How to Cook Beef Tongue + Simple Tongue Appetizer

Organ meats.  You either love it and frequently eat it or you detest the thought of it.  Even though I grew up on liver pâté and beef tongue appetizers, I sympathize with most people who cringe at the thought of eating organ meats.  I’m not gonna lie, if you ever want to enjoy eating organ meats, there’s a level of mental and psychological acceptance of eating organ meats that must take place.  Organ meats or offal are affectionately called guts in our home.

Back to the tongue…my only suggestion here is that you try to forget the “tongue” part of it.  It’s beef.  Let’s just call it beef.

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In case you’re wondering why would someone do something as crazy as eat an organ meant to push back regurgitated food, the answer is very simple.  Beef tongue, as in all organ meats is incredibly nutrient-dense.  Beef tongue in particular is high in B-vitamins, zinc, phosphorus, iron, and choline.  It is another {small} way to add nourishment to your meals.

One more thing about the t-word: since it is a fatty cut with 70% of it’s calories from fat, do your best to find a clean source free from hormones and antibiotics.  I usually get mine from my local beef farmer and they are typically more cost-efficient since it’s considered an organ meat (aka waste).  If you can’t score one from a farmer’s market, perhaps ask the meat department at Whole Foods or other similar supermarkets.

How to Cook Beef Tongue

I like to prepare two at a time and freeze already sliced pieces (see below).  The process to prepare beef tongue is very similar to making bone broth.  Start by washing and scrubbing the tongue well.  Place the tongue in a large stockpot and add whatever seasonings you prefer.

My favorites are bay leaves, peppercorns, chopped onions, garlic, parsley, and lots of glorious salt.  Cover with filtered water so the beef tongue is fully submerged.  Cook on medium-low heat or whatever heat is required for a gentle simmer for about 2-3 hours (think one hour per each pound of beef tongue).  Alternatively, you can toss all your ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

You’ll know the beef tongue is done when you see the sides of the skin start rolling outwards and the tongue can easily be pierced with a knife.

When it’s fully cooked, remove the tongue from the pot and immediately dunk it in a previously made ice bath for about a minute.  Here’s where it gets funky: keep it in too long – the skin will be stubborn to remove; not keep it in long enough – it will be too hot to work with.  So about a minute or two should do the trick.

Using a small knife, gently start peeling the skin working your way from the side of the tongue to whatever is easiest.  There really is no rhyme or reason – just peel however you wish.  The skin should be slipping off almost effortlessly.  Almost.  Do this over the water bath and dunk the beef in the water to rinse off stray pieces of skin.  Cut through the most stubborn parts of the tongue.  It’s now ready to be sliced, diced or shredded per your desires.  I prefer to slice it but we’ll get to that later.

Cooking Beef Tongue Troubleshooting

Hard to peel the skin?

• Have you cooked the tongue long enough?  In order for the skin to be easily peeled off, the tongue must be tender to be worked with.  Remember to cook it 1 hour per each pound of meat.  What to do?  If the water that you originally cooked the tongue in is still hot, return the beef back to the pot and continue to cook until tender.
• Have you kept it in the ice bath for too long?  It’s harder to skin the tongue if it’s completely cooled.  What to do?  If that’s the case, throw it back into the water and set on high for a few minutes to warm it back up.
• If after both of the above suggestions have failed to produce that easy-to-peel tongue on skin, use a small knife to cut off the skin.  Not the best option and there’s a lot of waste with going this route, but at least some beef tongue is better than none.  Note: in all my beef-tongue-cooking adventures, I’ve had this happen only ONCE.  Which is to say, not a lot.  This is not a typical scenario.  Peeling the skin on beef tongue is typically a foolproof endeavor.

Beef tongue doesn’t cut into neat slices?

• That’s because it’s probably been cooked for far longer than required.  In other words, it’s too tender to be cut into slices in which case, toss and repeat from the beginning.  Just kidding.  I would NEVER suggest to trash a perfectly good piece of beef.  Overcooked beef tongue is great shredded and can replace any shredded beef but is particularly awesome with your eggs in the morning or beef tongue tacos.  Mmmm.

That’s way more beef tongue that I could ever eat in a day’s time!

• This is a good problem to have.  Thankfully the solution is simple:  you don’t have to eat it all in one day.  Cooked beef tongue stores great in the freezer.  In a freezer-safe container, layer the sliced tongue cuts alternating with parchment paper for easier access.  All you have to do is remove one layer by pulling on the parchment paper.  You can thaw and heat up as many or as little as you’d like using this method.

Beef Tongue Appetizer Recipe

And now the fun part.  There are a myriad of ways to enjoy beef tongue, this is probably one of the most simplest ones to make.  Brown beef tongue slices in a teaspoon or two of melted butter over medium-high heat.  Flip to brown on the other side.

Arrange the browned tongue slices, top with sliced red onions and chopped fresh dill.  Season with coarse Celtic sea salt.  Squeeze lemon juice all over the plate.  I like making little tacos like so.

 
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