“Sometimes we must rip out our own tongue to ensure our own safety.”
— Zac Ochsebine
For more practical affairs use the beef tongue to ensure safety from the hangries.
A cow’s tongue is edible, in fact, it is an international food enjoyed regularly around the globe in Mexican cuisine, as well as Romanian, German, Portuguese, Persian (yes, I had it in Iran), Philippines, Albanian, English, Russian, and Japanese cuisines.
The American aversion to offal is unique. Maybe it is just an idiosyncratic expression of their visual capacity, their recoil at the recognition of death in food bits, or simply more attachment to visual aesthetics. Luckily these are all proficiencies that most certainly could be expanded much the same way people in different cultures have done. In other words, don’t worry, you can get used to it no problemo.
Cow tongue is red meat that is better marbled the Kobe beef ((神戸ビーフ), and when cooked low and slow, it has more umami than all the other cuts of meat on account of richer adipose tissue. Richer in calories, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamin b12, the beef tongue is considered beneficial for people recovering from surgeries and illnesses.
People less accustomed to offal and organ meats may find beef tongue less challenging, because of its similarity to other cuts of red meat. Much like a beef heart, cow tongue is firm and fleshy and tastes like filet mignon or flank steak, but unlike the beef heart, it is less lean and has a milder beefy flavor.
The tongue is delicious but it’s also a tough cut that requires a lengthy period of cooking with the proper treatment for it to become palatable, and within all the recommended methods, sous vide bests them all. You probably know we are big fans.
As articulated so well by George Carlin “Religion is like a pair of shoes…..Find one that fits for you, but don’t make me wear your shoes.”, wise words to live by but in this case, we insist on evangelizing, and have you wear our shoes. Sous Vide is set-it-and-forget-it cooking that marvelously and wondrously elevates any meat’s texture to restaurant quality, especially when paired with a good bbq meat rub, like Headwater’s BBQ Rubs crafted specifically to enhance flavors and embolden all the subtle undertones. If, like us, you would like to nurture your romanticism with traditional and subtle smoke flavor, smoke it for peak deliciousness.
Following our instructions, tongue beef is tender yet beefy, and has a satisfying chewy, with prominent umami and unctuousness that shine even more when topped with a piquant sauce.
It is the mark of a skilled and well-informed cook to take a less distinguished cut of meat and transform it into a spectacular meal that will have you “tongue-tied’.
Enjoy today’s Taco de Lengua.
