Threadgill's Beef Liver With Onions

Thom Hackett
Recipe from

Threadgill's - The Cookbook

Servings: 8

I remember hearing Mother advise the young pregnant mothers who already had kids in the nursery school, "Eat some liver.  You've gotta get your iron."  There are two secrets to perfect liver: Don't overcook it, and use good brown gravy.

Ingredients

8 (4-ounce) beef livers, sliced, not frozen
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons Meat Seasoning, See recipe
2 quarts yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups brown gravy, See recipe

Cooking Method

Heat Half the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. 

1. Add seasoning to flour. 

2. Dredge livers in flour and gently lace in hot oil. 

3. Cook about 3 minutes or until meat is medium brown. 

4. Turn carefully using a meat fork or metal tongs. 

5. When livers are cooked through, remove to heated dish, add rest of oil to skillet, and cook onions until soft. 

6. Serve onions on top of livers with brown gravy.

Recipes Mentioned:

Threadgill's meat seasoning Recipe
½ cup Kosher salt
4 tablespoons Black pepper
2 tablespoons White pepper
1½ teaspoons Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Granulated onion
1½ teaspoons Ground cumin
4 tablespoons Granulated garlic
2 tablespoons Paprika

1. Mix ingredients well.

2. Store in a glass jar or plastic container.

3. Keep tightly sealed.

4. Shake before each use to prevent settling.

Threadgill's brown gravy Recipe

½ cup Fat from beef and margarine
⅔ cup Flour
4 cup Beef stock and/or Beef drippings
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Salt, to taste

Roux: 

1. Use fat from cooked roast beef. 

2. If insufficient or unavailable, use margarine to make 1/2 cup total. 

3. Cook flour and fat or margarine slowly in a heavy skillet, stirring constantly to avoid burning. 

4. Cook until medium brown.

Gravy:

1. Add beef stock, drippings, and seasonings. 

2. Stir until gravy thickens to right consistency. 

3. Season to taste. 

4. Strain through a sieve to improve texture. 

5. Makes 1 quart.