Tender and very tasty beef tongue classified as first class by-products. And not in vain. Beef tongue has an exquisite, delicate taste and aroma, allowing this truly delicious product to be used in a wide variety of combinations of ingredients and recipes. However, many not yet very experienced housewives are afraid to take on the preparation of beef tongue, considering this process to be too labor-intensive and troublesome, and fearing an unsuccessful result. And completely in vain! Prepare delicious dish It’s not at all difficult to make beef tongue, you just need to understand a little of the intricacies and learn a couple of culinary tricks. And here, as always, Culinary Eden comes to your rescue. Today we invite you to learn and remember with us how to cook beef tongue.
Beef tongue is valuable not only for its high culinary qualities, but for its undoubted health benefits. Judge for yourself. The calorie content of beef tongue is lower than that of pork tongue, and it contains more valuable, easily digestible protein. In addition, the low carbohydrate content of beef tongue (only 2.2%) makes it a very valuable product for those following low-carb diets aimed at losing weight. Beef tongue is also rich in vitamins, especially B vitamins; for example, in order to meet the daily requirement of an adult’s body for vitamin B12, you will need to eat 70 grams of boiled beef tongue. In addition to vitamins, beef tongue boasts a high content of such important microelements as iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, etc. All this makes beef tongue dishes indispensable in the menu of those who suffer from anemia, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and peptic ulcers. Beef tongue is very useful for pregnant and nursing mothers, and in addition, doctors assure that regular consumption of beef tongue dishes can help cope with insomnia and migraines.
But, of course, you and I are primarily interested in the culinary and taste qualities of this valuable product. And here the beef tongue did not disappoint. When properly cooked, beef tongue is surprisingly tender and soft, and its delicate taste and delicate aroma make it easy to combine beef tongue with many foods. That is why there is such a wide choice of recipes for dishes in the preparation of which beef tongue is involved. What is not prepared from this delicious product: excellent cold and aromatic hot appetizers, rich soups and delicious main hot courses. Beef tongue is not only boiled, but also fried, stewed, and grilled. Add here the excellent compatibility of the tongue with many herbs and spices, sauces and chutneys, and you can easily see for yourself that the variety of beef tongue dishes is truly limitless.
Today the Culinary Eden website has prepared for you a selection of the most important tips and little culinary tricks, coupled with proven recipes that will definitely help even the most inexperienced housewives, and will easily tell you how to cook beef tongue.
1. When choosing beef tongue at the market or in a store, pay attention to its color - a good fresh tongue will please you with a pink or slightly purple color, and the darker the purple hue, the more iron and zinc the product offered to you contains. Be sure to smell your tongue before purchasing. Fresh beef tongue has a pleasant, slightly sweet smell. Any foreign odors, the smell of ammonia, mold or rot will tell you that the product is spoiled. Inspect your tongue for damage and feel its density. A good tongue will be dense and elastic to the touch, and if you press on it with your finger, the dimple will immediately straighten out. Too soft, flabby beef tongue has most likely been subjected to repeated freezing; such a tongue has already lost all its valuable nutritional properties and taste. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for a veterinary certificate if you buy a tongue in an unfamiliar place - this will save you and your loved ones from many unpleasant consequences.
2. Before you start preparing the dish you have chosen, the beef tongue must be properly prepared. Place the tongue in a deep bowl or saucepan, cover with lukewarm water and leave for half an hour. This simple trick will allow you to easily clean your tongue of impurities, and in addition will give it additional juiciness. If you soak beef tongue in milk, it will become even more tender, and the taste of such a tongue will become especially expressive. After soaking, rinse the beef tongue under running water and scrub thoroughly with a wire brush or knife, scraping off any remaining mucus, blood, or dirt from the tongue. Rinse your tongue thoroughly in running water again and you can start cooking.
3. To prepare most appetizers and salads, you will need to properly boil the beef tongue, maintaining its juiciness and softness. It's not at all difficult to do this. Place the tongue in a deep pan and pour cold water, so that it covers the tongue by five to six centimeters. Remove the tongue from the pan, bring the water to a boil and return the tongue to the pan of boiling water. Wait for the water to boil again and cook the tongue over high heat for 10 minutes. Skim off the resulting foam, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan with a lid and cook the tongue until tender. Typically, cooking time ranges from two to four hours. You can check the readiness of the tongue using a fork or a thin knife: just pierce the tongue in the thickest place and look at the color of the meat juice that comes out. If the juice is clear, the tongue is ready, but if the released juice is cloudy, cook the tongue for another half hour and repeat the test again. Salt the tongue 10 - 15 minutes before the end of cooking - this will allow you to fully preserve its softness and tenderness. To add a special flavor while cooking the tongue, you can add onions, carrots, bay leaf, allspice.
4. Remove the finished beef tongue from the pan with a slotted spoon and immediately place it in a container with ice water. Such a sharp temperature change will allow you to peel your tongue without much effort. Just pry the skin with a fork, grab it with your fingers and pull it off with a stocking. If you did everything correctly, the skin will come off your tongue very easily. If in some places the skin has not separated, simply cut it off with a very sharp knife. Sometimes beef tongue is too oily, and this becomes clearly visible after removing the skin. Don't worry, just trim off the excess fat with a sharp, thin knife, lightly scrape your tongue, and then rinse in cool water. Return the cleaned tongue to the pan and leave to cool in the broth. This simple technique will allow you to make beef tongue even more juicy, tender and flavorful.
5. Peeling boiled beef tongue, as you can see, is not at all difficult, but not all dishes require boiled tongue. Sometimes the tongue needs to be kept raw before cooking, but the skin still needs to be removed. And here an old culinary trick will come to our aid. Boil in a deep saucepan large number water and keep it on the highest heat. Pour very cold water into a separate bowl and add more ice cubes. Dip the well-washed tongue into boiling water, cook for a couple of minutes and immediately transfer to ice water. Gently pry and pull off any skin that can come away, using a little help with a very sharp, thin knife. Repeat the procedure one or two more times, and you will be able to completely remove the skin from the beef tongue, and its flesh will remain almost raw and ready for further culinary processing.
6. Delicious snack made from beef tongue is perfect for both everyday and holiday menu. Boil until tender, peel and leave one beef tongue to cool in the broth. While the tongue is cooling, dissolve 1 tbsp in a frying pan. spoon butter, add one chopped onion and fry until transparent. Then add 100 gr. any fresh or frozen mushrooms, cut into slices, and fry until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are lightly browned. Season with a tablespoon of sour cream, stir and remove from heat. In a blender, grind together two pitted prunes and two walnut kernels. Add the resulting mixture to the mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly. Cut the tongue into thin slices, place on a dish, place the mushroom mixture on top and garnish with dill. This appetizer can be served warm or cold.
7. Hungarian cuisine invites us to enjoy a flavorful snack made from tongue and sweet pepper. Boil until tender, peel and cut one beef tongue into large strips. While the tongue is cooking, wrap four large sweet peppers in foil, place them on a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 200° for 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven, let cool slightly in the foil, then remove the seeds and skin and cut into halves. Grind together 100 g in a blender. pitted olives, 2 tbsp. spoons of parsley and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of basil greens. Grate 100 gr on a coarse grater. your favorite hard cheese. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon. Mix the olive mass with cheese and lemon juice, season with white pepper and finely chopped onion. Place a tablespoon of the resulting mass and a couple or three pieces of beef tongue into each half of the sweet pepper. Wrap the edges of the peppers around the filling and place in a greased baking dish. Bake in an oven preheated to 180° for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
8. French cuisine gave us a very simple recipe for the most aromatic beef tongue with garlic and thyme. Boil one beef tongue until half cooked, about an hour and a half. Remove the skin and strain the broth. Place two peeled heads of garlic, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of broth and a pinch of salt. Grind until smooth. Make several deep cuts on your tongue and rub it thoroughly with garlic paste. Place the tongue in a baking dish, add one glass of broth and half a glass of dry white wine. Bake in an oven preheated to 180° for one hour, periodically pouring broth and wine on top. Ready language place on a plate and cut into portions. Serve with boiled rice and fresh vegetables.
9. Modern Scottish cuisine invites us to try the original spicy beef tongue with vegetables Mexican motifs. Boil until tender, peel and cut into large cubes one beef tongue. Cut two sweet peppers into thin strips, one small chili pepper into slices, one red onion into half rings, three cloves of garlic into thin petals. Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. spoons vegetable oil, add onion, garlic and chili. Fry for a couple of minutes. Then add beef tongue, 1 teaspoon of paprika, stir and cook for another five minutes. Then add bell peppers, a can of drained canned corn, one large diced tomato, salt and black pepper to taste. Stir and simmer over medium heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer to a deep metal dish and serve. Just before serving, pour in 50 ml. good whiskey and set it on fire.
10. Russian cuisine has always been famous for its delicious and aromatic recipes for stewed dishes. She didn't let us down this time either. Try to cook a delicious, very tender and satisfying beef tongue stewed with vegetables. Boil until tender, peel and cut one beef tongue into thick slices. Strain the remaining broth. Peel large carrots and parsley root and cut into circles. Peel two small turnips and cut into cubes. Peel and dice one large potato. In a deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. spoons of vegetable oil, add carrots and parsley and fry until slightly golden brown. Then add the turnips and potatoes and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for another 7 minutes. Remove vegetables from heat and place in a large ceramic pot. Add boiled tongue to the vegetables, 2 tbsp. spoons of chopped parsley and a sprig of thyme, add salt and black pepper to taste. Pour the broth over everything, cover the pot with a lid and place in an oven preheated to 150° for an hour and a half. Then reduce the heat in the oven to the lowest setting and let the tongue with vegetables simmer for a couple of hours. Make sure the broth level does not drop below one third of the pot. If necessary, add a little hot broth. Turn off the heat in the oven and leave the tongue with vegetables to cool with it. Before serving, pour into portioned pots, heat and add one tablespoon of sour cream to each. Garnish with chopped herbs.
And on the pages of the site you can always find even more interesting ideas and proven recipes that will definitely tell you how to cook beef tongue.
Beef tongue belongs to the by-products of the first category. It is considered a delicacy, as dishes prepared using it are tender and very tasty.
The structure of the tongue is a solid muscle, which is wrapped in a film with a rough surface (see photo). The weight of this offal varies and ranges from 800 to 2.5 kg.
On store shelves you can find fresh, smoked, frozen and salted beef tongue.
Beef and pork tongue - what is the difference and which is better?
There has been a long debate about the difference between beef and pork tongue and which is better. Let's try to understand this problem and find out which of these two products is much tastier and healthier. The characteristics of beef tongue are as follows::
- large size;
- takes a long time to cook;
- used for cutting on the festive table;
- delicate taste;
- very expensive;
- contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals.
But pork tongue, on the contrary, is small in size and cooks relatively quickly. However, the taste of beef is still better. Pork tongue, like beef tongue, is healthy. However, the former, unlike the latter, does not contain a mineral substance such as zinc.
In addition, the difference between the two offal is that beef tongue has more cholesterol, and pork tongue has more fat, so it is much higher in calories. By the way, many nutritionists recommend eating beef tongue, since it is lower in calories.
As you can see, it is difficult to say which tongue is better - pork or beef. Both offal products are good in their own way, so each person chooses at his own discretion what to eat.
How to select and store?
When buying beef tongue at the market or in a store, it is very important to choose it correctly, so that after cooking the taste and appearance such a delicacy will not disappoint you. So that you can easily cope with the task, follow these recommendations:
- There must be a stamp on the tongue, which is put by the sanitary service. This indicates that the product has been tested by experts and does not contain any viruses.
- When choosing, evaluate the appearance of the product. The color of a fresh tongue should have a slight purple or pink tint. In the first case, it is a symbol of the fact that the composition contains a lot of iron. If the beef tongue is light pink, it means it has already been frozen. Availability gray indicates that the product is no longer fresh.
- The aroma of fresh tongue should be meaty, If you smell any foreign odors, you can be sure that the product is spoiled.
- Use the standard test when choosing a meat product - press the offal with your finger. If the tongue is fresh, it will be elastic and the resulting hole will quickly recover. If the indentation remains, then the product could be re-frozen.
- It is also worth looking at the cut that stands out when the tongue is cut. The released liquid must be clear, otherwise you can be sure that the product will spoil. A large amount of juice indicates that the tongue has already been frozen. If you see blood, then the tongue has already deteriorated.
Benefits of beef tongue
The benefits of beef tongue are: chemical composition. This offal is rich in proteins, which are important for muscle tissue. They are especially useful for people who are actively involved in sports.
The tongue contains iron in large quantities, which improves blood composition and the process of hematopoiesis. It should be included in the diet for anemia, as well as for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The tongue should be used by people in the postoperative period.
The offal is rich in B vitamins, which are important for metabolism and the normal functioning of the nervous system.
In large quantities, beef tongue contains zinc, which reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood, and it is also useful in the treatment of skin diseases.
The by-product contains vitamin PP, which helps cope with headaches and insomnia. It also contains other substances that are important for normal life.
It is also worth mentioning that beef tongue is low in calories, so you can safely include it in your diet if you want to lose weight.
Beef tongue is allowed to be eaten by pregnant women and nursing mothers. The offal can be boiled, stewed and baked. When breastfeeding, doctors advise starting to eat beef tongue only four months after giving birth. For the first time, you need to eat just a little bit of the product and monitor your baby’s well-being throughout the day. If no allergic reaction occurs, then the offal can continue to be eaten. Experts allow the consumption of beef tongue no more than twice a week and insist that the amount of product eaten should not exceed two hundred grams.
It is recommended to start giving boiled beef tongue to young children only after nine months. First you need to give half a teaspoon of tongue puree a try, and then you can gradually increase the dose. However, if after the introduction of a new complementary food the child has an allergic reaction, it is worth giving up the offal for a while and consulting a doctor for advice.
For gastritis, beef tongue can be eaten only at the stage of remission, and boiled and in small quantities.
Beef tongue is very useful for increasing the level of hemoglobin in the blood. It is recommended to eat at least fifty grams of this offal every day.
After removal of the gallbladder, beef tongue can be eaten one and a half months after the operation. During the diet, you can prepare boiled tongue in jelly.
Beef tongue is considered a dietary offal, so it can be eaten when losing weight. You just need to remember that during the diet, beef tongue is only allowed to be boiled. Daily norm consumption should not exceed one hundred and fifty grams, while it is recommended to eat the offal twice a week.
Below is a video about the beneficial properties of beef tongue.
Use in cooking
Beef tongue is a delicacy that can be used to create real culinary masterpieces. When boiled, it is cut into slices and served as a separate appetizer, and is also used as a base for aspic. Beef tongue is also used to prepare various salads, appetizers, julienne, etc. This offal is best combined with pickled mushrooms, asparagus, pineapples and peas. To vary the taste, you can use different sauces, for example, apple or pomegranate. You can also stew beef tongue with vegetables or, for example, in sour cream or wine. In addition, there are recipes where this offal is stuffed, baked, fried in breading and batter.
How to cook at home?
To cook beef tongue at home, you first need to prepare the offal. It is necessary to remove fat from the tongue, remove the hyoid bone, as well as muscle tissue. After this, wash the beef tongue thoroughly under running water to remove any remaining blood and mucus. Or you can do it another way: immerse the offal in water for about one hundred and eighty minutes. Now that the beef tongue is prepared, you can begin the cooking stage.
You can cook beef tongue soft and very tasty using a regular enamel pan or slow cooker.
So, to cook beef tongue soft, you need to pour some water into an enamel saucepan and boil. As soon as the liquid begins to bubble, you need to lower your tongue into the container. It is also recommended to add bay leaf and black peppercorns. When the water begins to bubble again, remove the offal and bay leaf with pepper. Rinse the tongue and put it back into the container with the broth, bringing it to a boil. When the broth begins to boil, reduce the heat to low. In time, the beef tongue is cooked in an enamel saucepan for at least three hours.
You can also cook delicious beef tongue in a slow cooker. Making offal in a kitchen appliance is not much different from cooking it in an enamel pan. Initially, you need to prepare the language as described above. Then the product must be placed in the device and completely covered with water. Add chopped vegetables (carrots with onions) and turn on the “Stew” mode. Cooking beef tongue in a slow cooker takes about three and a half hours. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, add salt to the broth.
You can quickly cook beef tongue in a pressure cooker. This will take no more than forty-five minutes. To do this, you need to put the cleaned offal into the device, add fresh vegetables cut into several pieces (onions and carrots), add 2/3 tablespoon of salt, as well as spices to taste and completely fill the tongue with water. Close the pressure cooker and set the timer for forty-five minutes. At the end of cooking, the offal must be pierced with a knife. If the cutlery pierces the flesh well, it means the tongue is cooked.
To clean beef tongue after cooking, remove the offal from the broth, let it cool a little, and then, starting from the tip of the tongue, carefully pull off the film. Where the film is difficult to remove, it must be cleaned with a knife. Other cooks say that in order to properly clean beef tongue, the offal must be immersed in very cold water for exactly sixty seconds immediately after cooking. After this, the film will be quite easy to remove from the tongue.
After cooking, cleaned cooked beef tongue should be stored in an airtight container to prevent the product from drying out. You can also wrap it in food foil and put it in the refrigerator. The shelf life of the finished tongue is no more than two days. Boiled beef tongue can be frozen by first cutting it into portions. After defrosting, it is not recommended to refreeze the offal.
How to cook delicious beef tongue?
You can prepare delicious beef tongue by steaming, frying or stewing in a frying pan, marinating, smoking or canning.
Steamed beef tongue is prepared according to this recipe. Cut the food foil into large pieces and sprinkle Italian herbs seasoning on top. Now cut the raw, peeled beef tongue into small pieces and place on pieces of foil. Then each tongue medallion should be sprinkled with lemon juice, salt to taste, wrapped in foil and placed in a double boiler. Steam beef tongue for at least one and a half hours. When the offal is cooked, it needs to be cleaned.
Before frying beef tongue in a frying pan, the product should be boiled. The cooking process is the same as described above. After this, the boiled beef tongue must be cleaned, cut into small strips, rolled in flour, then in egg, and then in breadcrumbs. Next, place two tablespoons of melted lard in a heated frying pan and fry the pieces of beef tongue until golden brown.
To stew beef tongue, you need to wash the offal, put it in a saucepan, fill it completely with water and boil. As soon as the liquid boils, you need to add carrots and onions to the tongue (no need to cut, just peel) and boil the ingredients until tender. About twenty minutes before the end of cooking, add two bay leaves, six black peppercorns and three teaspoons of salt into the broth. Then the boiled beef tongue must be cleared of the film and dipped back into the broth. When the offal has cooled, cut into small pieces and fry in a frying pan, adding about thirty grams of butter. Now in another container you need to simmer the diced onions until soft, adding a little of the broth in which the tongue was boiled. Then pour the stewed onion into the fried beef tongue, add two teaspoons of tomato paste, a teaspoon of flour (after stirring in a small amount of broth), about two hundred milliliters of broth and a teaspoon of dried basil. Stewed beef tongue takes no more than ten minutes to prepare.
Beef tongue can be cooked in the oven. Wash the offal thoroughly, put it in a saucepan, fill it completely with water and boil for about five minutes. Then remove the film from the tongue. Beef offal grease soy sauce and sunflower oil. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil, rub the beef tongue on top with this mixture: finely chop five garlic cloves and mix with two tablespoons of khmeli-suneli, and add salt and pepper to taste. Now the edges of the foil need to be fastened. Place the baking sheet in the oven, preheating it to two hundred degrees. Beef tongue baked in the oven will be ready in one hour and thirty minutes.
You can also cook beef tongue in the microwave. To do this, you need to rinse the offal, put it in a special container for the device, then put the peeled onion in it, in which you need to make several cuts and put in a clove bud and a chopped bay leaf. Now pour two hundred milliliters of white wine into a separate container, add salt and pepper to taste, stirring well. Next, you need to pour wine over the beef tongue, cover the container with the contents with a lid and put it in the microwave for five minutes, selecting maximum power. After this, switch the power to medium mode, setting the timer for forty minutes. When the beef tongue is ready, the product should be cooled, peeled off, cut into small pieces and placed on a plate. The liquid in which the tongue was cooked must be strained using a gauze cloth, and then pour in half a glass of cream, stirring thoroughly. Pour the prepared sauce over the beef tongue.
To make beef tongue grilled, the offal must first be boiled, then peeled and cut into portions. Before frying the product, the beef tongue must be marinated. To do this, you will need a decoction in which the tongue was previously boiled. Add salt, ground black pepper, chopped garlic, red pepper and ground smoked paprika according to your preference. Place the beef tongue in the prepared marinade for about one hour. After this, fry the offal on the grill.
Beef tongue, fried, turns out very tasty. on the grill. First, boil the beef offal, then clean and cut into pieces. Now you need to make a marinade for the beef tongue. Pour fifty milliliters of olive oil into a container, put two lemon slices, add salt and season to your taste. Place pieces of beef tongue in the resulting marinade for about an hour. While the product is marinating, you need to cut a bell pepper, two tomatoes and an onion into rings. Then place pieces of beef tongue with chopped vegetables on a skewer and fry on the grill until cooked.
Many chefs recommend hot smoke beef tongue. It is necessary to clean and rinse the raw offal thoroughly. Afterwards, generously rub your tongue with table salt and spices, as well as a mixture of dried and ground vegetables, which includes celery, garlic, carrots, bay leaves, onions, black pepper and parsley. Place the offal in a container, cover with a lid and leave to marinate for forty-eight hours. After the marinating stage, the tongue should be boiled by immersing the product in bubbling water for one hundred and twenty minutes. Then place the cooled boiled beef tongue on a special smokehouse grate and smoke for at least sixty minutes.
In addition, beef tongue can be preserve for the winter. Place the cleaned and washed product in a deep enamel container, fill it completely with water and boil for two hours. Then add carrots, onions, garlic, parsley root, peppercorns, bay leaves to the broth and boil again for two hours. Then remove the beef tongue from the broth, remove the film and return the product back to the broth, and then boil for about ten minutes. At the end of cooking, cut the offal into pieces, distribute into glass jars, fill with broth, cover with lids and boil in a water bath for about thirty minutes, and then preserve.
How and with what to serve?
Cooked beef tongue can be served either hot or cold. It is great for serving along with potatoes, rice, cheese and vegetables (stewed cabbage, eggplant).
If you serve the offal as a separate appetizer, it will need sauce, horseradish or mustard. The sauce for beef tongue can be apple, sour cream or creamy mushroom.
To do applesauce, you need to take two ripe apples, wash, peel, remove seeds and cut the fruit into small slices. Now melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add chopped onions (you will need about fifty grams) and fry until the onions become transparent. Next, place the apples in a saucepan, pour in two tablespoons of water and simmer over low heat until the fruit becomes softer. Then the apple-onion mixture should be crushed with a blender, then add a teaspoon of curry, salt and pepper to your taste, pour in one hundred and fifty milliliters of twenty percent cream and simmer for a few more minutes.
For cooking creamy mushroom sauce You need to melt about fifty grams of butter in a frying pan, add fifty grams of chopped onion and fry until transparent. Then place one hundred grams of chopped champignons in a frying pan and fry until all the moisture has disappeared. Next, add chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper, five grams of flour, a glass of heavy cream and simmer over low heat until the sauce acquires a thicker consistency.
Sour cream sauce is prepared very easily and quickly. In a small bowl, put about one hundred and fifty grams of sour cream (preferably thicker), about seventy grams of pickled cucumbers, which need to be finely diced, thirty grams of chopped green olives, three chopped green onions, pour in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. When all the ingredients are placed in one container, the sauce should be thoroughly mixed.
Harm of beef tongue and contraindications
Beef tongue can be harmful if you have an individual intolerance to the product. It is contraindicated to eat this offal in large quantities, as it can cause problems with the liver and kidneys. Older people should limit their consumption. You should eat your tongue carefully if you have problems with the thyroid gland, as well as with bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. It is also worth considering that if various antibiotics and hormones were used when raising an animal, the tongue will only cause harm to the body.
If you have high cholesterol or pancreatitis, experts do not allow you to eat beef tongue.
In order for the tongue to be tasty and become a real delicacy on your table, you first need to learn how to cook the tongue correctly. Unfortunately, not every housewife knows how to properly cook beef or pork tongue and make a first-class treat from an ordinary offal. How to properly cook tongue so that it retains vitamins, minerals and trace elements, and the meat melts in your mouth, is juicy, aromatic and has a unique taste!
But it’s never too late to learn, and we will be happy to tell you how to cook tongue correctly. There is nothing complicated about it!
How to cook tongue
Before preparing various dishes from the tongue, it should be boiled, so the process of initial processing of the tongue is very important for the future taste of the dishes. Here are some tips on how to cook tongue:
- First, rinse your tongue well under running water and remove excess fat.
- Soak your tongue for half an hour to make it more tender and soft.
- Then put it in a deep saucepan and fill it with water. Place on medium heat. No need to add salt. Bring to a boil, be sure to remove the foam with a slotted spoon and reduce the heat.
- Cook your tongue in two waters, what does this mean? First, cook the tongue for 15 minutes, then drain the broth, rinse the tongue thoroughly, pour new water into a clean pan and cook the tongue again until tender. This allows you to remove harmful substances and unpleasant odors when cooking broth. Don't forget to remove the foam with a slotted spoon.
- Do not let it boil too much, just let the water bubble a little.
- Boil the tongue in water without salt - it is better to salt the tongue ready-made.
How to determine how long to cook beef or pork tongue?
Pork tongue is cooked for 1.5–3 hours, and beef tongue for 2–3 hours, it all depends on the size of the product.
An hour before the end of cooking, add peeled whole carrots, onions, bay leaves and peppercorns to the broth. Or add your favorite spices.
You can also make a mixture of 1 tsp. parsley, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp. dry dill. This set of herbs will help make your tongue taste piquant.
After you add the vegetables, cook the tongue for another 1 hour.
If you want to salt your tongue, do it half an hour before the end of cooking.
Check tongue readiness you can do this. Poke your tongue with a fork; if it pierces easily, it’s ready. If it's tough, cook until done.
In general, cooking time depends on the age and weight of the tongue.
Language need to be cleaned immediately after cooking. Don't keep it in the broth for long. Keep the finished tongue under cold water for a few minutes and easily remove the skin with a knife. If your tongue doesn’t clean well, it means it’s not ready yet.
Store cleaned tongue in a saucepan with a lid to prevent it from drying out. Possibly in broth.
Slice the tongue and serve. If desired, you can prepare a side dish. Many people cook from tongue delicious salads. Try it too!
Beef tongue is considered not only a very healthy product, but is also a real delicacy. To maximize the taste of the offal, while preserving all of it beneficial properties, it is important to be able to cook it correctly. The intricacies of cooking beef tongue will be discussed in more detail in this article.
Offal selection
The maximum benefit from cooked beef tongue can only be obtained if it is of good quality.
Therefore, when purchasing offal, it is important to follow some recommendations.
- The first thing you need to do is pay attention and evaluate the appearance of the tongue. The presence of gray deposits or stains on the surface of the product is unacceptable, which will indicate its staleness. As for the color of the offal, it can vary from pink to violet tone. If the color of the product is very pale, this indicates that it was previously frozen and thawed.
- The offal should be dense and elastic to the touch. If, when pressed with a finger, a depression is formed on the surface of the product, which does not disappear after a few seconds, then this indicates that the product is not fresh.
- The offal should have the characteristic smell of beef. Extraneous aromas will indicate staleness or improper storage of the tongue.
Unfortunately, not all methods of checking the quality of a product can be used when choosing it. After buying a tongue at home, you can make a small cut on it, from which the juice will definitely come out. The liquid should be clear and appear in small quantities.
Abundant discharge of juice will indicate that the tongue was previously frozen. A cloudy liquid indicates a violation of the temperature regime for storing the offal. If a few drops of blood come out along with the clear liquid, there is no need to be alarmed. The presence of blood indicates that the beef tongue is very fresh.
General cooking principles
To make the boiled tongue soft and juicy, it is important to pay special attention to preparing the product for cooking. Before cooking, the offal should be left in chilled water for thirty minutes. Such manipulations will remove dirt from the surface of the product. After soaking, the offal must be rinsed under running water. clean water and remove all films, fat and salivary glands from its surface.
The tongue must be cooked in a large container, since it significantly changes in volume upward during the cooking stage. It is allowed to divide the tongue into portions immediately before cooking. It is not recommended to immediately salt the offal and the water in which it will be boiled. Salt is not in the best possible way will affect the taste and consistency of the offal - it will become dry and hard.
Before putting your tongue into the water, you need to boil it and reduce the heat to medium. After adding the offal, you need to regularly remove the foam from the surface of the broth.
To properly cook tongue, it is important to monitor its cooking time.
An over-cured offal will lose its taste and beneficial properties, and will also become tough. Checking the product for readiness is quite simple: to do this, you need to pierce it in the thickest part with the tip of a knife or other sharp object. If completely clear juice oozes from the puncture, the offal can be considered cooked.
20-25 minutes before the end of cooking, add salt to the pan with the product. After twenty minutes, the tongue will absorb the salt and all the aromas, after which the boiling procedure can be completed. At the beginning of cooking, you can also add chopped onions, favorite roots and seasonings to the tongue in the pan.
How long does it take to cook?
The boiling time of the offal primarily depends on the method of its preparation. In order to boil the offal, you can use not only a saucepan, but also a double boiler, a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. The cooking time is also affected by the weight of the product.
An offal weighing more than one and a half kilograms is cooked in a saucepan until cooked for quite a long time - up to four hours. A smaller product takes about three hours to cook.
In a slow cooker, both small and large beef tongue cooks quite quickly. The cooking time will be two hours, regardless of the selected cooking mode. It is worth noting that Beef offal can be boiled in two modes: boiling and stewing.
In a double boiler, the beef tongue will cook a little longer - two hours and thirty minutes. The cooking time for the offal in a pressure cooker will be exactly two hours. If a small-sized tongue is cooked in a pressure cooker, it will take only an hour and a half.
Recipes
Recipes for boiling beef tongue differ insignificantly from each other. The basis of cooking is always general principle processing and boiling of offal. The difference lies in the utensils used, as well as the use of additional ingredients that will affect the taste characteristics of the finished tongue.
Classic way
For boiling beef tongue classic recipe use a large enamel pan.
As for products, in addition to the language, the following components are used:
- one small onion;
- celery or parsley root;
- two bay leaves;
- two carrots;
- five peas of allspice black pepper;
- salt is added to taste.
The offal is soaked in chilled water for thirty minutes, cleaned of contaminants and placed in an enamel pan with water. The contents of the container must be boiled, after which the liquid is drained. Pour clean liquid into the pan and put the offal back into it.
In addition to the offal, chopped onions, favorite roots, as well as a bay leaf and several peas of aromatic black pepper are placed in the container. After the broth boils, reduce the heat to minimum and cook the product at a gentle simmer for two hours and thirty minutes. Twenty minutes before removing the pan from the heat, the broth must be salted.
In a slow cooker
Boiling offal in a slow cooker is much easier than cooking it on the stove. During the cooking process, you do not have to periodically remove the foam and check the readiness of the product. You also need to add onions, carrots, bay leaves and black peppercorns to the broth.
There is no need to chop onions and carrots. Salt the water in in this case it is necessary immediately, and not twenty minutes before the end of cooking. It is also recommended to add two peeled cloves of garlic to the broth. After adding all the ingredients, you need to turn on the cooking mode for ten minutes.
After the specified time has passed, you need to open the lid of the multicooker, remove the foam and again set the “cooking” or “stewing” mode for two hours.
If the tongue is quite massive and is cooked whole, then the cooking time can be increased by another thirty minutes.
In a pressure cooker
The process of cooking tongue in a pressure cooker is similar to the method of cooking in a slow cooker. In this case, the time will vary. It only takes an hour and a half to prepare a small offal.
- one small onion;
- one stalk of celery;
- one carrot;
- allspice black peppercorns;
- salt to taste.
One liter of water is poured into the pressure cooker bowl, tongue, chopped vegetables and seasonings are added. The offal is prepared in the “simmering” mode for one and a half to two hours, depending on its weight.
In a steamer
Steaming allows you to prepare not only very tasty, but also healthy dishes. In addition to the taste characteristics, all useful substances will be preserved as much as possible in the offal. For steaming you will need the following components:
- beef tongue weighing no more than 700 grams;
- juice of one lemon;
- a mixture of Provencal or Italian herbs;
- salt and ground black pepper to taste.
To make the tongue as juicy as possible, it is recommended to cook it wrapped in foil. The by-product is cut into portioned pieces no more than ten millimeters thick. The foil is also cut into small plates, each of which is sprinkled with aromatic herbs.
Each piece of tongue must be placed on a separate plate of foil, sprinkled with lemon juice, sprinkled with salt and wrapped. The offal is placed on a steamer rack and cooked for an hour and a half. If the tongue weighs more or is cooked whole, the cooking time will increase to two and a half hours.
How to remove the skin from the tongue after cooking?
Cleaning the offal after boiling it is quite easy. The skin will peel off well from the surface of the tongue if you resort to one trick, which is to sharply cool the product. After boiling, the tongue should be placed in cold water and the colder it is, the faster and easier the process of removing the skin will be.
The skin of the cooled offal must be slightly cut with a knife. Using the tip of a knife, the skin is lifted and smooth movements removed from the tongue.
The cleaned offal can be cut into portions or stored.
How and with what to serve?
Various hot or cold dishes are often prepared from boiled offal. The tongue can also act as an independent snack. The hot offal can be served with a side dish of vegetables. The easiest way to serve beef tongue is to use it for cold slicing along with sausages, smoked and dried meats.
If the offal will be served as a separate dish, then a sauce must be prepared for serving. For example, you can make a dressing from apples, sour cream or mushrooms. To prepare apple sauce you will need a couple of apples, a small piece of butter, half a head onions and 150 milliliters of low-fat cream.
There is no woman in the world who does not love to cook. Each has its own unique menu, its signature dishes. She will cook something for the holiday, and something for every day. When the need arises to cook something special, it’s worth taking a closer look at a dish like beef tongue. There are different opinions about this product, so I suggest you figure out how to cook beef tongue so that it becomes a universal dish on your table.
Due to the fact that beef tongue is an offal, some question its usefulness and taste. However, true gourmets prefer this product out of all the elements in this category.
The tongue itself is a solid muscle tissue, which is wrapped in a rough shell. Its weight can reach two and a half kilograms. The minimum weight of an adult animal's tongue is eight hundred grams. Before this product hits the shelves, it goes through several stages of control. After all sanitary checks, an appropriate stamp will be placed on the tongue, which will indicate that the tongue is suitable for use.
In order for cooked beef tongue to be a truly tasty and delicious dish, it is important to be able to choose this product correctly. When cut, the meat should be of a uniform color, gently pinkish. Check how fresh the product is offered to you.
The fact is that beef tongue is a product that cannot be transported for long periods of time without proper processing. If more than twelve hours have passed from the moment you receive the language to the moment it reaches your table, then such a language may be damaged. To ensure that the quality of the product is maintained at the proper level, it is transported over long distances exclusively in frozen form.
Beef tongue is consumed not only as an independent dish, but also added to a variety of salads and other delicacies. Therefore, before this element of beef reaches the table, it will go through several stages of processing. We can say that, first of all, it is important to know how to cook beef tongue in the right way.
Cooking process
Cooking boiled tongue can be divided into several aspects.
- Cleaning the tongue.
- Subtleties of cooking.
- Duration of processing.
Now let's take a closer look at how to prepare this unique product. In order for the tongue to be thoroughly cleaned, it must be soaked in water in advance for at least thirty minutes. After time will pass, you can scrape off all the dirt and grease from it until the skin becomes clean. After cleaning, you can rinse the product well with cold water.
To cook tongue, it is important to choose a pan that is much larger than the size of the product itself. The fact is that during cooking the tongue will begin to rapidly increase in size. For ease of preparation, you can even cut it into several pieces.
It is very important to immerse the product in water only when it has boiled. The quality of the cooked meat will depend on this moment. If you immediately put it in cold water, the dish will not turn out soft and tender. After the tongue has boiled in the pan, you need to remove the foam and let it boil for fifteen minutes.
After fifteen minutes you need to drain the water. To continue preparing our dish, it is important to boil the water separately again and only then immerse the beef tongue in it. This will give the dish juiciness.
Now comes the longest stage of preparing boiled tongue. The cooking process can take from two to four hours. The duration of treatment will depend on the age of the cow, its build, size and weight.
When is the best time to add seasoning?
You should not add salt to the water in which our dish is cooked. Solka on initial stage cooking will cause the tongue to become tough and take even longer to cook. To determine whether the tongue is ready, you need to pierce it with a fork at least two hours after the start of the second boil. If a clear liquid comes out of the tongue, then the dish is ready, and if it is cloudy, then the beef needs to cook more.
When the dish is almost cooked, you can add salt to the water. Also at this stage you need to add whole carrots, peppercorns, and bay leaves. You can add other favorite spices. This will give the finished dish a more pleasant aroma and delicate taste.
To make it easier to remove the hard skin from the prepared product, it is important to do this manipulation. When the tongue is cooked, it must be immersed in cold water for three minutes. This will help you cope with the next stage easier.
Some cooks don't like to salt and season their tongue when it's in the skin. In this case, the cooking technology changes somewhat. The tongue is cooked until completely cooked without salt and spices. Place the finished tongue in a container with cold water for a few minutes and remove the skin. Only now the cleaned tongue is again immersed in the liquid in which the product was cooked and boiled for another fifteen minutes.
After cooking the beef tongue, a tasty broth remains, which can be successfully used for aspic. Thanks to the addition of whole onions and carrots, the broth became more flavorful. If the housewife wants to make soup from the broth, then first of all she will need to remove the cooked vegetables from it and add others to the soup.
How is this unique language useful?
Beef tongue has long been famous for its nutritional properties. In addition to the fact that it is very nutritious, it also contains a complex of vitamins necessary for complete human health. The energy value of the finished cooked product is:
- 16% protein;
- 12% fat;
- 2.2% carbohydrates.
Obviously, it is a low-calorie product, which means it is well suited for those who adhere to health-improving diets. At the same time, the amount of protein can provide the human brain with the compounds necessary for full functioning.
Beef tongue contains large complex vitamin compounds. Among them are the majority belonging to group B:
- Folic acid;
- Riboflavin;
- Thiamine;
- Pyridoxine.
Beef tongue also contains vitamins E, A, and PP in large quantities. In order for the human body to be sufficiently supplied with vitamin B12, it will be enough to eat 70 grams of boiled tongue.
In addition to vitamins, beef offal also contains a large amount of microminerals. Among them:
- Phosphorus inclusions;
- Zinc elements;
- Iron;
- Potassium compounds;
- Chromium in chelated form;
- Magnesium;
- Copper.
In addition to the fact that beef tongue is simply beneficial for humans, it can also help in the treatment of certain diseases. Due to the fact that this piece of beef is absolutely devoid of connective tissue, it is ideally absorbed by the human body. Therefore, it can be successfully taken as food by people who suffer from stomach ulcers, gastritis and anemia. Also, if you have to deal with problems such as insomnia and migraines, eat this offal regularly. You will quickly forget about these problems.
Can this product cause harm to humans?
Despite all the benefits of beef tongue, some people still need to use it with caution and little by little. Since this product has a high fat content, it can have a negative effect on the human liver and kidneys. However, when consumed in moderation, only positive results can be seen. WITH special attention This product should be used by older people, as the negative effects may be stronger on them than on others.
Knowing how to cook beef tongue, you can make many changes to already familiar dishes and discover new tastes. Many chefs successfully replace sausage, meat and even fish with this product in their salads. You can also serve this product as an independent dish, for example, with sour cream and horseradish sauce. On festive tables The jellied tongue has always been and will be a frequent guest. An additive such as champignons is ideal for julienne and jellied dishes. In addition, stuffed tongue turns out to be interesting. To do this, it is cut, stuffed with all kinds of fillings and sent to the oven for some time. There are many options for preparing this wonderful dish. Everything will depend on the wishes and limits of the cook’s imagination.