The liver is a very blood-rich offal that cannot be purified by simply immersing it in water and salt, as you would with other meats. On the contrary, you have to pre-grill it to make it kosher.
Ingrediants
- Beef, chicken or veal liver.
- Salt.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Prepare the Liver
Step 1. Be very careful and thorough about the liver you buy
What is sold as coming from kosher animals (beef, veal or chicken) must have been slaughtered according to the laws of the Torah.
- Fat should be removed during slaughter.
- Ideally, you should buy the liver of an animal that has not been slaughtered for more than 72 hours. The process of making a food kosher must be done within 72 hours. If it is put into practice after this maximum limit, you can only eat it if it has been grilled. Do not reheat the liver by following a technique that would leave it to soak in its own juices.
Step 2. Drain the blood
As soon as you have bought fresh liver, make sure you drain the excess blood from the package.
Do not allow the liver to soak in its own blood for more than 24 hours
Step 3. If necessary, defrost it
If you bought it frozen, you must first defrost it completely before purifying it, to be sure it will cook completely on the grill.
When you thaw the meat, don't let it stay in its own blood for more than 24 hours
Part 2 of 4: Prepare the Workspace
Step 1. Choose a suitable heat source
Ideally, you should use a live fire placed directly under the liver, such as a campfire, barbecue, or grill with a heating element under the meat.
- However, it is also allowed to use a heat source from above, if your oven only has a grill on the top (like most electric ovens).
- If you decide to use the stove, cover the surface with aluminum foil to prevent blood from splashing everywhere by mistake.
Step 2. Protect the heat source
If you want to use the heat source again later, you need to protect it from blood splatters.
- The simplest thing to do to comply with this is to place a solid pan on the shelf below the grate that supports the liver. This pan will collect all the blood that will drain from the meat. But remember not to use this pan for any other preparation other than liver purification.
- If blood comes into contact with the heat source, you will need to purify it before you can use it to cook other kosher foods.
Step 3. Know how to handle tools
You can use forks or tongs to handle the liver as it cooks; however remember that these will be contaminated and you will not be able to use them to touch the liver once it has been purified.
- You can return the utensils to their original state later, or keep them aside and use them only for the liver purification rite. Do not use them with other foods.
- Remember that the liver must not come into contact with trays, bowls, knives and forks before it has been made kosher.
Part 3 of 4: Making the Liver Kosher
Step 1. Cut the liver
If using beef or veal, make very deep diamond engravings on one side of the surface.
- Alternatively, you can make a single deep cut for the length and another similar one for the width.
- These cuts allow the blood to drain.
- You could also cut the liver into small pieces or slices to make it even in thickness instead of making an incision.
- This step is not necessary for chicken liver, as it is very small.
Step 2. Remove the gallbladder if necessary
If you are making chicken liver, you will need to discard it (if the butcher has not already done so).
The gallbladder is green and resembles a small cylinder
Step 3. Wash the blood
Rinse the liver under cold running water to remove as much blood as possible. You also need to get rid of all visible clots.
Step 4. Put the salt on all sides
Sprinkle them with coarse salt just before purifying the meat.
- You must also use enough salt to improve the flavor of the liver; however, you can put more if you like.
- Salt helps draw blood out during cooking.
- Salting is not strictly necessary for the purification process, as this is guaranteed by the heat. If you are following a low-sodium diet, especially for health reasons, you can avoid this step.
Step 5. Put the liver on the grill
Place it with the incisions facing down.
- The grill allows blood and other juices to flow freely from the meat during cooking. Do not use a pan that causes the liver to cook in its own juices.
- Remember that the grill will become impure in the process, and you will need to make it kosher again if you want to use it again.
- If you need to cook more than one piece of liver you can stack them, but remember to always put the cut side down.
Step 6. Roast the meat over an open flame, rotating it many times
Place it over a medium to moderate heat source. Check the doneness and rotate it several times to make sure all sides are evenly exposed to the flame.
- The surface of the liver should not burn, but the cut of meat should be at least half or 2/3 cooked.
- It is usually ready when the outer surface is dry and the juices no longer flow.
- You can cook it on a manual rotating spit if you wash it after putting it on the spit but before cooking it. Do not continuously rotate the spit, turn it several times so that the juices come out. Remember that the spit will also become unclean.
Step 7. Rinse the meat three times
Put it under cold running water and wash it three separate times.
This way you get rid of excess salt and blood residues
Part 4 of 4: Using the Liver
Step 1. Check the inside of the offal
It must be green, brown or pink.
- The still raw liver is a dark brown, so if it appears this color it has not been purified sufficiently. Put it back on the grill or throw it away.
- If you followed the above procedure and the meat is not raw, then you can consider it kosher. Any red juices that come out of the liver at this point are not considered blood and are allowed.
Step 2. Cook the liver as you wish
You can finish preparing it however you like, following the method you want. The meat can be fried, stir-fried, grilled, roasted, or treated like any kosher meat.
