ran across this while surfing today; been ages since I tried beef tongue. If anyone trys this you gotta report back: Smoked Beef Tongue Pastrami
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I've never eaten tougue but my wife's family had it often when she was growing up. She says it is delicious.
PAGS will try it. I know he will...I just know it!
PAGS will try it. I know he will...I just know it!
It's actually pretty good. I have never had it smoked. It's on a lot of our menu's here in San Diego as taco's de lengua. Taco's de cabeza are pretty good too, which is meat from the head.
I have just gotten off the phone with my butcher and ordered 3 beef tongues. I will pick them up on Tuesday, I am guessing I will be having beef tongue pastrami for lunch next Saturday. Won't tell the kids what part of the cow it is until after they taste it. I think they won't care, maybe even think it is cool....of course I will take pictures and keep notes. This is the weirdest thing I have done since oxtail. I am looking forward to doing cheeks one day, anyone do that yet?
Boy aren't you adventurous! Report back please!
My husband just told me he had it in Asia. It was delicious. Most certainly will report back. I ordered three as I like to share with my neighbor. I just commented on the blog and asked her a few questions, like wood, apx. Temp., etc.
Unfortunately my tongue will cost me 4.69 a lb., only butcher around but a very good one! NJ in general is expensive...
Unfortunately my tongue will cost me 4.69 a lb., only butcher around but a very good one! NJ in general is expensive...
quote:Originally posted by SmokinMAINEiac:
I've never eaten tougue but my wife's family had it often when she was growing up. She says it is delicious.
PAGS will try it. I know he will...I just know it!
Actually, I eat most everything, but it's all main stream for the most part. Don't think beef tongue will be on the menu.
quote:Originally posted by Pags:quote:Originally posted by SmokinMAINEiac:
I've never eaten tougue but my wife's family had it often when she was growing up. She says it is delicious.
PAGS will try it. I know he will...I just know it!
Actually, I eat most everything, but it's all main stream for the most part. Don't think beef tongue will be on the menu.
You sprinkle some of that Santa Maria rub on it and I guarantee you will like it!
My wife cooks tongue all the time and it is very tender and delicious.... except for the skin.
The hard part is to get rid of the skin and I think that should be done before smoking it...
My wife boils the tongue for at least 3 hrs (more won't hurt) and then while it is still hot (wear gloves) cut a slit down the middle of the skin so you can peel off the skin. If done right, the skin should then come off easily. She also adds bay leaves and handful peppercorns to the water.
I just looked at the recipe for making the pastrami and they didn't remove the skin because it was too hard to do. I would agree.... and perhaps my method above would make the meat too tender to become pastrami but I can't imagine it picking up much smoke with the skin on.
Sure is good though served right out of the skin... and makes great sandwiches too. (and my wife says no way am I going to be making pastrami out of the tongues we have)
We find tongue is hard to find since most stores don't carry it... but we have had good success talking to farmers who raise cattle for slaughter and don't usually have much market for the tongues.
The hard part is to get rid of the skin and I think that should be done before smoking it...
My wife boils the tongue for at least 3 hrs (more won't hurt) and then while it is still hot (wear gloves) cut a slit down the middle of the skin so you can peel off the skin. If done right, the skin should then come off easily. She also adds bay leaves and handful peppercorns to the water.
I just looked at the recipe for making the pastrami and they didn't remove the skin because it was too hard to do. I would agree.... and perhaps my method above would make the meat too tender to become pastrami but I can't imagine it picking up much smoke with the skin on.
Sure is good though served right out of the skin... and makes great sandwiches too. (and my wife says no way am I going to be making pastrami out of the tongues we have)
We find tongue is hard to find since most stores don't carry it... but we have had good success talking to farmers who raise cattle for slaughter and don't usually have much market for the tongues.
QNorth. Do u think i should attempt to remove it before brining, or will brining it work better to get the skin off. I appreciate your insight. Vicki B.
I don't think the brining would make the skin easier to remove.... but I also can't believe that the brining will have much effect through that tough skin.
I guess you need to do the "Okie Comparison Test". Do a tongue both ways and see what you like best.... using the boiling method, and then skin removal, you'll end up with a very tasty meat much better in many respects than a good pot roast. But I don't think you'll have pastrami.
Perhaps slitting the skin before brining would help the brine work its way in, and the skin can be trimmed after you slice it for pastrami.
Experimentation is the key here.... and you are now a test pilot...
I guess you need to do the "Okie Comparison Test". Do a tongue both ways and see what you like best.... using the boiling method, and then skin removal, you'll end up with a very tasty meat much better in many respects than a good pot roast. But I don't think you'll have pastrami.
Perhaps slitting the skin before brining would help the brine work its way in, and the skin can be trimmed after you slice it for pastrami.
Experimentation is the key here.... and you are now a test pilot...
have to agree that it would probably be best to remove the skin before brining and smoking. With some knife skills it appears to be a fairly straight forward process; here is a video I found for How to strip skin off beef-tongue. I was also able to find a few references to smoking tongue with good results. If I could find some around here I might give it a go with my pastrami brine, but have never seen any for sale.
Here's another link for pickling tongue with the skin on so it appears that not removing the skin may not be a big deal: Pickled Beef Tongue. Pickle/brine using pastrami spices and smoke at 250 for 3-4 hours; I'd probablty consider a water pan on a rack below to insure moisture stays high.
Another thought: this might be a good occasion to inject the brine and not worry about removing skin before smoking. Could also vacpac and let fully chill before slicing; that would allow the smoke flavor to mellow throughout the meat before removing the skin.
Here's another link for pickling tongue with the skin on so it appears that not removing the skin may not be a big deal: Pickled Beef Tongue. Pickle/brine using pastrami spices and smoke at 250 for 3-4 hours; I'd probablty consider a water pan on a rack below to insure moisture stays high.
Another thought: this might be a good occasion to inject the brine and not worry about removing skin before smoking. Could also vacpac and let fully chill before slicing; that would allow the smoke flavor to mellow throughout the meat before removing the skin.
Thanks so much for all this info, and TN Q thanks so much for doing that research. I am gonna go thru it later today, I can't wait.....Vicki
Vicki, be sure to take good notes and plenty of pics. When I had ox tongue back in the '70s it was really good; that was in Singapore on one of the port calls back in my Navy days.
I will. My husband had it in Asia somewhere, I forget, but he said it was very good. This will be interesting because I have never made a brined meat yet either.
I would.just take the authors answers to my questions into consideration and definately try to peel the.skin off before brining. its the only time i can imagine doing it. then i will go lite on the smoke because it will add more than hers without the skin. i will be preparing mine today as soon as my instacure comes in the mail. will let u all know how it goes. just need a sharp knife and a little patience.
Vicki – Though it’s been awhile, I’ve corned and cooked tongue several times, but I’ve never smoked one for pastrami. I tried to remove the skin once before brining and cooking, and will never attempt to do so again. What a PITA.
Reading the recipe and looking at the slices in the photo it appears that the skin was not removed at all. My guess would be that the smoking process contributed nothing to soften or loosen the skin to make it easy to peel.
Thinking about a way to adapt the corning process that I’ve used in the past to make the pastrami I came up with a work-around that I would try if I were doing this:
1. Scrub the tongue well and trim off any excess fat, gland remnants, etc.
2. Blanch the tongue in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to remove any impurities. Remove and cool.
3. When cooled, submerge the tongue in the prepared brine, and refrigerate for 5-7 days.
4. Remove from brine, rinse well, and soak in a couple changes of cold water for 1 hour.
5. Very gently simmer the tongue in water or beef stock for an hour or so to loosen the skin then remove from the liquid, cool, and peel.
6. Coat the peeled tongue with the pastrami rub and smoke at a low temperature such as 180F to an internal temperature of 150F. Since the tongue has partially cooked when simmering the smoke timing would be reduced to probably less than 2 hours.
7. When done, you could rest the tongue then slice and serve warm or cool. Personally, to complete the pastrami process, I would foil and refrigerate it for at least 1 day. I would then place it on a rack in a roasting pan filled with an inch or so of water, tightly foil the pan, and steam it to an internal temperature of 160F.
I think this will be on my smoke agenda real soon.
Reading the recipe and looking at the slices in the photo it appears that the skin was not removed at all. My guess would be that the smoking process contributed nothing to soften or loosen the skin to make it easy to peel.
Thinking about a way to adapt the corning process that I’ve used in the past to make the pastrami I came up with a work-around that I would try if I were doing this:
1. Scrub the tongue well and trim off any excess fat, gland remnants, etc.
2. Blanch the tongue in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to remove any impurities. Remove and cool.
3. When cooled, submerge the tongue in the prepared brine, and refrigerate for 5-7 days.
4. Remove from brine, rinse well, and soak in a couple changes of cold water for 1 hour.
5. Very gently simmer the tongue in water or beef stock for an hour or so to loosen the skin then remove from the liquid, cool, and peel.
6. Coat the peeled tongue with the pastrami rub and smoke at a low temperature such as 180F to an internal temperature of 150F. Since the tongue has partially cooked when simmering the smoke timing would be reduced to probably less than 2 hours.
7. When done, you could rest the tongue then slice and serve warm or cool. Personally, to complete the pastrami process, I would foil and refrigerate it for at least 1 day. I would then place it on a rack in a roasting pan filled with an inch or so of water, tightly foil the pan, and steam it to an internal temperature of 160F.
I think this will be on my smoke agenda real soon.
Thanks for all those details, it is much appreciated. I am just waiting for the mailman to start. Couple questions:
1) if simmering for an hour, do you think a lot of the brine taste will be removed?
2) Is the apx. 2 hours smoking in an 025 equivilant to smoking in one of the bigger rigs?
I was figuring on about 180, so that's good. The author did say she thought it was a little tough and wishes she had smoked it a little longer.
3) Does the resting in foil do for the pastrami what the resting does for salamis that I hear folks talk about? (I think they called it blooming???)
4) What in your opinion, does the extra steam do for it, could I bring it up to 160 in the smoker before resting in the fridge for the day.
Thanks for this. You info will probably make this go from good to great!!!
I though the skin looked to be on in that photo as well, don't know that I want to eat that, so I asked the author and she told me she didn't take it off because it was too difficult.
1) if simmering for an hour, do you think a lot of the brine taste will be removed?
2) Is the apx. 2 hours smoking in an 025 equivilant to smoking in one of the bigger rigs?
I was figuring on about 180, so that's good. The author did say she thought it was a little tough and wishes she had smoked it a little longer.
3) Does the resting in foil do for the pastrami what the resting does for salamis that I hear folks talk about? (I think they called it blooming???)
4) What in your opinion, does the extra steam do for it, could I bring it up to 160 in the smoker before resting in the fridge for the day.
Thanks for this. You info will probably make this go from good to great!!!
I though the skin looked to be on in that photo as well, don't know that I want to eat that, so I asked the author and she told me she didn't take it off because it was too difficult.
Vicki - I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. I've done a lot of pastrami from brisket, but never smoked tongue for brisket. In my mind there shouldn't be any significant differences, this is new to me also.
1. I'm not sure what you mean when you mention the removal of brine taste when simmering, but I don't think that there will be any impact at all. I just thought that a low gentle simmer would loosen up the skin for peeling. If you're concerned about removing excessive saltiness from the brine, that's what the step calling for soaking in cold water pertains to.
2. I can't answer about the bigger rigs. My smoker is a 008 which is a little smaller than an 025. Also, You could smoke it little longer but I'm not sure if it would less tough. That's where the steaming comes in.
3. Pastrami and salami are 2 totally different animals so there's nothing to compare or contrast. Different processes, curing ingredients, etc.
4. To me, making pastrami boils down to 3 basic steps - Curing (Corning), Smoking, Steaming. Without the steaming you simply have smoked corned beef which isn't bad, but it's not pastrami. Steaming is what really tenderizes it. Set an oven for 275F and take it to an internal of 160F then test it. If it's not yet tender enough continue steaming until you get there. When I do a brisket for pastrami the steaming step usually takes 3-4 hours to get to where I want it. Dealing with a tongue should take less time, but I'm not sure.
A couple other thoughts - The author states that she adapted Ruhlman and Polycin's recipe from "Charcutrie". There's no recipe for tongue in the book so she must be referring to their pastrami recipe from brisket. It calls for 8 tsp cure #1 (pink salt) for wet-brining a 5 lb. brisket which many, including myself, think is excessive. I would cut that amount at least in half.
Also, when I make pastrami from a brisket I place 3-4 foil lined bricks on top of it to weigh it down during the brining process. I do the same during the period between smoking and steaming. This produces a unique and very pleasant texture with the finished product which might work well with a tongue.
Good luck and let us know how it comes out.
1. I'm not sure what you mean when you mention the removal of brine taste when simmering, but I don't think that there will be any impact at all. I just thought that a low gentle simmer would loosen up the skin for peeling. If you're concerned about removing excessive saltiness from the brine, that's what the step calling for soaking in cold water pertains to.
2. I can't answer about the bigger rigs. My smoker is a 008 which is a little smaller than an 025. Also, You could smoke it little longer but I'm not sure if it would less tough. That's where the steaming comes in.
3. Pastrami and salami are 2 totally different animals so there's nothing to compare or contrast. Different processes, curing ingredients, etc.
4. To me, making pastrami boils down to 3 basic steps - Curing (Corning), Smoking, Steaming. Without the steaming you simply have smoked corned beef which isn't bad, but it's not pastrami. Steaming is what really tenderizes it. Set an oven for 275F and take it to an internal of 160F then test it. If it's not yet tender enough continue steaming until you get there. When I do a brisket for pastrami the steaming step usually takes 3-4 hours to get to where I want it. Dealing with a tongue should take less time, but I'm not sure.
A couple other thoughts - The author states that she adapted Ruhlman and Polycin's recipe from "Charcutrie". There's no recipe for tongue in the book so she must be referring to their pastrami recipe from brisket. It calls for 8 tsp cure #1 (pink salt) for wet-brining a 5 lb. brisket which many, including myself, think is excessive. I would cut that amount at least in half.
Also, when I make pastrami from a brisket I place 3-4 foil lined bricks on top of it to weigh it down during the brining process. I do the same during the period between smoking and steaming. This produces a unique and very pleasant texture with the finished product which might work well with a tongue.
Good luck and let us know how it comes out.
You answered all my questions and more! Thanks so much.
What I meant about the smoker is that I thought the bigger ones like the FECs and others take less time to cook the same products. I know what you mean about bricks, I know I have to make sure they are weighed down to stay in the brine, so I may try one of the 3 tongues bricked even heavier to see if it makes a difference. I agree the 8 tsps sound excessive, I would not go over the recommended (every web page I read) 1 tsp per 5lbs of meat on the cure.
What I meant about the smoker is that I thought the bigger ones like the FECs and others take less time to cook the same products. I know what you mean about bricks, I know I have to make sure they are weighed down to stay in the brine, so I may try one of the 3 tongues bricked even heavier to see if it makes a difference. I agree the 8 tsps sound excessive, I would not go over the recommended (every web page I read) 1 tsp per 5lbs of meat on the cure.
quote:Originally posted by Vicki B:
...What I meant about the smoker is that I thought the bigger ones like the FECs and others take less time to cook the same products...
Are you saying the size of the smoker changes the duration?
Not sure that's accurate. Key is temp. If you're cooking at 250 and I'm cooking at 250 in my FE, then should finish at relatively the same time.
There is a difference in method. The FE is a drier environment than the electric CS and that will impact on the finished product. The Electric is more humid than the FE and that humidity level will impact bark, color, etc.
I couldn't be sure, thats why I said I thought, not I know...Thanks for spelling it out for me. I guess I am thinking about the stick smokers vs. our electric ones. When I watch the BBQ comp shows they mention cooking times and they are shorter than ours.
Well, it's finished. The flavor was wonderful! I will try this again, but with a different cut of meat.
The tongue came out chewy no matter how you cut it. If I had a slicer at this point I could shave it, but any thicker than that and you are pulling everything out of the bread with one bite. My husband and I were disappointed, but we bot really liked the flavor. I did salvage the thickest parts of two tongues and will save them for hash.
Even the author of the blog, when she replied to my questions, noted that she thought it was tough as well.
Onto the bacon tomorrow!
The tongue came out chewy no matter how you cut it. If I had a slicer at this point I could shave it, but any thicker than that and you are pulling everything out of the bread with one bite. My husband and I were disappointed, but we bot really liked the flavor. I did salvage the thickest parts of two tongues and will save them for hash.
Even the author of the blog, when she replied to my questions, noted that she thought it was tough as well.
Onto the bacon tomorrow!
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You are braver than I. 
Let me know when you do the beef cheeks, those are GOOD!!!
Let me know when you do the beef cheeks, those are GOOD!!!
There will be a new post when i do! Thanks.
The beef cheeks from the front or back?
It's not wise to come on a BBQ form and tell the members to just say"NO". Ya know, we can track you down just like a coon hound does a coon...just for fun!
Vicki:
Don't give up on the tongue... but I didn't think that pastrami was the right way to go with it.
We had tongue here a few nights ago... boiled for 3 to 4 hrs and the skin removed when hot. The taste is out of this world! But it was also extremely tender. Could cut it with a fork.
Wish it was easier to prepare but it is worth the effort.
Don't give up on the tongue... but I didn't think that pastrami was the right way to go with it.
We had tongue here a few nights ago... boiled for 3 to 4 hrs and the skin removed when hot. The taste is out of this world! But it was also extremely tender. Could cut it with a fork.
Wish it was easier to prepare but it is worth the effort.
quote:Originally posted by tomnagel:
Hey friends please say no to non-veg. go green.
SPAM! SPAM! SPAM! SPAM!
Look for: First port, full address in location, and a hyperlink for a signature. 99.5% it's likely SPAM!
quote:Originally posted by Vicki B:
Well, it's finished. The flavor was wonderful! I will try this again, but with a different cut of meat.
The tongue came out chewy no matter how you cut it. If I had a slicer at this point I could shave it, but any thicker than that and you are pulling everything out of the bread with one bite. My husband and I were disappointed, but we bot really liked the flavor. I did salvage the thickest parts of two tongues and will save them for hash.
Even the author of the blog, when she replied to my questions, noted that she thought it was tough as well.
Onto the bacon tomorrow!
Vicki:
It's hard to tell from the picture, but did you remove the skin? Also, to me steaming the smoked meat is the final step in making pastrami. Did you do that? If not, try doing so with some of the tongue that you have left. I think that should solve your problem.
Yes dls, I remove the skin after brining and at that point it had to be shaved off. It was like it become one with the meat.
After brining I smoked to 150. It sat foiled for two days (when it became convenient for me to continue) then I steamed it as told to, at 275 until (time got away from me and my out of oven probe was not working) 170. Like I said, the taste was spot on. I saved the thick part of them. I am gonna freeze them and then take them out when my meat slicer arrives. I think I will try shaving them very thin, that should solve the problem.
After brining I smoked to 150. It sat foiled for two days (when it became convenient for me to continue) then I steamed it as told to, at 275 until (time got away from me and my out of oven probe was not working) 170. Like I said, the taste was spot on. I saved the thick part of them. I am gonna freeze them and then take them out when my meat slicer arrives. I think I will try shaving them very thin, that should solve the problem.
I'd like to give that a try, but would like to understand the proper technique to get the skin off.
quote:Originally posted by BobS:
I'd like to give that a try, but would like to understand the proper technique to get the skin off.
To me, the proper technique is to find a friendly butcher. Check Latin or Asian markets if they're available in your area. It's well worth any extra cost they might charge.
I got my tongue at a local butcher. I now know they had it at Restaurant Depot as well. When I took the skin off it was a real pain in the neck. Perhaps using a sharp vegetable peeler may make it easier. It was a challenge and something interesting to try once, but I will do my pastrami the traditional way from now on. I know folks say tongue is very good so I may try it again one day. Good luck, let us know how I goes. Maybe you can convince a butcher to take the skin off for you. It would be worth it. I would go lighter on the brine if you do take the skin off to start with.