What You Can Do With Pork Offal

If you’re trying to embrace nose-to-tail eating, you’ll eventually find yourself wondering how to cook with pork offal. 

While this range of meat cuts might initially seem more complex to incorporate into your meals, they’re actually quite easy, from simple midweek meals to dinner entrees like offal stew.

Not only is pork offal versatile, it’s also packed with nutrients. These pasture-raised pork cuts tend to be high in protein and essential minerals. 

Once you try pork offal, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!

So, here’s everything you need to know about cooking with pork offal.

What Is Pork Offal?

Offal refers to the internal organs of an animal. In the case of pork, offal is usually made up of the heart, lungs, liver, cheeks, brain, snout, skin, and tongue. 

You’ve probably eaten pork offal plenty of times without realizing it! Some pork sausages, liver pate, and pork rinds are great examples of popular, delicious offal-based dishes.

What Is Offal Used For?

Offal includes organs like the liver, kidneys, heart, and intestines. It adds unique flavors and textures to a variety of dishes. Liver is used in pâtés and liverwurst, kidneys in stews and pies, heart in grilled or braised dishes, and intestines as natural sausage casings. These parts enhance everyday dishes with their rich, robust flavors.

Celebrated for its nutritional value and sustainability, pork offal is a staple in many cultural cuisines. Dishes like crispy fried pork ears, pickled tongue tacos, and haggis showcase its versatility. 

Chefs and home cooks alike appreciate pork offal for its cost-effectiveness and role in reducing food waste, making it a prized ingredient in both traditional and modern cooking.

Simple Pork Offal Recipes

If you want to incorporate offal into your meals, but aren’t sure where to start, these offal recipes are a must-try. For each one, we’ve used a different cut of pork: the liver, the heart, and the tongue to give you some variety. 

Even better, these recipes are easy to make—but look and taste impressive.

Sticky Pork Liver and Crunchy Vegetable Stir-Fry

This super simple, moreish dinner dish comes together in just 25 minutes and is sure to become a regular in your household. The mild, creamy taste of the liver perfectly complements the crisp, crunchy vegetables. 

All you need to do is:

• Swap out your regular stir-fry meat—whether that’s prawns, chicken, or beef—with sliced pork liver. 
• Fry the liver in a skillet for a minute on each side.
• Add in your vegetables and favorite sauce. 

Braised Pork Heart with Buttery Mash 

This braised pork heart recipe is incredibly sumptuous. If you don’t tell your guests, they might mistake it for slow-cooked beef!

Low and slow is a great way to cook pork heart. The meat becomes so tender that it falls apart at the touch of a fork. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth! 

To make this:

• Use a Dutch oven or slow cooker and braise diced pork heart in a mixture of red wine, beef bone broth, and roasted vegetables. 
• Let simmer for 2-3 hours.
• Serve with homemade buttery mashed potatoes.

Spicy Pork Tongue Tacos 

For a twist on pulled pork tacos, try cooking with pork tongue instead! (Read our post on how to cook beef tongue to learn how to prepare it, just adjust your boiling time as pork tongues are smaller). 

Pork tongue is just as–if not even more–tender than pulled pork, with a delicate, meaty taste that blends perfectly with Mexican spices.

To create these tacos:

• Put the diced pork tongue in your crockpot alongside some bone broth, chipotle powder, chili powder, and extra virgin olive oil. 
• Cook on low for 6-7 hours. 
• Serve as you would pulled pork tacos, with a generous helping of guacamole, salsa verde, and black bean salad. 

Order Pasture-Raised Pork Offal Today

At Seven Sons, we have a variety of organ meats from our ethically raised livestock. Order some today to enhance your meals.