Mmm, the special allure of brains…. especially since I’ve heard my mom tell that one story so many times.

Plus, I love the idea of nourishing your own organs with the organs from animals.  Along those lines, brains seem like something everyone could (should) enjoy. Especially growing children.

Purchasing brains

That said, thoughtful purchasing is necessary when it comes to brains.

Thoughtful to avoid anything like mad cow disease or Jacok Creutzfeldt disease from the 1980s and 1990s.  Long story short, cows are herbivores, not cannibals. Feeding them ground animal parts, among the other unsavory practices built into confined animal feeding operations does not serve well.  The cows got sick.  And then the people got sick.

So… know your farmer. Stick to pastured and grass-fed meats and organs. This would completely nullify any risk of aforementioned concerns.

Second, brains are extremely perishable.  (Because they are extremely nutrient-dense.)

So… purchase brains fresh that are less than two days old and use them within 24 hours.  Or, purchase frozen brains and defrost only within 24 hours of use.

Ideally, you will want to purchase brains on their own.  Opening a skull at home is no easy task (without a table saw or equivalent) and they may not come out as easily as you hoped!

Preparing brains

Preparing brains is actually quite simple: rinse, soak, peel off any cloudy membrane layer, optionally poach, and cook.

Gently rinse brains in cold water to remove any bone fragments from opening the skull. Note that the brain stem is also edible – a third component you may find beyond the two lobes.

Then, soak them to remove impurities like blood, and to soften the surrounding membrane for removal. Use ice water, salted water, lemon or vinegar water, or milk for soaking. Soak for 30 minutes to two hours, changing the liquid at least once during a longer soak.

If intact, peel off the thin filament layer surrounding the brains. Sometimes, this is performed half way through soaking, then returned to fresh water for the remainder of the time.

Poaching brains

Unless you are braising or prefer to add them directly to your recipe raw, gently poach brains next. This firms them up a bit for other recipes. Plus, if necessary, it will give you another day or so to use them if not serving within 24 hours of purchase.

To poach them, bring your liquid (water, court bouillon, broth) to a boil.  Then slip them into the pot and adjust the temperature so your liquid stays just below a simmer.  Julia Child recommends 15 minutes for lamb, 20 minutes for calf or pork, and 30 minutes for beef brains.  If you temperature creeps to a simmer while cooking, lower cooking times a bit. You want to be very gentle.

If you prefer to bring the brains and liquid to a simmer together, recipes recommend 4-15 minutes cooking maximum.  With this method, Fergus Henderson suggests that 4 minutes would parboil and 8 minutes would fully cook lamb brains.  Longer cooking times are recommended for larger organs.

You want the brains to be custardy versus falling apart, when cooked too long.  Especially if you are going to use them in another recipe, I find it’s better to err on the side of still very soft in the center.

Allow the brains to cool before your next step. Cool them in their cooking liquid, on a towel, or an ice bath – depending on how much you want to arrest the heat transfer. Regardless, skim and reserve the cooking liquid. You may use this to store brains if needed (up to two days), or for other uses.

Cooking brains

You are now ready for your final preparation!

Brains are most often sliced and sauteed, but also serve as a lovely filling for raviolis or mixed into the sauce of a casserole.  They are used as a thickener in headcheese and are so fatty they can be used in an emulsion – like ‘Brainnaise.’

Enjoy!