Going beyond the “gross-out factor” for organ meats at the National Western Stock Show

Cowboys and cowgirls fitted in their finest huddled around the star of the penultimate night of the National Western Stock Show clamoring for a taste.

It was chopped liver. To be precise: bison liver pate with sweet onion jam on a puffed garlic chip.

The rich and savory treat was one of several delicacies prepared that night using offal, or organ meats. Along with animal hide, it’s the 44 percent of the animal referred to by Colorado ranchers and processors as “the drop”: the parts that Americans, who lean toward more muscular cuts, usually don’t like to eat.

The second annual Offal Party on Jan. 25 was a celebratory course correction. Hosted by Colorado State University’s Ag Innovation Center inside of the Stockyards Event Center, the party was a reprieve from the freezing winds and a warm-hearted effort by ranchers, entrepreneurs, fashion designers and college students to find worthwhile uses for every part of a slaughtered animal.

“Because organ meats are super nutrient-dense and leather is a high-performance material, we actually have an opportunity for consumers to feel really excited about buying both of these pieces that come from the animal,” Jordan Kraft Lambert, the director of agricultural innovation at the Colorado State University Spur campus and emcee, told the crowd.

Tastes for offal such as tripe, blood, sweetbreads, bone marrow, oxtail, heart and liver vary from person to person, though countries outside the U.S. find far more use for it in their regular cuisines. The four major beef producers are able to package, freeze and ship these organs to other countries, something smaller independent producers can’t usually afford. Currently, those direct-to-consumer producers sell about $2 billion worth of offal in the U.S., Lambert said.

But tastes change quickly in the United States, as do trends. Many Americans find themselves in need of added protein to sustain their fitness regimens. People on weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy also regulate side effects such as nausea when eating diets high in protein and avoiding red meat and other high-fat foods, according to Healthline. Most recently, organ meats got a nod from The New York Times, which predicted protein-rich diets would be one of nine major eating trends this year.

At the Stock Show over the weekend, a server passed beef oxtail croquettes around to the mingling crowd before Lambert kicked off the evening’s festivities. State ranchers and processors gave brief speeches on how consuming offal and using hides benefited the state’s agricultural industry and helped keep animal waste from landfills. More than once, the concept of “honoring the entire animal” was mentioned.

A pitch competition followed. Entrepreneurs presented their products, such as dog and cat treats made of bison and skin care creams made of rendered cow fat, or tallow.

Only one entry, Denver Bone Broth, focused on making offal more edible to humans. Patrick Libonate, the company’s CEO, told judges his “frontier blend” broth made with a mix of ground beef and organ meats was his way of sidestepping the “gross-out factor” many people associate with organ meats.

“There’s a lot of people who are interested in offal products because they understand the nutritional value,” Libonate said. “But whether it’s the smell, the sight, the texture, even just the mere idea of eating organ meats is a lot for us.”

The bites prepared for the party by the SSA Group brought on the meat and flavor. Fork-tender beef cheek was served as agnolotti, a stuffed pasta, with mushroom sauce. Tacos were layered with beef tongue, pickled red onion and salsa verde. Beef heart was chopped and stewed on top of a toasted slice of cornbread, also topped with pickled red onion and a smoked cheddar crème fraîche.

Many attendees in the semicircled auction room were also there to talk leather.