Cow Kisses

[misterrachel]

As a Kansas City native, I was raised on burnt ends. I love ‘em all the way up to the clear blue sky! However, I’ve often found that the burnt ends I get from one point aren’t enough for me to share with guests and still get some myself. Plus, there’s the issue of having to cook a whole packer every time I want some. I started wondering if I could replicate burnt end flavors/textures with another cut of beef… A couple weeks ago, I was enjoying lunch at one of my favorite authentic taquerias and a thought occurred to me, “Why not tongue?” I’d previously eaten beef tongue in three forms:

1. The kind that looks/tastes exactly like corned beef. My parents always had this around when I was a kid.
2. The kind that you make into lengua tacos (such as the ones I was eating at that moment)
3. The kind you can turn into a delicious pot roast-like dish.

I decided it was time to add a #4 to the list. So, I procured a calf’s tongue at a local farmer’s market along with a beast of a tongue from good old Walmart. In my opinion, the biggest challenge to cooking/serving cow tongue is not the fact that it’s one tough muscle, it’s getting over the “yuck” factor of messing with a tongue! My kids, however, thought it was awesome.

Without further ado, I give you my take on faux burnt ends, I'm calling 'em "Cow Kisses"

Step 1: Slice up an onion and throw it in the bottom of your crockpot. Add as much/little garlic as you like. A shallot might be tasty here too, but I didn’t have one handy.

[misterrachel]

Step 2: Rinse and pat the tongues dry. Throw those big lickers in the crockpot. Season with kosher salt & black pepper. We’ll be seasoning this with rub & sauce later, so you don’t need to go overboard on the salt.

[misterrachel]

Step 3: Cover the tongues with water and throw in 3 to 4 bay leaves.

[misterrachel]

Step 4: Let that crockpot rip for about 8 to 10 hours on low. I suppose you could also throw these in a stockpot and simmer for 3 to 4 hours if you’re in more of a hurry. I did this step overnight and boy-howdy did my house smell great in the morning!

[Jayblefty]

Can't wait to see how this turns out! Love me some burnt ends, and I have no issue with cow tongue! Cow Kisses!!! I Love it!

[misterrachel]

Step 5: And now for the icky part… Time to peel that leather from the top. It should be pretty easy to do, I just made a small slit at the end and used my fingers to peel the skin away.

[misterrachel]

Step 6: You have a choice to make here. At this point, you have a superbly delicious/tender cut of meat here. You could shred it and make some great lengua tacos. Slice it into medallions and serve it as you would a rich pot roast. Or, continue on to bbq bliss! I sliced mine up into medallions and then into squared, “burnt end” style chunks.

I seasoned them up with rub (Plowboy Bovine Bold, this time) and sauced with Hayward's Original.

[misterrachel]

Step 7: They went into the UDS at 275 degrees for about 3 hours. I mixed them around about every hour or so. I had enough sauce in there that I didn't really need to top them off.

The verdict? They came out OMFG delicious!!! My wife and friends were totally floored. Everything you could hope/want out of a burnt end and the flavor is just rich beefiness beyond belief! Truth be told, I probably could've ramped up the heat a little more for some added crispiness, but I was completely thrilled with the result.

Enjoy!

[MisterChrister]

I'd slip that cow some tongue!

[Titch]

Great effort mate ,that looks delish

[rondini]

I've gotta try this. WOW.

[LoneStarMojo]

Hmmm...I just mite need to slip the Missus some tongue one day soon! Those burnt ends look mighty fine but I think I have to go the tongue taco route. I've had em but never made em myself. Thanks for the post!

[lemur]

Did the tongue take any wood?

[misterrachel]

Originally Posted by lemur

Did the tongue take any wood?

Yep, I used hickory.

[Arlin_MacRae]

Sa-WEET! I've got tongue in the freezer, I think. Gonna try it!