If you’re looking for a delicious dish with a hint of intrigue, this is the one for you. Don’t let the tongue scare you off, as this is one of the most flavorful and tender pieces of meat. If you think your guests may be put off by tongue, just wait till they’ve had their fill and tell you how good it is before you tell them what it really is.
Ingredients
- 2 Beef Tongues with water
- Water
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 3 cups red wine vinegar
Instructions
To do this right it is about a 3 day process.
Day 1 – Rinse the tongue and allow to soak in water with the ½ cup of salt.
Day 2 – Remove the tongue from the brine and place in a pot (with a lid) large enough to hold the tongue along with all the remaining ingredients (minus the vinegar). Cover with water, simmer over medium-low heat covered for 4-6 hours or until tender. Remove the tongue from the broth and place on a wire rack to allow it to cool. While the tongue cools, strain the remaining broth and reserve. Once the tongue is cool enough to handle peel off the outer layer of “skin” (don’t let it cool too much as it makes it difficult to peel once cold). After the tongue is peeled, place into a non-reactive container and cover with the broth. Allow to cool and refrigerate over night
Day 3 – Remove the tongue from the broth. Place the broth in a pot and reduce by at least ½. While the broth is reducing slice the tongue vertically into ¼” pieces. Once the broth is reduced, add the vinegar and return pot to a boil. Once boiling pour over the sliced tongue and allow to cool. Allow the tongue to “pickle” for about 2 days for best flavor. To serve, simply heat some oil in a pan and add as many slices as you’d like and season to taste with salt and pepper. It will keep refrigerated for about 1-2 months. We typically shred ours to serve in tacos or quesadillas.
