Description
Heart is lean, dense and dark, with almost no fat to hide behind. People who have only had it overcooked remember it as chewy. Cooked right, it is closer to a good steak in texture than to offal.
Trim the fat, membrane and any tubes. Slice it about half a centimetre thick. Fry hot and fast, two minutes a side and no more, or thread it on skewers for mishkaki. It also takes well to a quick wet fry with onions and black pepper, which is how most Kenyan kitchens serve it. It is one of the richest sources of iron and B12 you can put on a plate, which is why it turns up in so many clinic-adjacent conversations.
One kilo feeds four as a main with a side. Use it within two days, and if you freeze it, thaw it slowly in the fridge rather than on the counter.
About this cut
- Cut from
- The heart, trimmed of valves and fat
- Best for
- Quick grill, stir-fry, or slow stew
- Texture
- Lean and dense — tastes like very lean beef
- Portioning
- Sliced thin across the grain, or cubed
- How to cook
- Either very fast or very slow. In between is chewy.
- Butchered at
- City Market, Stall 56, Muindi Mbingu Street, Nairobi
Cut fresh when your order comes in. Not frozen. If you want it cut differently, say so in the notes at checkout.
Keeping Beef Heart
- In the fridge
- 3–4 days in the coldest part of the fridge, on the bottom shelf, covered loosely.
- In the freezer
- Up to 4 months. Wrap it tight — air is what turns beef grey.
- Defrosting
- In the fridge overnight, never on the counter. Cook it within a day of defrosting.
Minced beef and offal are the exception: cook within 1–2 days, or freeze on the day you buy.
Questions about Beef Heart
Is this halal? +
Yes. Every cut we sell is halal, and it is butchered at our stall at City Market in Nairobi.
Can I choose the exact weight? +
On the cuts sold per kilogram you can order any weight from 0.5 kg in quarter-kilo steps. We cut as close to the weight you choose as the piece allows, and the price is for the weight you ordered.
When will it arrive? +
Same day across Nairobi if you order before 6:30 PM. You pay by M-Pesa to till 9700565 when you place the order, and we start cutting as soon as it is confirmed.
Can you cut it differently? +
Yes. Thickness, trim, boneless, diced for stew, minced through the mincer — write it in the notes at checkout and the butcher will do it.
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Before you cook it
Nyama choma at home: the fire, the cuts, the timing
Most home choma fails on the fire, not the marinade. Two heat zones, warm meat, big pieces — and ten minutes of rest at the end.
Why your beef turns grey in the fridge (and what to do about it)
It is oxidation, not spoilage — most of the time. How to tell the difference, and how to store beef so it lasts the week.
Reviews
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