Smoked Beef Tongue


 
E

Erik M

New member
OK - I gave it (beef tongue) a try this weekend. Basically I followed this recipe that I found on the web:

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/12/beef-smoked-tongue.html

I did not soak it overnight (gave it a 2 hour soak) or spray it with the apple juice, etc, but pretty much followed everything else.

It was cooked over apple and one chunk of oak for about 1.5 hours. I turned it every half-hour and kept the bacon on top per the above link.

My comments on this are:

1) Tongue is a pain the the backside to peel (the skin off);

2) It tastes like beef, albeit not a great cut of beef;

3) It has come of the wierdest meat grains I have ever seen (the grains overlap and go every -which-way); and

4) It scares the pants off of the kids.

I have eaten tongue on sandwiches before, usually with other meats. This meal was an all-out tongue fest. I can't say it was bad, but not sure if I would make it again, as it did not stand out as good, either. However, I will try it in a restaurant at some point, and if they cook/prepare it better than me, I will reconsider it again at home.

Mine looked pretty much like the picture in the link. The second picture in the link had me confused at first - looks like clay. After I peeled my tongue (ok, not mine, but the cows), I realized that the poster of the blog did a very crude peel job. Not sure about his tongue's color, though.

Has anyone every tried this on the WSM? Or any other method.
 
I can't say I've done it on the WSM (though I've meant to do what you did for a long time) but man do I love a good lengua taco. IMO, tongue properly cooked is just as good as the best roast beef. That being said, I wouldn't want to eat thick slices of it or anything like that. It's something that's better in small doses...not because it's bad, but because it's so rich.
 
I just cannot stomach the thought of it. How do you guys eat that stuff. IMO, tongue, brains, chitterlings, feet, testicles, pancreas and stomach are off limits. Would not feed it to my dog. (am I eating this stuff in hotdags?
 
Originally posted by Jeff S:
I just cannot stomach the thought of it. How do you guys eat that stuff. IMO, tongue, brains, chitterlings, feet, testicles, pancreas and stomach are off limits. Would not feed it to my dog. (am I eating this stuff in hotdags?
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One of the reasons I love meats like this is because it takes real skill to make them taste good. Any schmuck can cook a decent rib eye or NY steak, but give them tripe or tongue and tell them to make something out of it...that's a different story. Separates cooks from wannabees, IMO. You actually need to have knowledge and skill to cook the "weird" stuff.
 
I guess if you really like it any thing is worth the effort I always wonder about the recipe that starts out soak in coke for 24 hours. I like pretty much all foods and will try just about anything. Just last vacation I tried some pickled eggs while ridding in the car with the family. Can't say they enjoyed me eating them and I don't know if I will try them again unless I am real hungry
 
One of the reasons I love meats like this is because it takes real skill to make them taste good. Any schmuck can cook a decent rib eye or NY steak, but give them tripe or tongue and tell them to make something out of it...that's a different story. Separates cooks from wannabees, IMO. You actually need to have knowledge and skill to cook the "weird" stuff.
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Phil
I agree if you understand different cooking methods, concepts and flavours you can cook anything. Most of those items are considered a delicacy in many countries.
Many Westerners turn their noses up at these types of delicacies because it was never culturally accepted to eat that type of food where they came from. On the other hand Westerers eat hot dogs which is a mixture of offal, lips, cheeks cereal and other things that you would generally reject on there own.

Regards
 
offal ? I heard hotdogs where made of lips and a$$ before just like chicken nuggets. I know one thing I love hot dogs chilli dogs brats and boudin. Put it in a sausage casing it taste good.
 
Phil - how do you cook it? Most of the recipes I saw for tongue were basically - simmer, peel, cool, slice thin, eat on a sandwich. How do you cook it when you make tacos?
 
Originally posted by Erik M:
Phil - how do you cook it? Most of the recipes I saw for tongue were basically - simmer, peel, cool, slice thin, eat on a sandwich. How do you cook it when you make tacos?
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Erik,

I've never made it. I buy them from a taco truck near my house....i've always wanted to learn the recipe, though. I'm pretty sure they braise it (like you were talking about), cool it, cube it, then fry it when people order a taco. One recipe I have for a cajun stuffed tongue calls for almost exactly what you said, though: Boil, peel, then braise in stock.
 
Now we are talking! Much to my family's chagrin, I am going to try it again. This time, however, I will overnight soak it in the salted water and I will simmer it for about 4 hours rather than the 2 I gave it. Then I will make it and make tacos and/or chili out of it. I will have to find a way to cook it without them knowing it, and then 'slip' it into the chili!
 
I am still wondering what offal is ? I use to do a little repo in my younger days and smelled a lot and and ate some chittlin when invited.
 
Originally posted by dsitterson:
I am still wondering what offal is ?
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As Anthony Bourdain puts it, offal is "the Nasty Bits." You know...heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, brains etc. I think the term originated from these things "falling" off meat wagons or something in the UK. Not sure, but something like that.
 
Inspiration Found in the Offal Dept of Local Grocery Store:

This has nothing to do with grilling, but in the store where I found the tongue (which was not easy), right next to it they had a large package of beef kidneys. I believe that steak and kidney pies are in order for the next cold and cloudy weekend day. A few pints of a certain frothy beverage will accompany that nicely.
 
Does anyone know if smoking kidneys has any merit? The steak and kidney pie recipe calls for merely cooking them in a skillet, and finishing them off in the pie itself.
 
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