The BEST Smothered Beef Liver With Onions And Gravy Recipe

If you’ve been looking for a tender, savory, delicious liver with onions and gravy recipe that tastes like your nana’s used to… this recipe is the one. 

I have been craving liver with onions and gravy for a few weeks now, but just got around to making some for myself. It came out so good, I said I have to upload this recipe to my blog.

My aunt Lorretta said she had made some liver and onions for dinner a few weeks back for her picky grands. What’s so funny is she made it so good it tastes like steak, which is possible.

This is just another case of people hating certain foods only when they know what they are, but loving them otherwise. What’s funny is she said her oldest, Selena… asked “Grandma, this steak? It’s good but tastes funny”. Lmbo!!!

Lorretta said, “Yeah, baby, it’s steak”! Selena gave her a suspicious look and said, “Ok, it tastes different though. Hahaha! I was cracking up… Aunt Lorretta doesn’t play about food. She’s not wasting anything, and you’re gonna eat whatever she makes.

But that story inspired me even more to make a liver recipe that tastes so good people might think it’s steak… or at the very least, make a #hateliver team member actually enjoy it. Haha!

Is liver with onions and gravy popular?

This is a classic southern recipe that old folks down south loved to make back in the day, especially within the black community. It’s definitely NOT POPULAR. I’d say most people don’t like liver because it has a strong, distinctive taste that isn’t necessarily good on its own.

You definitely need an acquired taste for it, and you need to season and doctor it up with onions and a nice, savory gravy for the best results. Even a lover of liver like myself will admit that without it being well seasoned and served with good gravy, it doesn’t taste very good.

So the answer is definitely NO! But who cares? This recipe is for people who love liver like me, and for those looking for a way to make it easier to eat it for its health benefits.

Growing Up Eating Liver

My mother made liver with onions and gravy often growing up. Maybe that’s why I loved it. As I stated earlier, the gravy is what really makes the dish. A nice, savory, well-seasoned gravy takes the liver to another level. 

I enjoyed the savory gravy moms would make, and the caramelized onions added another element of flavor, making it easier to enjoy.

She’d always serve it over a bed of rice, with a lot of gravy and a side of sweet corn. One thing she did differently was frying it naked. She didn’t fry it with flour. I got that from McCloud, who you all know very well.

But she’d brown it with onions, add gravy, and let it simmer under a lid to get it nice and tender. She didn’t add it to buttermilk either, and neither did I until recently.

But I definitely remember having it for dinner as a child in the 90s. I wasn’t a fan of the liver per se, but enjoyed the savory, delicious gravy she smothered it in with rice and the sweet corn. I wouldn’t say it was a staple because we didn’t eat it frequently, but it was something she’d cook for us once in a blue moon.

Ok, so below are all the ingredients we’ll be using and that you’ll need to get to prepare this delicious beef liver with onions and gravy recipe.

Recipe ingredients:

• Main ingredient: Beef liver, slice it thin.
• Liquid: We’ll use Buttermilk to remove the strong gamey flavor and tenderize the liver. This step is completely optional.
• Vegetables: We’ll be using Yellow Onions, and Garlic Paste. You can use minced garlic if you dont have any.
• Seasonings: The seasonings we’re going to use are Salt, Seasoning Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Brown Sugar, and Black Pepper

Gravy Ingredients

• Liquid: Try to find low-sodium Beef Broth
• Thickener: Use the leftover seasoned All Purpose Flour used to coat the liver.
• Condiments: Worcestershire sauce and ketchup

Slicing the liver

When it comes to the length or thickness of the liver, that’s completely up to you. I find that most people like their liver on the thinner side, at 1/8 inch or slightly less, slightly thinner than your average piece of steak. 

If you do decide to go for thinner slices of steak, the best way to achieve this if they are very thick in size, is to freeze them until they’re very hard. Then slice them to your desired size. Because liver is so slippery, it’s impossible to slice it lengthwise while it’s thawed.

I would recommend slicing it while it’s semi-frozen—not too frozen—because it will break apart otherwise. Use a very sharp knife; this will make cutting them into thin pieces much easier.

About the buttermilk

• Gets it tender: Soaking the liver in buttermilk helps make it more tender, though it gets pretty tender on its own. This will make them tender like butter. Make sure not to soak it for more than 3 hours, and for at least 1 hour.
• Remove the overwhelming liver flavor: Soaking the liver in buttermilk will also help reduce its strong, pungent, gamey taste. You especially want to soak the liver if you’re making it for someone who may not be very fond of it.
• How to make buttermilk: If you don’t have any buttermilk, because during certain seasons, it can be hard to find. Don’t worry! Just combine whole milk with ACV or lemon juice. The ratio you’ll use is 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk.

How to make liver with onions and gravy

1. Rinse the liver of blood with cool water, then place it in a large bowl.
2. Add buttermilk and make sure the liver is fully submerged.
   
   

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3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Afterward, rinse the liver with cool water to remove the buttermilk.
5. Place the flour in a large bowl, add the seasonings, and stir well.
6. Coat the liver with the seasoned flour and set aside.
   
   

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7. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and 1 tbsp of the oil.
8. Once melted, add your sliced onions, brown sugar, and garlic paste, and stir well.
9. Sauté the onions for 4-5 minutes, then remove and set aside.
   
   

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10. Add the remaining oil and liver to the skillet.
11. Fry on each side for 4 minutes or until dark brown.
    
    

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12. Add the broth to a large bowl, then stir in the flour, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.
13. Reduce the heat to medium.
14. Add the onions and gravy to the liver, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the gravy thickens.
    

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15. Shake the pan and stir the liver periodically as it cooks to prevent sticking.

Watch Me Make It

Tips for best results:

• Make sure to rinse the liver of any buttermilk thoroughly.
• Shake the skillet and gently stir the liver as it simmers to prevent sticking.
• If you have a lot of liver, sear (aka fry) half at a time so they brown better. I didn’t do this in the video, but I find it allows the liver to get crispier when you don’t fry them all at once.
• Add additional seasoning to the gravy after adding the broth. I find that this improves the overall dish.

Serving Suggestions:

• Vegetables recommendations: Delicious Frozen Spinach Recipe, Delicious Frozen Corn Recipe, Boston Market Copycat Creamed Spinach Recipe, or Easy Frozen Mixed Vegetables Recipe
• Starch recommendations: The BEST Smooth Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, White Rice, or Egg Noodles.

How to store the liver?

Cover the liver with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or set it in a Tupperware bowl and cover it with a lid, then refrigerate.

Can you freeze liver?

Yes! Just make sure it’s tightly sealed in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.

How to reheat liver in the microwave?

Place it in a microwave-safe dish and warm it on high for 2 minutes.

How to reheat liver in a skillet?

Place it in a skillet; if needed, add a little water, about 1/4 cup, and simmer until warm throughout over medium heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How long does the liver last? Liver can stay fresh for up to 5 days when stored correctly in the fridge.
• Where do you find liver? It can be hard to find at your local supermarket or grocery store because it’s no longer popular. But you should definitely be able to get some from a meat butcher shop or market. It’s best to get it from stores like these because they can slice it however you want.

Alright, that’s it for now, y’all! Listen, please share this recipe and leave a good review below with a comment and 5-star rating if you enjoyed it.

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Enjoy, later!

Pbj~

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