RECIPE: Beef Tongue Tacos

written by

Sarah Hayes

posted on

January 6, 2020

Tongue-Tacos-small.png

Tongue is the perfect gateway into offal cuts. It packs an amazing flavor punch, and when cooked properly it has an unoffending texture in your mouth. Preparing tongue is a bit of an adventure, as it needs to be peeled after cooking.

Prep time:
Sear and stew tongue ~6 hrs.
Peel and prep meal ~20 min.
Serves 4 adults

Ingredients

  • 1 whole Beef Tongue from Ramstead Ranch ~ 1.5 lbs
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped
  • 1 beer, or substitute about 12 oz of red or white wine
  • ~1 quart beef stock or favorite broth
  • Steve's Slaw, a must for excellent tacos Click to get the recipe
  • All of your favorite fixings for tacos including but not limited to tortillas, cheese, cilantro, sour creme, lime wedges, and hot sauce.

Instructions

  1. Thaw beef tongue
  2. In a hot stainless steel or cast iron pan sear all sides using tongs to get every surface nice and browned. If tongue is very bent and fixed in an odd shape, I recommend cutting tongue into manageable and regularly shaped sections to facilitate even browning on all surfaces.
  3. Sauté onion, garlic, and a jalapeno until the onion is transparent.
  4. Combine the cooked onion mixture and seared beef tongue in a crock pot or large pot.
  5. Add enough liquid to nearly cover tongues (I use whatever wine or beer I have on hand for about ⅔ of the volume and beef stock for the remainder).
  6. Cook in a crockpot on high for 8 hrs (or simmer stove-top for ~4-6 hrs).
  7. Remove tongue from liquid with tongs and allow to rest ~15 min (until it is hot enough to eat, but cool enough to touch without burning). Peel the skin off the tongue (this is much easier than it sounds, just use a knife to get started separating the skin from the meat, then pull it away). Discard skin. 
  8. Shred meat into taco-sized awesomeness and serve.
  9. Assemble tacos with all your favorite fixings and enjoy!

Good taco fillings can make or break your meal. We have been really enjoying this slaw recipe. Click for the recipe.

If peeling the skin from the beef tongue makes you nervous…
We took a quick video to walk you through the recipe and show you how easy it will be to peel the outside skin layer of the tongue. You can watch how simple this meal prep is and decide if you got this one!

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