How to Cook Beef Tongue

Tongue is the one that converts people. Cooked properly it is rich, soft and entirely unlike what anybody expects, and it is a staple everywhere that has ever had to use a whole animal.

“And, so, yeah, I think we're seeing people paying attention to all of the different cuts and using all animal cooking with tallow is kind of a hot trend right now. So 10 years ago, I was trying to talk to anybody who would listen and, oh everybody wants to do it now.”

Gray Shipley

Stage one: the simmer

1. Put it in a pot with onion, bay and peppercorns and cover it with cold water.
2. Bring it barely to a simmer and hold it there for about three hours.
3. It is done when a skewer slides in with no resistance.

Simmer broth bones alongside it and you get stock out of the same pot. The method is in how to make beef stock.

Stage two: peel it hot

This is the step. The outer skin has to come off, and it comes off easily only while the tongue is hot, straight out of the pot. Let it cool and it welds on and the whole thing becomes a fight.

Run it under cold water for a few seconds so you can hold it, then start at the thick end and pull. It should come away in sheets.

“Patience is a deficiency of mine. Patience is something that my dad models really well. And I think he got that from my grandmother who had it in spades.”

Gray Shipley

Stage three, which is optional and worth it

Slice it and sear the slices hard in a hot pan. The simmer makes it tender; the sear gives it edges and texture. Tacos de lengua are exactly this, and there is a reason that is the most popular thing to do with it.

“And that's even better because farm cafe will just take whatever we take them. Like as long as we don't bring them a pallet of liver, we can just say, Hey, this stuff needs to go farm cafe.”

Gray Shipley