(Smoked Beef Tongue)
Lots of folks believe the only way to prepare beef tongue is to boil it for a week with an onion and a carrot, then toss it out and fix yourself a tuna fish sandwich. Small wonder most youngsters won't eat it. If you bother to prepare tongue by smoke-cooking it then by lightly pan-frying it, the stuff will have your wranglers coming back for seconds. Tongues from cattle vary in weight but if you are selective, you can find fresh, clean tongues from younger steers averaging about 3 pounds each. On the ranch, we used at least three of them to make a batch of about ten pounds. Have your butcher trim away any gristle and roots, or do it yourself. Wash and clean it then wash it again. Scrub it with vegetable brush, cold water, and salt. Hey... you don't know what that steer has had in his mouth!
To avoid any misunderstanding, I`ll include my mathematics in preparing a 25° SAL curing solution using 2-1/2 gallons (9.5 liters) of water (enough for three tongues).
One-half pound Cure #1 (1/2 lb. = 8 ounces or 227 grams)
One pound non-iodized salt (1 lb. = 16 ounces or 454 grams)
Note that this strength will provide 10% pick up @ 150 parts per million sodium nitrite. This is ample although the law will allow up to 200 ppm sodium nitrite in meats cured by immersion solutions. (Note that in order to effect any curing properties at all, a cure must provide a final quantity of at least 40-50 ppm.)
For ten pounds of tongues, make a brine of 2-1/2 gallons water, one pound (450 grams) of non-iodized salt, and eight ounces of Prague Powder #1. Yes, that's (227 grams). Bear in mind that most of the nitrite will go right down the drain after it has worked its magic. Pump or inject (in several places), enough brine into the tongue to equal 5% of its weight then place the meat into the remaining solution for eight days under refrigeration. Do not skin the tongue at this point. Be sure the tongue is covered with the liquid. Following an eight-day brining period, remove the tongue, discarding the brine. Rinse it well then soak it in cold, fresh water for half an hour. Rinse the tongue again then hang it at room temperature to dry four hours while you play a few hands of poker or throw some horseshoes and preheat the smokehouse to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Measure, cut, and trim a stockinet to accommodate each tongue. Use cheesecloth in a pinch. Wad the thing into a tight ball and place it into a glass or jar of appropriate size. Remove the stockinet and mix a few tablespoons of vinegar with a tablespoon of liquid smoke in the glass. Wad the stockinet into a ball again and stuff it into the glass containing the vinegar and liquid smoke and allow it to soak twenty minutes. The vinegar and liquid smoke will help prevent the meat from sticking to the cloth stockinet during smoking. Place each tongue into a bag, gathering the top and tying it securely with two knots, a double loop, and then three more knots with heavy cotton twine. I even go so far as to place a hog ring just below the knot. Hang the tongues inside a pre-heated 140° F. (60°C.) smokehouse with the dampers wide open and allow them to dry completely for about an hour. Add plenty of dampened hickory and alder sawdust to the pan and raise the smokehouse temperature to 160°F. (71°C.). Smoke-cook the meat at this temperature in a medium-light smoke smudge until the internal meat temperature registers 150°F. (66°C.). This may require several hours more cooking, depending upon the size of the tongue. Finally, cool the tongues to room temperature using ice water, then dry and refrigerate them overnight. Remove the stockinet bags. If the stockinets cling to the meat and they pull off chunks, simply soak the tongues in cold water a couple of minutes. Cool the meat in a refrigerator overnight, then cut very thin slices and rub them with celery seeds and cracked black pepper using your hands. Be sure the meat is not wet, and then dredge the slices in whipped egg, then flour, then egg and flour again, before pan-frying them inside a cast iron, black skillet with preheated oil.
Two little important steps will guarantee your success in producing a light golden, crispy batter. Be sure to pat the meat completely dry before dipping it into the whipped egg. Second, make sure there is quite a bit of hot oil in the pan. You`re not going to deep-fry the slices, but you must have plenty of oil...hot oil that is! The Chinese have a saying, "Hot Wok... cold oil... food won`t stick". Heat will actually close the pores of the steel utensil, so first, heat the pan without the oil. Next, add COLD oil and heat it to 350°F before laying the slices carefully in the oil. Don`t poke and stab at the stuff! Allow the slices to cook a few minutes on one side (until they become lightly golden-brown). Carefully, turn the slices over and allow the second side to become light gold in color. Do not overcook this delicate meat! Serve it immediately with lots of hash browns and sourdough biscuits for breakfast.
Tongue Sausages
Cookin` The Derned Thing!
Select small, fresh, beef tongues of about three pounds each and have your butcher trim away any gristle and roots or do it yourself. Scrub the tongues using salt and water, and then blanch them in boiling water for ten minutes. Set the meat aside and drain the pot and rinse it out. Add the beef stock, tongues and enough water to cover the meat, and then simmer the tongues at least ten minutes per pound. Turn the heat off and allow them to cool to room temperature in the pot. Strain the broth into a clean receptacle and simmer it until it reduces by half while you carefully peel the skin from the tongues.
"Tongue-Tied Pressed Tongue"
If you wish to make "pressed tongue", add 16 ounces of aspic to the reduced hot stock and simmer the mixture until in incorporates. Place the tongues into suitable molds and pour the aspic over and around the tongues, allowing the gel to cool and "set". Add enough weight to each mold to equal about half the weight of the tongue to "press" the meat. Refrigerate the tongues two days before placing the molds into hot water only until they may be easily removed. Chill "pressed tongue" two days then serve it garnished on a lettuce bed with a sharp knife.
"Waggin` Tongue Sausage"
10 lbs. beef tongue
30 gr. kosher salt
14 gr. white pepper (ground)
7 gr. mace (ground)
2 gr. nutmeg (ground)
2 gr. ginger (ground)
2 gr. cayenne pepper
1 pt. (475 ml.) beef stock
Cook the beef tongues according to the instructions above. Remove the skins and cut them into inch squares. Grind the meat through a 3/16" plate then mix it with the salt and spices. Place the mixture, in batches, into a food processor and "pulse" the mixture adding a little ice water or ice cold beef stock to help smooth the mixture. Stuff 30 mm casings and twist three-inch links. Cover the sausages with stock or water and poach the sausages until an internal meat temperature reaches 140°F. Hang the sausages to bloom, wrap them, and refrigerate them before grilling. Use the sausages within three days or freeze them.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
