Tacos de lengua!
Beef tongue is a particular favorite of mine. Once you get over the idea of what it is. The way it looks. The way it feels when it's raw...why, it's tender and delicious! I had frozen one a couple of months ago and asked my friends on Facebook what I should make. There were a couple of really interesting suggestions but the one that came up a few times was tacos de lengua. I didn't plan it this way but since today is Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday and Boys' Day...it's an opportune time!
The prep is not hard but it is time-consuming. I actually did this part on Saturday. Here's the cast.
The star of the show had to have a close-up. When it's turned on it's side like this it appears to be a normal roast of some kind. A bit fatty but still.
When you turn it the right way up, that's when the squeamish may falter! Two things: not all cow tongues are uniformly pink, as you can see here and yes, you can see the rough bits that help a cow manipulate hay and grain into its mouth.
The last time I did this part, I covered the tongue with water, brought it to a boil, covered it and let it simmer for a couple of hours. This time, I put it in a crock pot, covered it with water, sliced onion, some garlic and bay leaves. I cooked it on low for about 8 hours.
At the end of the cooking time, a lot of fat had been removed. Now the fun part--the tongue and part of the underside has a thick lining that is loosened by the long cooking. Time to remove it! I let the tongue cool for a bit so I could handle it easily. Don't let it get super cold though; the lining is harder to remove then.
I used a small sharp knife to make a slit in the lining and then began peeling it away. It is fairly tough and rubbery.
I had to do a bit more cutting than I had anticipated, especially on the top part of the tongue. It's just as well; I prefer to remove the little bumps off the surface anyway.
I cut off the fat that clings to the underside and sliced the remainder into two halves so it would fit nicely into a gallon-size Ziploc bag. It went into the fridge till today.
I cut the tongue portion into horizontal slices. The surface texture does look different from other cuts of beef and if you ate it at this point, the texture would be quite soft.
Since this particular tongue's destiny was to be taco filling, I tried a couple of different shapes--chunks, strips and slices.
I cooked them in hot avocado oil in a Dutch oven. Don't be afraid to put some color on them! I sprinkled them with Kosher salt and black pepper as they cooked.
And here you go! I threw away any pieces that were mostly or completely fat but this is the lean portion; quite a bit of meat.
I served it with green onion, cilantro and sweet onion. We also had salsa and shredded cheddar/Jack for those who were inclined.
I heated the tortillas by layering half the package at a time between sheets of damp paper towels. Then I covered the whole stack with a damp towel and microwaved it for a minute and 20 seconds. When they came out, they were hot and malleable--exactly what you want in a tortilla. I transferred them to a towel-lined bowl and covered them. Keep them covered at the table and they will stay warm all the way through!
Eric, in particular, really enjoys tacos de lengua, but top marks from all of us!
Here is the promised link:
Beef tongue prep
The prep is not hard but it is time-consuming. I actually did this part on Saturday. Here's the cast.
The star of the show had to have a close-up. When it's turned on it's side like this it appears to be a normal roast of some kind. A bit fatty but still.
When you turn it the right way up, that's when the squeamish may falter! Two things: not all cow tongues are uniformly pink, as you can see here and yes, you can see the rough bits that help a cow manipulate hay and grain into its mouth.
The last time I did this part, I covered the tongue with water, brought it to a boil, covered it and let it simmer for a couple of hours. This time, I put it in a crock pot, covered it with water, sliced onion, some garlic and bay leaves. I cooked it on low for about 8 hours.
At the end of the cooking time, a lot of fat had been removed. Now the fun part--the tongue and part of the underside has a thick lining that is loosened by the long cooking. Time to remove it! I let the tongue cool for a bit so I could handle it easily. Don't let it get super cold though; the lining is harder to remove then.
I used a small sharp knife to make a slit in the lining and then began peeling it away. It is fairly tough and rubbery.
I had to do a bit more cutting than I had anticipated, especially on the top part of the tongue. It's just as well; I prefer to remove the little bumps off the surface anyway.
I cut off the fat that clings to the underside and sliced the remainder into two halves so it would fit nicely into a gallon-size Ziploc bag. It went into the fridge till today.
I cut the tongue portion into horizontal slices. The surface texture does look different from other cuts of beef and if you ate it at this point, the texture would be quite soft.
Since this particular tongue's destiny was to be taco filling, I tried a couple of different shapes--chunks, strips and slices.
I cooked them in hot avocado oil in a Dutch oven. Don't be afraid to put some color on them! I sprinkled them with Kosher salt and black pepper as they cooked.
And here you go! I threw away any pieces that were mostly or completely fat but this is the lean portion; quite a bit of meat.
I served it with green onion, cilantro and sweet onion. We also had salsa and shredded cheddar/Jack for those who were inclined.
I heated the tortillas by layering half the package at a time between sheets of damp paper towels. Then I covered the whole stack with a damp towel and microwaved it for a minute and 20 seconds. When they came out, they were hot and malleable--exactly what you want in a tortilla. I transferred them to a towel-lined bowl and covered them. Keep them covered at the table and they will stay warm all the way through!
Eric, in particular, really enjoys tacos de lengua, but top marks from all of us!
Beef tongue prep
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