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beef tongue

2016-02-04 a.o.

Tongue is imo the best cut of beef by far.
It is all muscle and the little removable fat is all located at the underside where it can easily be trimmed away. That does not mean that tongue is a lean meat: the 16 grams of non-removable fat per 100 grams account for 72% of the calorie content. Yet, this high fat content is also what produces the uniquely rich flavor and makes it so soft that it can be cut with a fork.

Not surprisingly, tongue is a favorite menu item at formal occasions. Don’t be stingy with serving size and count on at least ½ lb. per adult. It will disappear quickly. The official USDA serving size is 3 oz. which is one rather small slice. Yeah, as if anyone would be satisfied with that.

For the most tender meat, buy tongues 3 lbs. and under. Those came from younger animals. Anything 4 lbs. and over will be adult animals, but don't spurn those. The tongue is still very good. For special occasions, buy larger tongues. You'll work faster and there will be slightly less waste.

Tongue broth is equally good.
One tongue easily makes 10 quarts of concentrated broth that freezes or cans well for later use as beef broth. For specific tongue soup recipes, see Part 1 - Soups

This is the basic beef tongue recipe.
Nearly all beef tongue recipes start this way. The tongue has to be boiled until the outer skin turns white and can be peeled away; and then cooked some more. But remember, this is just for starters. After all this, you still need to make a savory sauce to go with it to make it truly memorable.

Pic1a: fat on the bottom can easily be removed

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 8 small servings:

• 1 beef tongue, washed, 4+ lbs.
• S&P
• Optional:
  • 2 carrots, peeled, sliced
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled, whole
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
• Spices for tea-egg:
  • laurel,
  • peppercorn,
  • cloves,
  • rosemary, …

Pic1b: beef tongue, sliced

Directions

 

Pic2: cryovac tongue
Pic3: boil
Pic4: enjoy the soup

• Fresh tongue may need soaking to remove the blood.
  I don't bother with that. I like Blood Soup.
• In a 12 qt. stock pot, add enough water to completely submerge the tongue.
• Leave the fat on for cooking. It adds flavor to the broth.
•  Add S&P to taste and the optional vegetables and spices.
• If using peppercorn, laurel or small-leaved spices, put them all in a tea ball or cloth bag that can easily be removed afterwards.
• Bring to a boil and simmer on low to medium heat for about 1 hr. per pound.
• The tongue is done when a knife can penetrate easily everywhere with hardly any resistance.
• Beef tongue soup is delicious and I get about 10 quarts of it every time. :-)

 

Pic5: done
Pic6: peel the skin
Pic7: peeled

• Remove the tongue from the broth. Allow to cool enough for safe handling.
• While still warm, pick up the white outer skin at the edges and peel it away from the tongue.
  This peeling should be very easy. If the skin sticks to the meat, the tongue is not done enough yet. Toss it back and cook some more.
• The skin is edible, but has a rather unpleasant flavor and texture. My dog eats it. I don’t.

 

Pic8+9: sliced
Pic10: slices through the back Carving the tongue warm may end in tearing up the extremely soft meat.
Cool, refrigerate or even partially freeze to make the meat firmer.

• The larger back part of the tongue is spongier than the front.
• Optional:
  • Trim away the fat at the root of the tongue before carving.
• Cut the tongue diagonally for larger slices.
  However you cut it, there will ever be only one tip of the tongue.
• If the tongue is cooked in advance, wait to carve until the day it is needed.
  Tongue has a fairly short shelf life after cooking. Refrigerate and use within 3-5 days.

 

Pic11-13: always store beef tongue in broth to prevent it from turning black

• Always store cooked tongue covered with broth or a sauce to keep it moist. (Pic4)
  When beef tongue is exposed to air, it dries out and turns black.
• The broth is very rich and flavorful, can be used to make soup or sauces.
• Freeze or can leftovers for later use. 

 

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