Turkey, all classes, heart, raw

Turkey heart is an organ meat with a dense, chewy texture and a rich, mildly gamey flavor closer to other muscle meats than to liver. It is typically diced and browned for gravies and giblet stocks, slow-braised in stews, or skewered and grilled alongside other cuts, and benefits from moist, longer cooking methods that soften its firm muscle fibers, much like heart or tongue from other animals. Because it is a working muscle rather than a soft organ like liver, it holds up well to searing and can also be sliced thin and stir-fried once trimmed of any tough connective tissue at the top.

Choose hearts that look deep red and feel firm, and use fresh turkey heart within a day or two or freeze it, since organ meats spoil faster than muscle cuts. At 140 calories per 100 grams with 16.7 grams of protein and 7.44 grams of fat, it also brings iron at 21% DV, a higher share than most turkey muscle meat, so browning a few hearts into a pan of gravy or a giblet stock is a way to use a whole bird more fully and add iron to a holiday meal without needing a separate iron-rich dish.