The tongue, just like the tenderloin, strip or flank, is a muscle. And just like the latter it is an edible part of a dead animal, and a delicious one at that. Because the tongue is a muscle that does a lot of work it can be really tough if not handled and cooked properly. The upside to this is that it has more flavor than your typical "glamor muscles". I think people avoid tongue not only because it takes some patience to cook but because we're not accustomed to it. Eating the tongue of another animal freaks people out a little bit. And growing up eating cheap feedlot beef meant that the more undesirable parts could be fed to our pets. But most of our recent ancestors and many current ethnic communities consume tongue and other "variety cuts" for economical reasons. This is my main reasoning for using it. As I made it a point a few years ago to only buy sustainably raised meat I had to look at ways to save money. Good meat costs more because it is more labor intensive and it takes longer for an animal to come to a marketable wait. The reward, however, is that unlike shitty supermarket meat this stuff actually has flavor. So if I can buy a grass-fed beef tongue for the same price per pound as bullshit supermarket filet I consider myself a winner.
The process of preparing the tongue began by poaching it in a broth of beef stock and red wine which included onions, carrots, celery and garlic. I poached it for about 3 hours, low and slow. After removing it from the pot and allowing it to cool I removed the outer membrane of the tongue. This is a thin but tough layer that covers the actual meat of the tongue. The next step was to smoke it over hickory wood. I smoked it for about an hour at a medium smoke. Not too hot but also not a cold smoke. I allowed it to come to around room temp, wrapped it up and chilled it overnight. The next day I cut the tongue into three blocks and sliced them very thin with my meat slicer. Yes, I have a meat slicer.
I prepared the brown mustard seeds by combining them in a small sauce pot with sugar, salt, water and vinegar. I cooked them at a steady simmer for roughly two hours until they puffed up a little and the liquid evaporated leaving a thick syrup.
I will explain in great detail next week exactly what a pawpaw is but for now just think of it as a deciduous mango. I simply pureed the pawpaw with a little salt. It added a sweet counterpoint to all the smoky saltiness. I garnished with the lettuce and shaved shallot for a lite
Product-
Grass-fed Beef Tongue - Hillacres Pride
Wild Foraged Pawpaw - Culton Organics
Petite Green Leaf Lettuce - Blooming Glen Farms
The process of preparing the tongue began by poaching it in a broth of beef stock and red wine which included onions, carrots, celery and garlic. I poached it for about 3 hours, low and slow. After removing it from the pot and allowing it to cool I removed the outer membrane of the tongue. This is a thin but tough layer that covers the actual meat of the tongue. The next step was to smoke it over hickory wood. I smoked it for about an hour at a medium smoke. Not too hot but also not a cold smoke. I allowed it to come to around room temp, wrapped it up and chilled it overnight. The next day I cut the tongue into three blocks and sliced them very thin with my meat slicer. Yes, I have a meat slicer.
I prepared the brown mustard seeds by combining them in a small sauce pot with sugar, salt, water and vinegar. I cooked them at a steady simmer for roughly two hours until they puffed up a little and the liquid evaporated leaving a thick syrup.
I will explain in great detail next week exactly what a pawpaw is but for now just think of it as a deciduous mango. I simply pureed the pawpaw with a little salt. It added a sweet counterpoint to all the smoky saltiness. I garnished with the lettuce and shaved shallot for a lite
Product-
Grass-fed Beef Tongue - Hillacres Pride
Wild Foraged Pawpaw - Culton Organics
Petite Green Leaf Lettuce - Blooming Glen Farms