Beef · Nose-to-tail, fire-cooked
Grilled Ox Heart Skewers with Flatbreads and Burnt Chilli Butter
Ox heart is a revelation on the grill: lean, dense and surprisingly tender, with a clean, deep beefiness. The key is a short, sharp cook over fierce heat so it stays rosy in the middle. Pile it onto charred flatbreads and spoon over a smoky burnt chilli butter. Proper nose-to-tail eating, and genuinely delicious.
Total
1 hr
Prep
30 mins + marinade
Cook
10 mins
Serves
4
Difficulty
Intermediate
Method
- 1
Marinate the cubed heart with the garlic, cumin, paprika, olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning for at least an hour.
- 2
Char the dried chillies directly over a flame or in a dry pan until smoky, then crush. Melt the butter, stir in the burnt chilli and coriander, and keep warm.
- 3
Thread the heart onto skewers. Grill over very hot coals (or a ripping-hot griddle) for 2–3 minutes a side; you want a hard char outside and a blushing centre.
- 4
Warm the flatbreads on the grill until lightly charred.
- 5
Slide the heart off the skewers onto the flatbreads and spoon the burnt chilli butter generously over the top.
Ben's Tip
Don't overcook it. Ox heart is lean, so a minute too long turns it tough. Pull it off while there's still pink in the middle and let it rest briefly.
To Drink
Something gutsy and smoky, such as a Malbec from Mendoza or a Portuguese red from the Douro, stands up to the char and spice.
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