Lively Liver Dog Treats
Corey Mulhair for SPLIT REED
Presented by Traeger Grills
Tucked inside the chest cavity, lying just beneath the breastplate of waterfowl, are some of the most nutritional chunks of meat a bird hunter can salvage after a successful hunt. The liver is known to have great health benefits for those who consume it, and though later on you will find a recipe made specifically for human consumption, this specific recipe is designed to be simple and straight-forward with your retriever or household pet in mind (not saying that a smoked liver is unsuitable for human consumption)!
Liver is a known nutrient-dense superfood, and more often than not discarded with the carcass of a bird after being gutted/plucked or breasted out- But no more! Identification and removal of the liver are very easy; it has two large lobes and sits above the intestines as well as along the gizzard. There are big benefits from eating liver, including it being a powerful source of Vitamin A, which is linked to eye health and also helps fight diseases that cause inflammation (which helps against arthritis). These two factors are very important to me for my dog’s health as he gets older. Another win is that there are a number of vitamins and minerals that promote heart health in humans and animals alike, and that is also very important when thinking about your working dog.
Follow these steps for an easy, tasty, and healthy treat for your canine companion.
Instructions
1. Cut the liver out of the bird and get rid of the attached bile sack.
2. Soak the lobes of the liver in a bowl of water for two to three days. Doing this pulls the blood out and cleans the surfaces of any debris or intestinal nastiness. They may go from a darker red/purple to a pinkish hue.
3. Rinse off the livers when you’re ready to cook them and let them air dry a bit. A colander works well to drain the liquid/bloody water.
4. Fire the Traeger up to 225 and lay a sheet of aluminum foil on a rack.
5. When the grill hits temperature, place the livers on the foil and cook with the lid closed for 20 minutes. Cooking on the foil prevents the wet liver from sticking to the grates which won’t be an issue after this step.
6. The next step is to turn the livers over and then cook them on the grates directly for another 20-30 minutes or until the internal temp of the liver hits 125-130F.
7. Remove from the grill, and give your dog a treat once they have cooled down. Store livers in the refrigerator, they will keep for about a week. Freeze for longer storage times.
After a successful weekend of duck and /or goose hunting, I have a decent pile of livers and like to reward my dog for his hard work- I feed him a liver lobe each day or with each morning/evening meal depending on his activity level for the day, and he loves them!
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