Beef, variety meats and by-products, spleen, raw

Beef spleen is a lesser-known organ meat with a dense, liver-like texture and a strong, distinctly mineral flavor, most often braised, simmered into stews, or ground and mixed with other meats to soften its intensity. It appears in some traditional and nose-to-tail cooking styles rather than mainstream butcher cases, and like other organ meats it is typically cooked low and slow or diced small rather than served as a standalone steak-like cut. Because its flavor is stronger than muscle cuts, it is often paired with bold aromatics like garlic, onion, bay leaf, and vinegar-based marinades to balance the intensity.

Buy beef spleen from a butcher who sources organ meats fresh, and cook or freeze it within a day or two since it spoils quickly. A 1-ounce serving is just 105 calories with 18.3 grams of protein per 100 grams, and it stands out for its iron content at 248% DV per 100 grams, among the highest of any common food, so even a modest portion mixed into a stew or ground meat dish contributes a substantial amount of iron to the meal. Its fat content is also low at just 3 grams per 100 grams, similar to a lean cut of muscle meat rather than a fattier organ like liver.