo brand, established outdoor television background, and his new platform as one of the “nation's top home cooks,” Tyler is all set up as the vehicle to merge the outdoor and food industries.

Read More