Want to cook pork liver so that it tastes really good? Try this recipe with the gravy made on a base of onion and bacon. A quick half-hour meal that goes great with steamed rice!
Just so you know: The recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where pork is very popular. In the past, the Czechs used to raise pigs and knew very well how to process all their parts, including offal, wasting almost nothing.
➜ What to expect from this pork liver recipe
This is a simple Czech recipe for sautéed pork liver with fried onions and bacon. After a quick fry, the liver is dusted with flour, covered with a light broth, and braised for 15 minutes. As a result, you will get a delicious, rich gravy with a hint of an earthy flavor that complements the liver perfectly.
Czechs most often call this tasty meal "játra na cibulce."
MY TIP: Do you like pork? Try out Czech pork goulash; it's so good!
➜ Ingredients
To make pork liver with onion, bacon, and gravy from scratch, you will need:
- Pork liver; fresh
- All-purpose flour; to thicken the sauce
- Lard; can be substituted with Canola or Sunflower oil
- Salt; do not salt the liver before cooking them! (see useful tips later in the recipe)
- Black pepper; ground
- Onion; adds a sweet, savory flavor and aroma
- Smoked bacon; for additional richness and texture. I used smoked, fully cooked bacon with a higher lean meat content, which we call English bacon (Anglicka slanina) in the Czech Republic.
- Vegetable broth; I use a light vegetable broth that complements the taste of the sauce and does not overpower the liver flavor
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ How to make pork liver with gravy
STEP 1: Rinse the liver under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Peel away the thin outer membrane, if there is any. Cut the meat into cubes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in size. Peel the onion and chop finely. Dice the bacon.
STEP 2: Heat the lard or cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Put in the chopped onion and bacon. Fry until golden while stirring.
STEP 3: Add the liver cubes and sauté, constantly stirring, until the liver has a brownish crust on the surface. It takes about 3-5 minutes.
STEP 4: Flour the liver pieces through a sieve to prevent flour lumps from forming. Keep stir-frying for about a minute, but no longer.
STEP 5: Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a third, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. During cooking, stir the mixture once or twice.
TIP: While simmering, a slightly thickened sauce will form, and the liver will soften just right.
STEP 6: Finally, pepper and add salt to taste; stir and serve!
➜ Serving
A classic side dish for sautéed pork liver with sauce is steamed rice. When serving, add finely chopped green spring onions—you'll get a light and healthy meal packed with vitamins and minerals!
Mashed potatoes are a less common but still delicious accompaniment to liver and sauce.
➜ Useful tips
- Before cooking, do not salt the liver! When salted, the liver hardens and loses softness when sautéed. Only season the sauce at the end of cooking.
- Serve the liver immediately after you cook it. As the dish cools, the liver stiffens and loses its tenderness. For this reason, the dish is also not suitable for freezing.
➜ Do I need to soak the liver in milk first?
Even though many recipes say to soak the pork liver in milk first, this step is not strictly necessary. If you have fresh pigs liver, you can get by without soaking it in milk beforehand. The purpose for soaking the liver in milk is that it makes the liver softer and reduces its distinct flavor, which may be too strong for some.
➜ What does liver taste like
The liver is a very flavorful, nutty type of meat that is sometimes described as gamey. The texture can vary depending on how it is cooked, but it has a strong and distinctive taste.
The flavor profiles of liver range from slightly sweet to tart to salty, with earthy and sometimes metallic undertones. It definitely takes some getting used to and can be an acquired taste for many people, but when cooked properly, it makes a delicious meal.
More pork recipes:
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!
Pork Liver With Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork liver (450 g) fresh
- 2 ounces smoked bacon (55 g)
- 1 onion
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon lard or Canola / Sunflower oil
- 1 and ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
- salt the amount depends on how salty the used broth is
Instructions
- Rinse the liver under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Peel away the thin outer membrane, if there is any. Cut the meat into cubes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in size. Peel the onion and chop finely. Dice the bacon.
- Heat the lard or cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Put in the chopped onion and bacon. Fry until golden brown while stirring.
- Add the liver cubes and sauté, constantly stirring, until the liver has a brownish crust on the surface. It takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Flour the liver pieces through a sieve to prevent flour lumps from forming. Keep stir-frying for about a minute, but no longer.
- Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a third, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. During cooking, stir the mixture once or twice.
- Finally, pepper and add salt to taste; stir and serve!
Notes
- Makes 2 large or up to 4 small servings.
- SERVING: A classic side dish for sautéed pork liver with sauce is steamed rice. When serving, add finely chopped green spring onions—you'll get a light and healthy meal packed with vitamins and minerals!
- Before cooking, do not salt the liver! When salted, the liver hardens and loses softness when sautéed. Only season the sauce at the end of cooking.
- Serve the liver immediately after you cook it. As the dish cools, the liver stiffens and loses its tenderness. For this reason, the dish is also not suitable for freezing.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Leave a star rating and review or ask a question!