Kashering Liver more than Three Days after Shechita

Does liver have to be kashered within three days of shechitah?

Every part of a shechted (halachically slaughtered) animal has to be kashered (rendered ritually pure by removing excess blood through washing and salting) before it may be cooked. Kashering meat should be done within three days of shechting, since salting is only effective in extracting the blood during that timeframe; the only option that remains afterwards is roasting, and there is concern that one might err and cook the meat instead of roasting it.

The exception to the above guidelines is the process of kashering livers, which has a set of unique rules, and it’s important to observe them properly. A comprehensive study of the halachos of kashering liver is beyond the scope of this halachah, and the following are only some aspects involved. 

Livers can only be kashered by being roasted on an open fire, so there the limit of a three-day window for salting doesn’t apply. However, care must be taken that the livers aren't rinsed in hot water in the interim, prior to roasting. One must also ensure that the livers don’t soak for 24 hours in blood, water or other liquids prior to kashering, since kashering would no longer be possible afterwards due to the principle of kavush k’mevushal (soaking is halachically equivalent to cooking). 

There’s a machlokes (halachic dispute) about whether liver that was not kashered within three days of shechitah may be cooked after roasting. Therefore, it's important to ensure that the date of shechitah is marked on the package. Many poskim (halachic authorities) are of the opinion that if the livers are frozen, the count of the three-day timeframe is suspended until they’re defrosted. However, we are stringent in this regarding all the other parts of meat, and the time that they’re frozen is counted toward the three-day limit. #534⁠1

 

https://halacha2go.com?number=534

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.