Don't let the looks freak you out. The results are well worth the effort.
One large beef tongue
Trim the fatty bits off. A large chunk on the base and a couple long thin bits along the sides. You do need a razor sharp knife for this. You can skip this part all together and boil it just as it is, but I find it makes for better results if you do remove at least the big chunks of fat.
Plunk it in a large boiling pot of water with one large white peeled onion 6 bay leaves and 2 table spoons of salt. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and let it go for two to two and a half hours.
After about two and a half hours remove and let it cool for about a half hour.
Remove and reserve the boiled onion. Save the broth as it is good for a soup later.
Once cool enough to handle cut the tongue in half . . .
. . . and peel the outer hide off the thing. The underside is thinner and a bit trickier to remove. Just keep at it you'll figure it out.
When done it should look like this.
Slice it in to nice half inch thick slabs
Puree the cooked onion in a blender or food processor
Melt a third of a stick of butter
Add one teaspoon each of Curry powder, Tumeric and Cumin. Pour in your blended onion adjust flavor with salt and pepper. This part you can play with. I like mine mild but if you like the hot stuff you enjoy twice, knock yourself out.
Toss in the slices and warm them up
Serve with white rice and a side veggie. . . . takes a bit of effort but it is really delicious and well worth the trouble.
i just could never do it! when i lived in europe and the UK, everyone ate tongue. in quebec and montreal. the same thing. i just couldn't. not sure why.
ReplyDeleteJaz, its all in the mind . . . Folks tend to freak out about the though of it. If you didn't know what it was and tasted it you'd love it. It is just about the most delicious meat you can have. If you like brisket you will love this. I have been eating it since I was a kid and could never get enough of it.
DeleteI always liked tongue, I used to have it in my sandwiches but haven't lately as its been a bit harder to buy. This might be one to cook when I'm off with the kids, I'll have to ask my butcher how much some is. Nice recipe
ReplyDeleteHey Kev: It used to be hard to find over here as well. Used to get it from a small family run farm / butcher when we made the one hour journey to visit and stock up. Now I am able to get it in the grocery department of my local Walmart five minutes down the road.
DeleteI did this with a buffalo tongue a few years ago. Not bad!
ReplyDeleteI have only ever tried it with beef but I bet it would work with just about any hooved animal tongue.
DeleteMy grandfather used to eat moose tongue!
DeleteI'd love to try moose tongue, but its hard to come by unless you win a tag from the lottery. I've had moose a couple of times when friends and neighbors that got a tag shared the spoils. Once had some brought in from Newfoundland that made the Cessna 180 bush plane so heavy it crashed. Luckily they all walked away. They figured the moose wound up costing something like 5000 $ a pound when it was all said and done.
DeleteOk, I have a beef tongue from my cow half in the freezer that I've been putting off cooking....so I'm going to try it. However, no one in my house likes curry or tumeric at all. Anybody have a good idea about alternative spices to use? Because otherwise this recipe sounds delish! I could keep the cumin in it, we love that although I always use it in beans, not meat dishes.
ReplyDeleteHi Roz, The other favorite way I have done it is after boiling,peeling and slicing it, is to reheat it in a good bit of butter with a big heaping handful of finely chopped parsley and some garlic. But it can be done many ways. A tomato based sauce or just about any other would work as well. I am thinking Pesto might work as well. Like I said my curry is very very mild, literally no heat at all. I use regular McCormics generic curry powder. l I would surely get laughed at by true curry lovers. But I simply do not do do hot (peppery/chile hot) foods.
DeleteWOW! That beef tongue was fantastic! I boiled it, peeled it, then sauteed it in the onion with some butter, pressed garlic, salt, cumin, and paprika. I can't believe how rich and tender it was! I'm so grateful you posted this! It gave me the push I needed to try it. Now I need to find another tongue to cook!
DeleteRoz: I am glad you enjoyed it and I could play a minor part in encouraging someone else to try it. Like I said you can pretty much make up any sauce you like with it. It really is so delicious. I buy mine at our local Walmart. Usually it is parked between the beef and the pork with the other odd cuts like tripe.
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