Original post made by Darrel Miller(Cornhusker) on September 9, 2002 The chicken liver/garlic salt recipe. I line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil. The aluminum foil makes clean up and throw away of a somewhat disgusting blood/salt paste less disgusting. Using either frozen chicken livers from the super market or fresh livers from a poultry house, cut the livers into bait size pieces. The liver will shrink probably 25 to 30% as it cures so the cut pieces want to be a little on the large side. Let as much juice run off as practical. More juice will generate as the salt pulls moisture out of the liver. Spread the liver on the cookie sheets so they dont overlap. Using Garlic Salt, sprinkle quite a lot over the liver. I coat it until there is no liver showing through. Sun curing is a preferred method, but it will also work inside the garage if you cant put it out. It will take longer inside. Set the cookie sheet with salted liver in full sunlight. If you can, tip the cookie sheet to allow the juice to run to one end or better yet to a corner and out. Depending upon temperature, humidity, frozen or fresh liver the curing time will vary. It should take at least 2 hours per side, but until you get a feel for it, look at it every so often. When the side of the liver exposed to the sun (top of liver) is dark brown and no longer moist, dry to the touch turn the pieces of liver over. Now cover this side of the liver with a good heavy coating of Garlic Salt just like you did at the start. Follow the same procedure you did before and cure this side. Keep curing and turning the liver until it gets like very moist jerky. Dont be afraid to sprinkle more Garlic Salt on if you see a spot that isnt curing like the rest. I dont think you will probably put too much Garlic Salt on unless you literally bury the liver in it. However, once the side is cured it is too dry for additional salt to stick and dissolve. When it gets to a moist jerky stage, bag it. Once I have bagged the cured liver in zip lock bags I dont worry about the liver rotting or smelling up the place. I just leave it in the garage with my fishing tackle. After 2 to 3 weeks the liver may start to get dry and mealy. A couple of side comments. I have found fresh liver seems to cure slower than frozen liver. I think the freezing ruptures the cells in the liver making it mushy and allowing the water to escape. When you fish it you will be amazed how quickly the liver absorbs water and begin to return to its original texture. The advantage is that although the outside softens, the inside is still firm.
Original post made by Jerry Trew(Jtrew) on September 10, 2002 Just a couple of additions to the process. First, if you're curing many chicken livers, garlic salt gets expensive. You can use cheap garlic powder and NON-iodized salt just as well. You can also substitute anise oil for the garlic, but I couldn't see that it worked any better or worse. Second, if you keep the livers in the fridge, or some such cold place, they will last 6 or 8 months.
Original post made by Daren Nelson(Cactus) on September 18, 2002 chicken liver/ garlic salt recipe modification I love this bait, until I found this message board I did not know anything about it, now I use it all the time and have more bites with it than any other bait. I have changed the curing part a little, I put the livers on an old window screen. The screen lets the juice drip straight down and air to get to the bottom too. I made 2 batches one day, and one I packed in Parmesan cheese for a few days. I had better luck with the cheese ones the next time I went out. One time doesn't prove a theory, but I am doing the cheese thing again anyway.
Original post made by Jerry Trew(Jtrew) on August 27, 2002 When curing chicken livers, you don't want to get them too dry. I like to cure them till they're about the consistantcy of steak cooked medium or medium-rare. The liver won't be as tough as steak, of course, but at that stage, it will stay on a single hook well enough to cast it as far as you want.
Original post made by Scott Green(MrFixer) on August 21, 2003 This Recipe makes a fantastic bait that stays on the hook and catches fish. The best thing I like is less slimy mess on my hands. I first tried this with a cookie sheet and aluminum foil and had problems with the moisture not draining off like I thought it should. I fixed this problem by useing a piece of natural flagstone instead of the cookie sheet and proping the flagstone up at an angle that allowed the blood and moisture to run off quickly and the flagstone seemed to absorb a lot too. Also I noticed that the flagstone held heat well and speeded up the curing process. I think it knocked an hour or two off of the time it takes to cure.
Original post made by Jerry Trew(Jtrew) on February 3, 2004 Cut the livers into bait-sized pieces. Small, unusable pieces and juice may be saved for chum. Place the livers on a smooth, slightly slanted surface where they can drain. A cookie sheet works well for this. Covering it first with foil makes cleanup easier. You may use garlic salt, but using garlic powder and NON-iodized salt is cheaper, and allows you to adjust the amount of garlic used. Since I usually prepare 8#-10# of livers at a time, I use the cheaper method. Once you have the livers spread out, sprinkle garlic powder on them. I put about 2 or 3 times as much garlic as I would use if I were going to eat the livers. Then, I sprinkle the non-iodized salt on the livers until there is a thick coating. IMO, you don't have to worry about using too much salt. In hot weather, the livers may be ready to turn over in a couple of hours, while cooler weather would require twice as long. Turn the livers over and repeat the curing process. If you have a dehydrator, it would probably work great, but I can't tell you how long the process would take, because I don't have access to one. After curing, put the livers into a zip-loc bag and keep cool. Kept cool, the livers will last for 6-8 months; otherwise, they last a couple of weeks or so. This process will toughen the livers to the point that they will stay on a single hook without using thread, hose, cheesecloth, etc. to keep it on. You can substitute anise for the garlic, but I haven't been able to tell that this works any better or worse.
So far, I've successfully kept cured livers for about a year in the fridge. They didn't go bad then; I just used them all up.
Tried to add something to my post above, and couldn't. So far, I've successfully kept cured livers for about a year in the fridge. They didn't go bad then; I just used them all up. To hold down the garlic smell in the fridge, I put the livers in a ziploc bag, then put the bag in one of the new, plastic coffee cans. Don't worry about using too much salt--you can't, because any excess will simply fall off when you pick the livers up. And don't worry about curing the livers too much. Some people cure theirs till they are actually hard; I've fished mine right alongside theirs, out of the same boat, and couldn't tell that either one worked any better than the other. You might want to consider looking in discount groceries for specials on flats of chicken livers. I paid $9 for my last flat, which probably pretty close to what you'd pay for only 9# of livers packaged in 1# tubs.
tried it using a screen but they stuck pretty bad, might try some cooking spray next time. cant wait to try them out!
I too make the garlic cured liver as mentioned. However I use Turkey liver insted of the chicken. It stays on the hook better for me and seems to attract the cats just as well. I buy mine from the local grocery store in 40 lb. boxs. They sell them at the store in 1 pound tubs for 95 cents per pound. I pay $16.00 dollars for the 40 lb. box. Works out to only 40 cents per pound. Ask at your meat department if they will sell it in bulk cases as it saves them from packageing it and you can get a substansal discount. I bag it in quart zip locks and keep it in the freezer until i'm ready to cure them or use as fresh. They will do the same with the chicken livers also if thats what you prefer.
I love this bait, and use it every time I go out. I caught the 52lb flathead on my profile using this bait, believe it or not. And catch this, I had two different hooks on the swivel, one had the cured liver and the other a live blue gill- He hit the liver! The blue gill must have been scared, but he was still kickin.
I cure my liver with the garlic powder and the iodized salt and they seem to come out alright. The cats seem to love them. What is the difference with the liver if using iodized salt vs. non-iodized salt ?
This may sound dumb to some of you, but why use non-iodized salt? I've never made a batch of these livers before, but I have some out in the sun right now.
