Sounds appetizing, I know, but judge not until you taste! I wouldn’t eat tongue until I hit my twenties just because, and when I did, it was accidental. When I was told what I was eating it was one of those, “Huh!” moments. A beef tongue is not pretty to behold or handle. The final product is much more appealing. They come in a wide variety of sizes and can weigh in excess of nine pounds. Try to find one that is around two to three pounds. They are best cooked in a pressure cooker but you can cook it in a pot of simmering water. General consensus is to cook it about 50 minutes per pound. A pressure cooker will cut the time in half. The tongue is a very fatty meat so it’s nice and tender and full of flavor. We then roast the tongue in the oven for a little bit with some chiles and spices.
The Tongue
Ingredients:
1 2-3 lb beef tongue
1/2 white onion cut again in half
3 cloves garlic
1 tblsp salt
enough water to cover meat by 2 inches (if cooking on the stove, water may need to be added while cooking)
Place all of above ingredients in pressure cooker and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Be sure to follow your pressure cooker’s directions. Remove tongue from cooker and reserve 1 cup of the stock. Allow tongue to cool just enough to handle and then remove the skin and slice. Your tongue will now look less tongue-like and you can stop wrinkling your nose at it.
The Sauce
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
4-5 roma tomatoes chopped
2-3 chiles poblanos, roasted, stems, seeds and membranes removed cut into slices (see ‘A What?’ tab)
a few cracks of fresh ground pepper
reserved stock
pinch of Mexican oregano
Place peeled and sliced tongue in a small casserole dish. Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion is transparent. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add all other sauce ingredients, when it begins to bubble, transfer to casserole dish over and around tongue meat. Cook in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve with corn tortillas and salsas. Some fresh cilantro wouldn’t hurt either.
Memoirs of My Family Kitchen 