Beef heart for dogs with brown rice and red bell pepper
Beef heart for dogs with brown rice and red bell pepper: an inexpensive muscle meat rich in iron and taurine. How to trim it and cook it, step by step.
- Time
- 1 h 5 min + 15 min resting
- Makes
- About 1.2 kg / 2.6 lb (2 days for a 12 kg / 26 lb dog; 4 days for a 5 kg / 11 lb dog)
- Type
- Main meal
- Difficulty
- Medium
- 33 % brown rice
- 29 % beef heart
- 15 % lean ground beef
- 11 % red bell pepper
Follows THE RULE. All 7 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
Beef heart for dogs is one of the cheapest cuts at the butcher's and, at the same time, one of the most nutritious. Although it's sold alongside the organ meats, it isn't an organ like liver: it's a muscle, so it can form the base of the protein without the limits that apply to liver. Here it goes with a little ground beef, brown rice, red bell pepper and zucchini.
Heart has a firm texture, denser than a steak, and an intense meaty flavor that dogs tend to appreciate. Cut into small dice and cooked slowly it turns tender, and the roasted red pepper adds color and a touch of sweetness that makes the dish look like a proper home-cooked stew. It takes a bit more knife work, but it's very economical.
Why it works
Beef heart is lean muscle with plenty of iron, B vitamins, coenzyme Q10 and taurine. The ground beef rounds out the protein and softens the texture. Brown rice provides energy, fiber and more minerals than white rice, but also more phosphorus, which is why the eggshell goes up a little. Ripe red bell pepper adds vitamin C and beta-carotene, and zucchini adds gentle fiber. The salmon oil adds omega-3s.
Step by step
Cook the brown rice
Put the brown rice in a pot with 700 ml (3 cups) of water. When it boils, lower the heat, cover and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the grains are tender and a little split. For dogs, overcooked is better than al dente.
Roast the pepper
Meanwhile, roast the whole pepper in the oven at 200 °C / 400 °F for 25-30 minutes, until the skin wrinkles and chars. Put it in a covered container for 10 minutes and peel it: the skin slips right off. Remove the stem and every seed and cut it into thin strips.
Trim the heart
With a sharp knife, remove the white fat from the top, the arteries and vessels (pale, rubbery tubes) and the tough membranes inside. Cut the clean muscle into 1 cm (½ inch) dice: smaller than other meats, because it's firm.
Cook the meat
Put the diced heart and ground beef in a pot with 300 ml (1¼ cups) of water. Bring to a boil, break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until there's no pink left. Add the diced zucchini for the last 6 minutes.
Combine everything
Drain the rice and add it to the pot with the meat, zucchini, cooking liquid and pepper strips, and mix well. If your dog is small, pulse the mix in a food processor for a few seconds so the heart is finer.
Cool and add the calcium
Let it cool for 15 minutes, sprinkle over the ground eggshell and stir well. The salmon oil goes on each portion at serving time.
How much should I feed?
Approximate daily portion for a "spayed or neutered adult" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).
— g a day
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grams/day | 210 | 305 | 515 | 700 | 865 | 1,175 | 1,460 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 122 kcal/100 g
- Protein
- 37 % dry matter
- Fat
- 11 % dry matter
- Calcium:phosphorus
- 1.3 : 1
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). An everyday meal. To feed it daily as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets.
Storage
Fridge: up to 3 days in a sealed container. Freezer: up to 3 months in one-day portions. Thaw in the fridge overnight and serve lukewarm (20-30 seconds in the microwave, stirring halfway). Salmon oil always goes on after warming.
If you don't have…
- You can't find beef heart
- Chicken hearts in the same amount, trimmed of fat and cut in half
- Your dog doesn't digest brown rice well
- White rice in the same amount, cooked for 18 minutes; reduce the eggshell to 5 g
- You don't have red bell pepper
- Carrot in the same amount, cooked with the meat
- You don't have an oven handy
- Red bell pepper cut into thin strips and cooked with the zucchini for 8 minutes; remove any loose skin that comes away
Cooking tips
- Heart is a very nutritious meat and a bit rich for dogs who aren't used to it: if your dog hasn't tried it, introduce it over a week to avoid loose stools.
- A whole beef heart weighs between 1.5 and 2.5 kg (3.3-5.5 lb). If you buy a whole one, trim it, divide it into 400 g (14 oz) bags and freeze them for future batches.
- To feed it every day as the only meal, add a vitamin and mineral supplement made for homemade diets: the recipe covers protein, energy, calcium and omega-3, but not every vitamin and trace mineral.
- Red bell pepper is the ripest and sweetest, and it's easier to digest roasted and peeled than raw.
Safety
- Heart counts as muscle, not as liver: it can be the base of the protein. What you shouldn't do is swap it for liver in the same amount, because liver is limited to 5-10% of the animal portion due to its vitamin A.
- Use only sweet red bell pepper, without seeds or stem. No chili peppers, hot peppers or paprika: they irritate the digestive tract.
- Trim away the heart's arteries and fat thoroughly: they're tough, hard to chew and can be a choking hazard for dogs that swallow without chewing.
Frequently asked questions
Is beef heart good for dogs?
Yes, it's one of the best cuts for dogs: it's a lean muscle with plenty of iron, B vitamins, taurine and coenzyme Q10, and it usually costs less than steak cuts. Always serve it cooked in a homemade recipe like this one, trimmed of fat and arteries, and cut into small pieces, because its texture is firm.
How much beef heart can a dog eat?
Because it's a muscle and not a secreting organ like liver, heart can make up a large share of the protein, although it's best combined with another meat, as in this recipe, to vary nutrients. If it's the first time, start with a small amount and increase it over a week: its richness can soften stools at first.
Can dogs eat red bell peppers?
Yes, sweet red bell pepper is safe and provides vitamin C and beta-carotene. It's better cooked or roasted and peeled, which is easier to digest, and always without seeds or stem. What dogs should never eat is chili peppers, hot peppers or paprika, because they irritate the stomach and intestines. Green bell pepper, which is less ripe, sits less well with some dogs.
Is brown rice or white rice better for dogs?
Both work. Brown rice provides more fiber, B vitamins and minerals, but also more phosphorus, and it's a bit harder to digest. White rice is gentler and is the one used in bland diets. If your dog does well on white rice, you can switch to brown gradually, always cooking it until very tender.
What's in it, in detail
- Beef Yes
- Rice Yes
- Bell peppers In moderation
- Zucchini Yes
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.