Has anybody tried smoking beef tongue?

RevZiLLa

RevZiLLa

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Years ago, after accidentally discovering that smoked corned beef is a lot like pastrami, I had a tongue sandwich at a deli. Then I saw tongue at the grocery store (HEB in Austin, TX in the late 80's).

Peel off the skin and smoke it low and slow and you get a lot of tongue for sandwiches....a LOT more tongue than you need. It was cheap and we were on a budget so I eventually gave it another shot. It was good, but somehow....viscous...maybe undercooked?

I had my fill of tongue and have not touched it for over 20 years since then.

Is there some secret to doing it right? Soak it first? Select a smaller tongue? Maybe the answer doesn't matter because I NEVER see tongue in the store here in Richmond, VA.
 
yep. Good stuff. Great on sandwitches.

I smoke it then cook it in a pressure cooker.

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Its good pre cooked then grilled too.
 
I don’t know if this is right or wrong, but this is how I do it with great results.
Toss on the smoker at 225° until 150° ish internal. At this point it will still be tough as nails and the skin will still be impossible to remove. Toss in pressure cooker for 30 mins and remove from burner, let cooker come to rest. Skin should slide right off and should be tender for sammiches.

Good eats with Pics because it did happen! Tongue and Beef heart pastrami:

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^^^ You're my new hero. I've eaten a bit of beef tongue in my day, but I know if I made it now i'd have a hell of a time finding someone to help me eat it. i'd love a description of the flavor profile and mouth feel of heart.
 
Beef heart is very firm, lean, and tender when sliced thin. Very rich and strong intense beef flavor. Very good.

Here is the pastrami that needed to cure a little longer as you can see:

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I have another heart half in the freezer that I might just have to cook up for the weekend.

Edit: the heart was also finished in the pressure cooker to tenderize.
 
i aint got hungry nuff to try that, good job smokin it though
 
RevZiLLa said:
Years ago, after accidentally discovering that smoked corned beef is a lot like pastrami, I had a tongue sandwich at a deli. Then I saw tongue at the grocery store (HEB in Austin, TX in the late 80's).

Peel off the skin and smoke it low and slow and you get a lot of tongue for sandwiches....a LOT more tongue than you need. It was cheap and we were on a budget so I eventually gave it another shot. It was good, but somehow....viscous...maybe undercooked?

I had my fill of tongue and have not touched it for over 20 years since then.

Is there some secret to doing it right? Soak it first? Select a smaller tongue? Maybe the answer doesn't matter because I NEVER see tongue in the store here in Richmond, VA.
Click to expand...

Are there no hispanic markets in Richmond? I'd check the carniceria! Even the "American" mom and pop grocer in my neighborhood always has a good selection of fresh tongue.
 
Yuk,
No guts, nothing that helps a animal smile, theres too much good meat to try without going all Andrew Zimmer in my cooker. Just my thoughts
 
deguerre said:
Are there no hispanic markets in Richmond? I'd check the carniceria! Even the "American" mom and pop grocer in my neighborhood always has a good selection of fresh tongue.
Click to expand...

Food Lion used to have it and even pig heads. Not now.

After reading the links above, I believe my 2nd tongue was not so great because i got the biggest one they had. The first one may have been 2-3 LB and all I did was wash it, smoke it low and slow, peel it and slice it
 
I had it in Japan when I went over there for work last year.

They slice it about peperoni thin then you grill it yourself with a cool little grill in the center of the table.

I thought it was dang good and was shocked to find out what it was when I was done eating.
 
Many years ago I worked in a deli that served beef tongue. We used to slice it paper thin and pile it high on any kind of bread or roll you wanted. Good stuff.
 
I have a buffalo tongue in the freezer waiting for me. If I get it right, you do not remove the skin before smoking it? I was thinking of simmering it for 2-3 hours as I would do if I was not smoking it and then remove the skin. With the skin removed, I would have put it in the kettle for some smoke.

Any thoughts?
 
We use our beef tongue to make barbacoa. I bet it would reallt be great with some smoke!
 
In our house we'd eat deli sliced tongue on rye with thin sliced cucumber and hard boiled egg or slow cooked in a sweet and sour tomato sauce over mashed potatoes. Now the only time I get it is in taco joints.
 
Patrice said:
I have a buffalo tongue in the freezer waiting for me. If I get it right, you do not remove the skin before smoking it? I was thinking of simmering it for 2-3 hours as I would do if I was not smoking it and then remove the skin. With the skin removed, I would have put it in the kettle for some smoke.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think that sounds like an excellent plan, Patrice. The skin helps hold in moisture while cooking so if you're going to smoke it after removing the skin you may want to consider a mild brine soaking.

If you can get your kettle low and slow enough, you could wrap the skinned tongue in foil with some apple juice or beef stock after a couple hours since it won't take much smoke after that - and continue to cook until tender.

Let us know how it turns out -

And thanks for the idea!
 
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