Marinated, Grilled Goat Heart Recipe (Or Lamb)

Heart is one of the easiest parts of lamb or goat offal to enjoy, and this simple marinated grilled goat heart recipe is a great example. Although they can be intimidating if you haven’t cooked them before, hearts are a lean muscle and aren’t gamey like liver or kidneys can be for some people.

Grilled goat heart with tomatillo salsa.

The inspiration for this came from one of the cuisines that’s closest to my heart: Latin America. Throughout my career as a chef in the Twin Cities metro area, I had many employees from South America, and one of their secrets I borrowed is a simple marinade of garlic and cumin. While it could be found in a number of different places, this particular one was described to me as Ecuadorian and is nothing more than a little garlic and cumin, salt and pepper.

How to Make Grilled Goat Heart

Hearts don’t need a lot to taste good, especially Shepherd Song ones, but a little garlic and cumin nuance makes them irresistible. First you trim off some fat, then marinate the hearts overnight or for a few hours.

Trimming the fat from the top of each heart.

The hearts should be grilled quickly over coals, roughly 2 minutes per side.

Once the hearts are are cooked, they’re removed from the grill and sliced-that’s it.

The recipe here is just a simple way to marinate and cook the lamb or goat hearts, the rest is up to you. Pictured are things my South American co-workers would often request in our staff meals: simple roasted sweet potatoes, and cabbage slaws flecked with cilantro. Tomatillo alsa verde is a great condiment, but the hearts are fine with a wedge of lemon too.

Chef Alan Bergo

This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com.

Looking to buy grass-fed lamb and goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.

Grilled goat heart sliced and served with salsa verde.

More Goat Heart Recipes

Stuffed Braised Hearts

Goat Heart Skewers (Anticuchos de Corazon)

Corned Goat, Lamb or Venison Hearts

Marinated, Grilled Goat Heart Recipe (Or Lamb)

A simple South American flavored grilled lamb or goat heart. Serves 2-4 as a light entrée, consider having a soup beforehand, or some additional vegetables or meat to make it more filling.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Ecuadorian

Keyword grilled goat heart recipe, grilled lamb heart recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 126kcal

Cost 10

Equipment

1 wood fire or gas grill

Ingredients

2 lamb or goat hearts about 6 oz each
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or 10 cranks of the mill
1 medium clove garlic grated, pressed, or mashed to a paste
½ teaspoon fresh ground cumin

Instructions

Marinate the hearts

Trim the fat from the top of the hearts with a sharp paring knife (some may prefer to leave it on. Remove any remnants of the central vein, if any.
In a container such as a bowl you can refrigerate the hearts in, mix the marinade ingredients, then add the hearts and turn over in the mix well to coat.
Refrigerate the goat hearts overnight or for at least a few hours, even 1 hour will make a difference in the flavor.

Cooking

To cook the hearts, oil a grill grate over a hot fire, preferably made from wood, put the hearts on, and cook until lightly charred and just medium doneness, about 2 minutes per side. They should be hot and blush red throughout.
Cut each heart in half vertically to make 4 pieces, then slice and serve in four portions. See note for serving and accompaniment suggestions.

Notes

*Note
Pictured this is served with a simple Latin American-inspired coleslaw with shredded carrots and cilantro, lemon and oil, a few sweet potatoes/yams, and tomatillo salsa verde.