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Beef Tongue Preparation and Recipes
Beef tongue. http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/how-to-cook-beef-tongue
If you've ever had it, you love it. If you haven't, you are probably grossed out by the thought of
preparing and eating it. After I bought my first beef tongue at the farmer's market a few years ago, it
stayed in the freezer for a long time before I got the nerve to cook it. If you're like most people, it will
take some mental preparation to get yourself psyched up to cook a tongue. But, it's actually extremely
easy to cook, and will probably become one of your new favorites after you taste just how delicious and
melt-in-your-mouth tender it is.
Why eat beef tongue? Like other organ meats, it is very nutrient dense. It is an excellent source of
vitamin B12, and B12 deficiency may be much more prevalent than currently estimated. It's also a good
source of B2, B3, and choline, and provides some B5 and B6. It is also an excellent source of zinc, and a
good source of iron, phosphorus, and selenium (source). It is also an excellent source of collagen, with
14.6% of the total protein being collagen, which is good for your joints and skin. It's a very fatty cut, with
about 70% of the calories coming from fat. This makes it a deeply satisfying, satiating, hearty meal. A
little goes a long way.
First, I want to say that you should only buy tongue from a source you trust. For fatty meats, it's
especially important to have a clean source. See if you can find a local farmer who raises grass-fed,
hormone and antibiotic free cows. If you've got a Whole Foods, Earth Fare, or similar natural & organic
grocery store, talk to the butcher and see if they can help you. You can also order online from places like
Slanker's and U.S. Wellness Meats (affiliate link). Aim to get a tongue about 2-3 lbs in size. Or, get
several and cook up a big batch to freeze, like I did here.
3 Beef tongues totaling about 6.5 pounds
It looks just like a tongue, so be prepared for that and try not to be too grossed out!
Take your thawed tongue and wash it. Wash it really well. You can even use a clean kitchen brush to
scrub it. Just....try not to think too hard about what you're doing and you'll be fine. This is the only prep
work you have to do.
I put two tongues in one pot and one by itself in another pot.
Put your squeaky clean tongue in a pot and cover with filtered water. There are lots of options for
seasoning the water. Here, I kept it minimal with bay leaves and whole peppercorns. You can also add
crushed garlic, sliced onion, or another herb like oregano. Part of why I kept it minimal is because I
didn't have any room in my pot for anything else!
Cooked and ready to peel
Put the lid on the pot, set to medium-low heat (or whatever setting on your stove will give you a gentle
simmer), and walk away for a few hours. You can estimate about an hour per pound of tongue. You'll
know it's ready when the skin turns white and you can easily pierce the meat with a knife.
Here's where it gets real. And a little tricky. You have to peel the skin off of the tongue and try not to
burn your fingers in the process. The tricky thing is, if you let it cool off too much, then it gets really
difficult to peel off the skin, especially from the underside of the tongue. I learned that the hard way
when I followed one recipe's advice to dunk the tongue into an ice bath before peeling. Maybe the
problem was that I just left it in the bath for too long, but I haven't tried again because it's kind of a
hassle. And I've peeled plenty of tongues without the aid of an ice bath. I just set them out on a plate to
cool off on their own.
I use a combination of a knife, fork, and my fingers to get the job done. Cut a small slit on the top side
near the tip to start.
The skin on the top of the tongue should come off very easily. The skin on the underside will be a little more
difficult, and you may have to use a knife to help.
Don't be intimidated by the underside of the tongue. I know it looks weird. It's all edible, don't worry. And it is
going to be very tender and tasty, so you don't want to go crazy trimming just because it looks strange. I let my
fingers guide my decisions for what to trim and what to leave. I only trim areas that feel slimy/gristly instead
of meaty.
Save all your trimmings. Next time you make bone broth, you can add them to the pot.
Now that you've peeled your tongue, you have some options. Most websites will tell you that the next
thing you do is slice and dice or pull and shred the meat, then fry up in a skillet to brown, and make
tacos according to your taste. This is an excellent way to eat tongue. But I have another method that I
prefer that involves the slow cooker.
Slice
And dice
I find it easier to slice and then dice as opposed to pull tongue, and the end result is usually much more
tender. First, cut thin slices against the grain. Then, dice into cubes.
Add the diced tongue to your slow cooker with some diced veggies and herbs. I like to use tomatoes, onion,
garlic, green and red bell peppers, oregano, and cilantro. I like to spice it with paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and
maybe a little cayenne or other chili pepper. Add some of the cooking broth from your pot to the slow cooker,
and freeze the leftover broth for use in another recipe. You don't want to add too much of the broth for two
reasons: it's going to have a very strong flavor --- much stronger than typical bone broth. Also, a fair amount of
water is going to cook out of all the veggies, and you don't want too much liquid in the final product.
In this particular instance, I was making such a big batch that I actually had to let my veggies cook down a bit
on their own in the slow cooker to make room for the tongue! I let the veggies cook while the tongues were
cooking.
Also, I cooked up so much tongue, that I had to freeze two pints of the plain diced meat. But, if you're
making a more normal-sized batch from just one tongue, you'll be able to add all of the tongue to the
raw veggies. Set on low and let it all simmer together for a while. An hour or two, whatever you like. The
tongue will only get more tender and flavorful.
The end result will work well as a taco filling, like I did here (using yummy butter lettuce leaves as the
"shell"). Or, you can use it as a topping for a salad or pair it with your favorite sauteed or steamed green.
Tongue also goes well with something starchy like mashed sweet potato or potato, yuca, or white rice (if
you tolerate it). Plátanos maduros (fried ripe sweet plantains) make an EXCELLENT side dish as well.
See? It's not so hard. And by the time you get to the final product, it is no longer recognizable as tongue.
Just be brave during the initial cooking phase, and you will be rewarded in the end with one of the most
succulent, juicy, tender, delicious (and very nutritious!) cuts of meat you have ever had.
Beef Tongue with Onions and Garlic
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/tender-beef-tongue-with-onions-and-garlic/#ixzz30tuomCvx
It’s not every day, after all, that we bring home beef tongue from the market. But once we reminded
ourselves that tongue is simply another part of the animal, no different than eating beef ribs, shank, loin
or brisket, our fear started to subside. It also helped that Kerry’s preparation method is incredibly
simple. In fact, the most difficult part might be finding the beef tongue in the first place. Keep in mind
that butchers will usually special order it for you and it’s found readily at most Hispanic markets (where
it’s called lengua).
Once you bring your tongue home, be prepared for it to be bigger than you might expect. It’s likely to
weigh more than 2 pounds and it may come rolled up, like ours was, or it could be quite a bit longer if
stretched out. Tongue is a fairly fatty piece of meat and it’s covered in a thin layer of skin, but you don’t
have to deal with any of this while the meat is still raw. Most of the fat cooks off and the skin easily
slides off with the help of a knife after the meat has cooked.
Simmer the tongue for several hours with onion, shallot, garlic, jalapeno, red pepper flakes and bay leaf.
You can also cook it all day in a Crock Pot with a little bit of liquid or braise it in the oven like a roast. We
went for a faster method and put ours in a pressure cooker for just over an hour. As the tongue cooks,
your kitchen will be filled with the same rich, savory and appetizing aroma that any other cut of beef
gives off. While it’s cooking and your appetite is building, it’s a good time to think about how you’re
going to serve the tongue meat. It can be eaten plain (many people recommend dipping it in mustard),
pickled, or sautéed until crispy. It’s commonly used in dishes like tacos or can be mixed in with almost
any kind of vegetable.
Meat from the tongue is prized for its tenderness and a rich flavor similar to pot roast or brisket. In fact,
unless you told someone they were eating tongue meat, the flavor would probably lead them to assume
they were eating a more common cut of beef.
So you see, there really isn’t anything to be afraid of. If you’ve ever considered eating more of a cow
than just a steak, or if you’re simply looking for a bargain cut of meat, now is the perfect time to give
tongue a try.
Ingredients:







1 beef tongue
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno (optional), sliced in half or minced
Pinch of red chili flakes
1 bay leaf
Instructions:
Put all ingredients into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer for
about 3 hours until tender. Let cool until you are able to handle. Peel off skin and slice.
Tongue is delicious but this sauce is crazy awesome. My only big mistake the first night we had this
meal was that I didn’t make a side dish that could absorb all that extra sauce. I highly recommend
serving with something like mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice or even paleo biscuits just to mop up
all that tasty goodness.
Beef
Tongue
with
Rosemary
Mustard
Reduction
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/11/beef-tongue-with-rosemary-mustard-reduction.html
Variation: If you’re lucky enough to get lamb tongue, you can use several in place of the cow
tongue. They only needs to be boiled for about 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients (Beef Tongue):

2.5-3 lbs beef tongue

1 large sprig fresh rosemary (about 1½ Tbsp dried rosemary)

5-6 sprigs fresh thyme (about 2 tsp dried thyme)

8 whole garlic cloves

2 carrots, roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, quartered

1 tsp salt

Water to cover, about 6 cups
Ingredients (Rosemary Mustard Reduction):

Cooking liquid from beef tongue

2 Tbsp brown or Dijon-style mustard (something grainy is especially good)

2 tsp lemon juice (wine could be substituted)

1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1. Place the whole beef tongue in a large stock pot. Place vegetables and herbs around the tongue
(ideally, it should be a pretty tight fit in your pot). You don’t even need to bother peeling the
garlic or onions here. They are just in the pot to give flavor to the broth. Pour water over the
top, just enough to cover the tongue.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 3-3½
hours. Check the level of the water every half hour or so and top up as required.
3. Remove the tongue from the pot and let cool. Pour the broth through a fine mesh sieve (or a
few layers of cheesecloth) into a smaller pot and discard all of the vegetables and any other bits.
4. Bring broth to a boil and maintain a rolling boil until it has reduced to 1½ cups or less (about 1015 minutes, depending on how much liquid you started with).
5. Add rosemary to broth and boil another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, mustard
and lemon juice. Wisk to combine.
6. Meanwhile, as soon as beef tongue is cool enough to touch, peel off the white leathery skin on
the outside (you might need a knife to get it started, but then it should come off very easily) and
discard. Slice as you like it (if your reduction is still going to be a few minutes, cover with tin foil
to keep warm).
7. Pour rosemary mustard reduction over the tongue and serve!
Crock
Pot
Beef
Tongue
with
Roasted
Pepper
Sauce
http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/crockpot/crock-pot-beef-tongue-with-roasted-pepper-sauce/
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Tongue






1 beef tongue
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves
sea salt and pepper
Water to cover tongue in crockpot
Sauce
 1 roasted red pepper, peeled and diced
 1 roasted serrano chili pepper, diced
 1 onion, diced






3 garlic cloves, minced
20 ounces tomatoes, sliced
6 ounces tomato paste
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Tongue
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Wash your beef tongue under cold water and pat dry
Line the bottom of your crock pot with your onion, garlic, and bay leaves
Lay the tongue on top and generously season with salt and pepper
Add as much water as you need to completely submerge the tongue in water
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours
Remove from crock pot and remove the skin of the tongue
Shred the beef and serve with the sauce below
Sauce
1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, saute your onions, garlic, red pepper, and serrano chile
until the onions are translucent
2. Add in all remaining ingredients and stir well
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes
4. You can leave the sauce chunky as is or transfer to a blender and make more of a smooth
sauce, the option is yours
5. Serve over your shredded tongue and enjoy