by christopher beard

Created on: January 09, 2008   Last Updated: December 01, 2011

Offal refers to the entrail and internal organs of an animal. Offal is any cut of meat that isn't classified as skeletal muscle. These include, but are not limited to, the heart, liver, pluck (or lungs), intestines, stomach, brain, tongue, tails, and feet. The thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal, one year or less, is referred to as sweetbreads.

Generally, the best offal is from young animals up to a year old. Calf offal is considered to be the choicest, providing large organs of good texture and flavor. Lamb is next in line for both affordability and texture, followed by ox, sheep, and pig, which tend to be tougher.

When cooking with offal, make sure its from a reliable source. You should always make a fresh purchase, and cook it the same day you pick it up. Let it soak for up to 24 hours in cold water, changing every hour or so to remove all blood from your cut. Then plunge them into a volume of ice water to blanch, removing any impurities and firming the tissue before preparation. Using your fingers remove the outer membrane and veins to keep only the best meat for your dish.

Now place it between two towels, being careful not to let separate pieces overlap, and place a baking tray above and below, place a heavy weight on top to press and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Once it has been pressed, you can slice into nice medallions, or any way you prefer.

A simple but great recipe is for fried lamb's sweetbreads. To make this recipe, you need

4 pairs of lamb sweetbreads,

a little veal stock,

a tablespoon of butter,

a quarter teaspoon of lemon juice,

2 tablespoons of flour,

and egg,

salt and pepper,

white breadcrumbs,

and 2 tablespoons of bacon fat for frying.

-Prepare them as I have written, and slice into half inch thick medallions
-place them in a pan with butter and enough stock to cover them, then add the lemon juice
-heat to boiling, cover, and then reduce for no more than 20 minutes
-remove from heat and let them cool in the stock
-mix a little salt and pepper with your flour and roll your sweetbreads in this.
-beat your egg and briefly dip them into it
-then roll sweetbreads in breadcrumbs
-Melt your bacon fat in a pan and fry your sweetbreads until golden brown, between 8-12 minutes

To cook with them, you can fry, saute, bake, poach, simmer, grill or boil them. Offal is very versatile, and can be used in almost any type of recipe, so do some research, find a recipe that jumps out at you and enjoy.

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