How to Smoke Beef Tongue - Revised

[Jheath1]

Smoked Beef Tongue Recipe
Pre Instructions:
Using a stiff vegetable brush, wash tongue in sink under running water, using the brush to scrub the tongue. Once cleaned, place it in a large container, cover with water and soak for three hours, changing the water at least once, or more if the water continues to cloud up. Remove from water, pat dry and place into the prepared brine. Place a plate on top to keep the tongue fully submerged.

1 ½ to 3 lbs. beef tongue

Brine:

5 qt. Water (5 liters)
1 lb. Demerara or light brown sugar (500g)
1 lb. Coarse sea salt (454g, original recipe had 1.5kg)
1 tsp. Black peppercorns
1 tsp. Juniper berries
4 Bay leaves
1 Sprig of thyme

Cure:
3 oz.   Tender Quick Curing salt

Place all ingredients except the cure in a non-reactive pot. Place on burner at high heat, stirring until all salt and sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil for about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to 40°F; add cure - stir until completely dissolved, and place prepared tongue into brine.

Or boil ingredients in 3 quarts of water, and then cool finish mixture with enough ice to bring it up to 5 quarts.

Refrigerate and brine for five days, stirring brine and turning the tongue over once a day. After five days, remove from brine and rinse under cold water to remove any seasonings that are clinging to the meat. Soak for three hours, changing the water once. 

Rub for Beef (Yes! That includes the tongue) optional.

2 Tbsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. of brown sugar
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. of onion powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1/2 tsp. mustard powder

Directions:
Crush the thyme leaves in the palm of your hand; add it to the rest of the ingredients and mix well. If you don't like that much pepper you can reduce it to your taste. To kick it up a bit, you can add
¼ - 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Preparation:
Recipe type #1: Removing the skin prior to smoking:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Make sure the pot is large enough to hold enough water to cover the tongue. Once water is at a rolling boil, add tongue and parboil for 20 minutes. Remove from boiling water and immediately place it in ice water. When the tongue has cool enough to handle remove it from the water and using a sharp knife peel the skin off. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to smoke. Prior to smoking let it sit at room temperature for an hour.

Rub: (optional)
Because the tongue was parboiled, you need to either coat the tongue with the rub or make a paste so the seasoning will stick to the tongue. I made a paste. You can make a paste out of the rub by adding E.V.O.O. to about two tablespoons of rub until you get the consistency you want. Apply the paste to all areas of the tongue.

Recipe type #2:Skin Left On:
Just pat dry and air dry 2 hours prior to smoking.

Rub: (optional)
Rub tongue with E.V.O.O., and apply rub

Smoking:
Preheat the smoker to 200°F. Place tongues in smoker, and apply 4 hours of smoke. I recommend a strong smoke like hickory. After applying smoke, continue to cook until they reach an internal temperature of 175°F.
You can only use the fork test on the skinned tongue. You should be able to insert the fork in the thickest part and remove it without resistance. Tongues with skin, you will get a false reading do to the skin being so tough. I think if you should be able to use the fork test on the wide open end of the tongue. Total could be about 6 to 8 hours.
Remove from the smoker, tent with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes. You can server it at that time or refrigerate and serve cold. I haven't tried reheating them yet, but I don't for see any problem with that. They are well marbled, at least at the thick end.

Horse Radish Sauce Recipe: (for cold tongue)
Horseradish Sauce:

*4 Tbsp prepared horseradish
**8 ounces sour cream drained
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Dash hot sauce

   *Prepared horseradish varies in pungency. Start with 3 tablespoons and adjust from there. You may find you 4 tablespoons is not enough.
   **Or 4 ounces sour cream drained and 4 ounces of mayonnaise.
Directions:
Spoon the sour cream into a bowl lined with a few layers of cheese cloth. Tie up the corners of the cloth to make a bag and hang it over the sink to drain. If you want to collect the whey, place a bowl underneath. Let it drain until it reaches your preferred consistency.

After the sour cream has been drained; starting with 3 tablespoons of horseradish, mix the other ingredients into the sour cream. Adjust the horseradish to your likening. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. This sauce is good for sandwiches, or just topping the sliced tongue, served alone or on crackers.

While looking for smoked tongue recipes I learned that tongue is widely used in Mexican cuisine, as the meat filling for tacos and burritos.

Asian Style Dipping Sauce or Marinade (enough for half a tongue)

¼ cup mirin
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
spring onions , chopped
small red chillis (a.k.a. cili padi) , chopped
Sesame seeds

Directions:
To make into a dipping sauce add the first 5 ingredients together in a non-reactive pot and reduce the sauce on med-high heat to thicken it. After it has reduced add the onion and chili pepper (Serrano), lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add sesame seeds.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Jheath1;

Welcome to the forum. Glad to see you are smoking foods that are beyond the general smoked items.

I have done tongue a few times, but changed a few things since that post. Most of the original recipe came from a book that for the life of me I can not recall the title of right now. It was a book recommended by Manxman. The 3 ounces of TQ will give you color, but not much flavor from the cure; that is why I use 3 oz of cure #1. But if you don't like the flavor of the cure, in this case TQ is a good substitute.

Beef Tongue