Now, give yourself a mental pep talk…
“that is beef. a muscle. just like any other beef cut. don’t think of the ‘t’ word. its just beef. a delicacy in other countries. higher in protein and b-12. really good for me to eat. that’s beef“
deeeeep breath.
Ready?
Still with me? Good… read on!
1) Rinse off the tongue.
It is a good idea to wash off the tongue. If you really can’t handle touching it… wear some gloves or ask someone to do it for you.
Wash the tongue under running water until the water runs clear and there’s no blood.
2) Cut glands off at the base of the tongue.
This step is really optional. Some like to cut it off, others leave it on.
I’ve done both and found that the glands are really soft & fatty when cooked. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, cut it off before cooking.
3) Cook the tongue.
When properly cooked… tongue is delicious.
Honestly.
Here are three important notes to remember when cooking the tongue…
1) You can cook the tongue in two ways… let it cook slowly in your crock pot or simmer in your stock pot. Both ways will give you soft and tender beef that is versatile and yummy.
2) For the liquid base, use either beef stock or water. I’ve done both and prefer the stock for a richer flavor.
3) It is important to add in a mixture of savory & sweet veggies and spices to enhance the flavor. I like to use onions, carrots, garlic, peppercorn, bay leaves and sea salt.
Beef Stock Method:
Whenever I am making a large batch of beef stock (I let it simmer for up to 3 days!), I like to throw in the tongues and let it simmer overnight. In the picture below, I was making a small batch of beef broth and threw in a tongue to cook overnight.
If you already have beef stock made… put the tongue in your choice of crock pot or stockpot, cover with stock, add in veggies & spices and cook until done.
Water Method:
Put your tongue in a small stock pot or crock pot, cover with enough water, add in the above suggested veggies & spices and cook until done.
For a chopped tongue… cook it for 3-4 hours. For a shredded tongue… cook for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Wondering what to do with the leftover broth? You can toss it out, but I like to save it and use it in my spaghetti sauce, homemade chili or soup.
4) Peel the skin off.
5) Chop or shred up the tongue.
There you go! You now have chopped or shredded tongue ready to be used however you want. You can make tacos, sandwiches, egg bake, empanadas, stews, soups, chili or whatever… it is a very versatile meat!!
Think you can go for it now?
Thanks for posting this. I made the mistake of trying to cut the skin off before cooking it. Duh! It makes so much sense to do that after cooking it.
You are welcome! Enjoy!
Lol..
Cute shoes! And you have me seriously considering ordering tongue and trying this…
Allyson, Thanks!! I seriously hope you will order that tongue and try it! Let me know when you do and what you think 😀
3 years later and I finally tried tongue tacos! It was way easier than I expected. I kept thinking there should be more to it. Thanks for the step by step tutorial with pictures!
Tongue Tacos are FABULOUS!! ….such a delicious use for tongue.
Yes they are!!
Once you try tongue you will be sorry that you were missing it up to now. Once I fed it to my wife it was instant love.
I remember eating a beef tongue sandwich when I was younger and being completely unphased by it. Tasted just like beef! Then I bought one from organic farming friends of ours, and I totally chickened out to prepare it. I’m feeling brave again! 😉
Go for it!! Glad to help you get brave again ;o) Let me know how it goes!
It is delicious! In the Mexican culture we eat it very often. We call it “barbacoa de lengua”. Put it in a flour tortilla and add some homemade salsa and it is heavenly!!! Even my 7 year old eats it. I slow cook it overnight in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil.
Yum! I have heard of “barbacoa de lengua” and want to try it. Here and in Costa Rica they call it Salsa de Lengua and basically make a yummy stew with tongue and tomoatoes and spices.
I grew up eating pickled beef heart and tongue as a delicacy in the winter, particularly at Christmas. Quart jars packed with onions and spices in the fridge. My parents’ families were both of German background. Seems like everything was pickled. Tried this a couple of years ago for my family and my youngest son could not get enough. It will keep in the fridge a long time.
Ooh! Do you have a recipe of the pickled beef heart and tongue? I would love to try it! My grandfather (passed away several years back) was full-German and I am always wanting to learn and try traditional German dishes and foods.
Also needing a pickled tongue/heart recipe. I prefer heart pickled, it’s less fatty. Tongue belongs in TACOS!
Yes, tongue only belong in tacos or in a stew 🙂
I grew up eating the strange meats from a cow, i.e. tongue, heart, sweet breads & brains. I assumed everyone ate these, but I was definitely wrong. People get really grossed out when I tell them about eating afore mentioned items. I’m getting ready to cook a tongue tomorrow & very much looking forward to eating it.
I did not grow up eating the ‘strange meats’, but my kids are! I get interesting responses from people who think it is ‘gross’ to eat tongue or heart or whatever. They are totally mistaken and missing out! Hope you enjoyed your tongue 🙂 HA!
I am tempted to try. I think I have tasted it once, and it was like tender beef. I, like you, didn’t grow up eating this stuff, but my husband is Chinese, so whenever we go for yum cha (I think you call it dim sum?) my 4 yr old is first to chow through her own bowl of tripe, and she will share her chicken feet!
Hello Anon, it is like tender beef! So good. Sounds like your daughter is very adventurous… good for her!!
thanks for all the good ideas. wondering why you do not save the skin to add to bones and whatever else for the next time you make beef stock?
I usually cook my tongue when I make bone broth, so I figured the skin has already been cooked long enough to release flavor and nutrients.
I absolutely love tongue, especially in a BBQ type sauce, and oxtail is the tastiest meat in existence.
I have had kosher tongue before and really like it reminds me of corned beef,I am going to try to make it with pickle spice,let you know how it comes out.always had it with baked beans thethe tip of the tongue is the least fatty part.
Do let me know how it goes!
My mother’s birthday is Saturday and I am going to cook a beet tongue we just love it.
That’s great!! Hope you guys had a wonderful day celebrating her birthday 🙂
Hi how do you cook pressed tongue , I’m looking for this receipe. Thanks
Hello! Pressed tongue? I’m not sure what that is!
I love both beef tongue and beef heart. Beef heart we cook using a bread dressing stuffed in it and baked. We will be using your recipe with the vegetables suggested and cooked in water to cook the one tonight. I love the tongue served as a lunch meat on bread.
Hello Larry!
We love beef heart too! Enjoy the tongue and using it as lunch meat in sandwiches is a great idea!
love the info. also do u have a recipe for chicken cooked in coconut milk ? would love to try it. thank you. rb
Thank you! No I do not have a recipe, but it would be easy to google up some recipes to try out 🙂
My mom made tongue often. I was shocked the first time I saw it in the oven but had no problem eating it. Makes the best tacos and slivered into macaroni salad, is great.
Where do you it beef heart nowadays? Walmart used to sell it but no anymore and I have called butchers (American) and they don’t sell them. And the Latin butcher near me only sell a few on a day I can’t drive there ;(.
I meant “buy it” in the USA.
Hi Veronica, It is best to buy beef heart from a local farmer. Especially ones that sell 1/4 cuts, 1/2 cuts or a whole cow for meat.
Have you ever cooked tongue then put it on the grill, bbq tongue I think would be great
Bruce, I have not. Partly because its so soft, but it would be worth it to try!
I’m using your very helpful recipe for our tongue for our Christmas lunch. The smells coming from the kitchen is divine.
This is something my father cooks once every 6 months, For anyone wondering how this tastes. If made correctly.. In my opinion it’s taste is fit for a king. My father usually makes the combination of tongue, and brain.. Slow cooked in broth with desired veggies as mentioned in the article. With fresh lemon squeezed over the meat. As for the broth we usually slice up pieces of bread and have a sort of bread soaked soup which is filled with flavours out of this world. Tis a shame he’s moved back to the mother land. Hence I’m researching how to make it my self. If only I spent one early morning watching him make it. Great article. Thank you
is this about pickled tongue or regular tongue
Hi Julie! Regular tongue.
do you cover pot and simmer for 4 hrs.? or uncovered..I used a box of College Inn Bold stock and added celery/carrot/onion/garlic/sea salt/pepper corn and bayleaf…and water…do you have ideas for tongue stew?
I cover the pot… you can simply shred up the tongue and use that in place of regular beef for any beef stew recipe 🙂
My grandmother cooked it and ground it up withonion carrots and garlic for a hearty hash! We ate it any meal with gravy on potatoes or with egg for breakfast or a patty fried for lunch. Very tasty indeed!
Yum!!
I am glad that you wrote this article. Too many Americans have a negative attitude towards eating organ meats. Mainly because they recognize it when they see it at the grocery store. Others believe that ” Only POOR PEOPLE EAT ORGAN MEATS”. YOU’RE EATING BEEF!!
Haha! yep! its just another part of the cow!