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How to Cook Beef Tongue – It’s Easier Than You Might Think

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Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue – no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it’s surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches. Since we buy our beef in bulk from a local friend who raises grassfed steers, it’s important for us to be to be able to use up all the odd bits.

Cooking Cow Tongue – Quick Guide

What you need to cook a cow tongue:

  • cow tongue
  • seasoning- 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic or garlic scapes (or more), 3-4 bay leaves, celery, salt and pepper to taste, or other spices of your choice
  • stock pot with lid (6 – 8 quart)

Steps for cooking tongue:

  • Wash the cow tongue
  • Place the tongue in the stock pot with the seasonings and enough water to cover
  • Cover and simmer the cow tongue for 2-3 hours
  • Chill the tongue in an ice bath until just cool enough to handle and peel immediately
  • Slice and serve hot or chill and serve cold

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, it's an odd looking piece of meat. Learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

How to Cook Beef Tongue – Step by Step with Photos

The first time I cooked beef tongue, I had some help from my big sister, Lois. After all, what are big sisters for if not to help you eat strange things? When we pulled the tongue out of the freezer, it looked like this.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

Lois gave it a good washing and held it up for a nice shot.

Washing the cow tongue before cooking.

Cooking beef tongue couldn’t be much simpler. The tongue doesn’t have bones or connective tissue to deal with like other cuts. Mom always simmered it on the stove when we were kids, so that’s what we did, too. We put it in a kettle with about an inch of water over the top, and added plenty of aromatics – garlic scapes, onions, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and some celery.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours. When the tongue finishes cooking, place it in an ice water bath to chill it enough to handle.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

Once you can handle the tongue, peel off the skin. Don’t let the meat cool too much, as the skin will stick. Trim with a knife as needed.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

Now you have an excellent piece of meat.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

Slice thinly and serve with your choice of condiments. My brother Rich suggests horseradish. Get a recipe for homemade horseradish sauce here.

Cow tongue, beef tongue, ox tongue - no matter what you call it, learning how to cook beef tongue may seem intimidating, but it's surprisingly easy to do. The simple cooking method that I like to use creates a tender, delicious cut of meat that can be served like a roast or sliced thin and used cold for sandwiches.

And that’s it! It’s very tender and delicious. The boys couldn’t tell it wasn’t “regular” roast. (Personally, I found it to be more tender than the roast we had cooked the day before.)

So,  what unusual meats have you enjoyed recently? I’d love to hear from you.

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Originally published in 2011, last updated in 2018.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I ate a lot of tongue when I grew up, as well as heart and liver. I never had to prepare the tongue and as a child I thought it looked strange. It was absolutely nothing wrong with the taste..Great post.

    Reply

    • Cooking my 1st one today, sounds like this is easy enough…i do not eat it but the people i care for loves it…will let you know how it turns☺

      Reply

    • As have I! I’m going to simmer ours with some very meaty grass-fed soup bones, and hope to incorporate the cubed tongue along with veggies, into a stew!(As a granddaughter of Russian and Jewish lineage, it was served often….and yes, I sat and sat and sat until I at least tried it.)

      Reply

  3. You can do it, Diana! If you think you'd like to camouflage it more, my friend, Ted, suggests boil it for an hour, skin it, slice it thinly, and then place it in a roaster and cover it with barbecue sauce. Cook at 350 for a couple more hours.

    Reply

    • Well, I followed your recipe and it came out so tough. I couldn’t “peel” the skin off. I ended up throwing it away. Very disappointed.

      Reply

      • You may have misunderstood the directions. The skin doesn’t slip off like a tomato or peach skin after blanching. You have to pull firmly to remove it. If you let it cool too much, the skin sticks to the meat and it much more difficult to remove. At that point, you need to trim it off with a knife. We typically pull off most of the skin, and trim as needed with a knife. I will make this clearer in the directions.

        Reply

  4. I've cooked and eaten beef tongue before. It has a different texture, but it is good. You just have to get past the thought that you are eating tongue.

    Very nice tutorial! -Brenda

    Reply

    • Oh my..I remember the tongue hanging out of the cow..then cooked and on the dinner table..I had to sit at table until I took one bite…I sat and sat..and sat …and sat ..and if they wouldn’t have given in I’d still be sitting there. Mercy! However, I once met a lady from Africa I asked her what food from there she missed the most..she answered pickled ox tongue but she said they cook it between two bricks and make a loaf. Just sharing 🙂

      Reply

  6. Thanks for this shot of encouragement! We've got one in the freezer too and that and the heart are things I couldn't not take home (as we paid for them) but I also am not sure how I'll make them and get my hubby to eat them. It does kind of look like a tenderloin or something once you had it peeled. Like the tip about slicing and baking with sauce too…

    Any tips for heart? 🙂

    Heather

    Reply

  7. Heather – I had them grind up our heart and mix it in with the ground beef. You can't even tell that it's there.

    Reply

  8. OMG. Okay, I've recently jumped on the liver band wagon (I NEVER ate it growing up) and can only eat it mixed up with ground beef. It's going to be QUITE a while before I can try tongue. But when that time comes (which is probably still a LONG ways out), your post makes it seem not quite as intimidating!

    Reply

    • Try bbq – after you’re done barbecuing real meat, just salt the liver with Lawry’s seasoning salt and lay the pieces on the grill to slow cook. Take off at what ever point you want. The pieces turn out like jerky and are pretty tasty. If you leave it on long enough it gets hard, like jerky. If they are too hard, the dog loves to chew on them.

      Reply

  9. lol, Audrey. I was a little freaked out when I tried this, too, but I found the tongue to be much tastier than liver. (Although good liver is much better than bad liver. I'll have to post about the "grade D but edible" stuff they fed us back in college at some point.) Really, truly, it tasted like a very tender roast when it was done.

    Reply

  10. A Mexican place here in town sells beef tongue tacos. I haven't tried them yet, but it's on my list of things to eat.

    The tongue is ridicliously priced here! Like 12.00 for an cleaned one and 10 for an uncleaned one. I mean, I can get a beef roast for that price.

    Reply

  11. You're amazing. I've only eaten tongue once and it really was the most tender meat I've ever eaten. Not sure I'm ready to make it but when I am I'll come here to see how. Thank you for sharing this on Real Food Weekly!

    Reply

  12. We had boiled tongue growing up, we loved it. A couple things we did differently: we poked some cloves into the tongue, and used the leftover juice from some dill pickle jars (probably 1:1 with water) and added pickling spices.

    Serving after: I agree with your brother. Horseradish. Or mustard. Or horseradish mustard.

    Since then I've had both goat and lamb tongue, excellent! Just cook it less long. I tried pig tongue but was totally unimpressed, it's very meal-y.

    There are delis in New York City that sell tongue sandwiches, and we do have a local Mexican place that I believe makes tongue tacos, or some dish with tongue.

    Reply

  13. Thanks for the tongue tips. 🙂 I have friends with goats and lamb, so I may have to see about trying those out when the time comes. We don't eat a lot of pork. None of us have ever really enjoyed the flavor, except in cured meats, but most of those have additives we try to avoid.

    Reply

  14. My ex (from Mexico) loved tongue. I had never cooked it or eaten it until he asked me to cook it.. trust me I gave him a crazy look.. but he showed me how. In Mexico they eat tongue tacos.. very very good.. with a little cilantro, fresh onion and avocado!

    Reply

  15. This sounds wonderful! I remember eating tongue meat in sandwiches (in jelly and yummy). We are getting a pig from the butcher this coming weekend so if anyone has suggestions for a pig’s head, I’m all ears (haha)

    Chris

    Reply

  16. Tongue is a favorite at our house most likely because it is something of a rarity and there are quite a few of us to feed. more than 20 years ago, my dad taught me how to prepare it using a pressure cooker and it is so delicious and tender. These days while my husband knows how to prepare tongue (in case of some emergency where I was unavailable, lol) I still get called in to peel it; he still can’t get over that step! I have never had it boiled but I would imagine it is much the same. We use the broth to cook noodles or flavor mashed potatoes as well. If you manage to have any left, it is great the next day as a cold meat sandwich – we love it with Miracle Whip, lol.

    Reply

  17. Leanna – that sounds good! The aromatics are a good idea to add flavor, as the meat itself can be somewhat bland.

    Christina – you could make head cheese or kishka (pig’s head sausage with blood and barley). I haven’t tried making either at home, but I remember them from when I was a little girl. The book “The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating” may be helpful as well.

    Nancy – too funny that your husband is squeamish about peeling the tongue. Good thing he has you!

    Reply

  18. Like Nancy – I pressure cook it, with spices, then peel etc. The tip of the tongue is such a delicacy the kids would fight over it 🙂

    One thing not mentioned, once peeled, is to grind it up – large grind, then medium grind. Add miracle whip to it and some seasonings, salt – and use it like a deviled ham spread…or like tuna fish spread. With more miracle whip on bread, maybe a little mustard if you like the tang, this is a great sandwich spread 🙂

    Reply

  19. I use the slow cooker over night with garlic. Then in morning I peel it and slice but place now in oven for half hour to an hr it gives it a different texture n its awesom

    Reply

  20. I grew up eating pickled cow’s tongue and loved it. My mother prepared it but I never saw what spices she used and she passed away young. We grew up eating a lot of Jewish ethnic food and tongue is a staple. It can still be found at some deli’s in towns with a larger Jewish population. I live near Pittsburgh and they still have a couple of places that sell it.

    Reply

  21. Growing up on the farm we ate everything. Dad used to say that the only thing we didn’t use from a pig was the “oink”. I have eaten tongue several ways. Mom used to boil it, peel it, slice it and put it on a cookiesheet with some salt, onion powder& garlic powder . Roast it for about 30 or so minutes. I like it sliced cold on bread with Mayo & lettuce. Mexican cuisine & the Greeks do a small dice and sautee it with onion, peppers, tomatoes & seasoings. Germans like it with a Ginger Snap sauce. A Tavern I used to frequent in Fallon, NV served it pickled. So many ways to enjoy tongue. In the Middle East, Kuwait, I ate Lamb tongue several times. Beef liver, sliced very thin is best if soaked overnight in milk, this removes all the blood that gives liver it’s unique flavor if no removed first. If you have a cat it will wait for you to fix liver it will just lap up the milk. Sautee sliced onions, remove when translucent, dredge the liver in seasoned flour and then brown in a little oil. Remove from pan and add some butter or oil anda bit of flour brown the flour season with salt & pepper to taste and slowly add some milk to form a gravy add the liver & the onions and cook until the liver is done. Do not over cook.

    Reply

    • I learned to wash the sliced liver and dry coat liberally with prepared mustard and then flour coating and fried with onions and gravy..it doesn’t have that {taste like yuck} flavor my boys even liked it.

      Reply

  23. I made this a few years ago and again today. It’s amazing how the meat is so tender and no visible fat! It’s great with kugel and a salad. It’s very Delicious

    Reply

  25. I love beef tongue! I slow cook it overnight covered in water then when cool enough I peel the skin off and eat with roast veggies or sauteed veggies in bone broth. So good! I hate it when it’s still kind of firm, super soft is my preference!

    I hope more people start eating quality beef offal for all the health benefits 🙂

    Reply

  26. I put cooked tongue slices (~ 1/4″ thick) in cream of undiluted mushroom soup to reheat for about 15-20 min, then serve with wide egg noodles, green vegie & salad… Don’t overcook it when reheating or it becomes rubbery & tough…

    Reply

  27. I love beef tongue, its my favorite part of the cow!! Grew up eating it whenever we butchered. My Mom used to pickle it. I like it just boiled and sliced.Thanks for all the ideas!!!!

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  28. I had a in-law tell me that she wouldn’t eat anything that came out of an animal’s mouth ! My wife’s answer, well we have some eggs for you .

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  29. My mom used to make a sour cherry sauce over tongue, and I’ve spent years being frustrated that I didn’t get the recipe! I think it involved a can of cherry pie filling, but other than that, no idea.

    Reply

  30. I finally decided to pull out the TWO beef tongues I’ve had languishing in the freezer. They are cooking and I’m trying to decide if I should tell the family what I’ll be feeding them… 🙂 Thanks for such easy instructions!

    Reply

  31. Does beef tongue sometimes not peel easily? Mine has been in the slow cooker for most of the day and I had to slice off the skin. It wouldn’t pull off at all.

    Reply

    • Sometimes, yes, the tongue doesn’t peel easily and I’ve had to slice off the skin. The best way to get it off is to remove it as soon as absolutely possible, while the meat is still piping hot. Harder on the fingers, but easier to peel. Kitchen gloves may be helpful.

      Reply

    • Woot! We just picked up another half of beef from the processor last week, and the friend we purchased it from sent in two animals and the people who purchased the other critter didn’t want their tongue, so I’ll be doing the same soon.

      Reply

  34. i love tongue. I had bought a small one and boiled it for about an hour. I will make a garlic, parsley and oil sauce to go over it. I cannot wait.

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  35. I really enjoyed reading these TONGUE comments all the way back through the months/years. I grew up with it and then as an adult haven’t cooked it for years. I started ordering meats that are grass fed and decided to try tongue from them. I cook it in the pressure cooker with salt & pepper AND garlic is a must. This last one was hard to peel. I use the broth for soup with onions, parsley and barley added. I feel so much better knowing I am not weird because I like and eat beef tongue.

    Reply

  36. Hello! I am getting ready to cook tongue for the first time ever. I’ve heard that it can be slow-cooked in a crockpot, so I’d like to try that. My question is this: How long would I have to slow-cook it for if set on “low” heat? Also, would I still need to cover the tongue in water completely in a crockpot… or should I use less liquid? If so, how much liquid?
    Thanks

    Reply

      • Thanks! It came out awesome! I hear that a lot of people fight over the tip, but I actually think the best part is in the weird looking section at the base of the tongue where all the fatty connective tissue is.

        Reply

  37. Hello! It was so hard to peel the skin. I’m using a pot and heating on gas stove. Do you need to cook 2 to 3 hours? If you cook it longer will it easy to peel with your hands? Thanks.

    Reply

    • Longer cooking may make it more difficult to peel. I’d suspect the different layers would become even more cooked together. If it doesn’t peel easily for whatever reason (the skin comes off the easiest when it’s almost too hot to handle), carefully trim it away with a knife. You’ll lose a bit of the tongue meat, but if you’re careful, you shouldn’t lose too much, and it may be easier than peeling if the tongue doesn’t cooperate.

      Reply

    • I cooked it in the IPot, skin on 1hour 45 min. Just like mom cooked it on her stove.
      It peeled easily, very tender and moist sliced easily. Made tacos with Mexican cheese, toco sauce on corn.
      3lbs 1 hour 45 min natural pressure release till I could turn the lid.
      I inserted garlic into the meat, Polk a holes. Onion powder, celery. Some like horseradish on their tacos.

      Reply

  39. I remember my mom cooking tongue in the 1960’s for sandwiches. It was good so I tried it again, cooking it for 3 hours. After peeling off the skin, it appears I might be able to use it like pulled pork. Add a bit of Bear’s Head ketchup, place it between some speciality buns, add an onion slice, and voila. What about the broth…strain it of the aromatics, let sit overnight in the pan, skim off and discard the fat, pour into freezer containers for later soup use?

    Reply

    • You certainly could reuse the broth if you like. I usually go for bone broth over meat broth because of the gelatin and other nutrients.

      The last time I cooked up a tongue, the boys were so hungry that they ate almost all of it in one sitting.

      Reply

  40. Just boil it for 3-4 hours then remove from water, slice, then simmer in bbq sauce. With a side of mashed patatoes is the best.

    Reply

  41. Thanks for this blog post. I’ve had a couple of beef tongues from a couple of years of shared cow quarters intimidating me in my freezer. After reading this it seemed easy enough to try. Turned out great, We will make tacos and I’ll never be afraid of cooking tongue again.

    Reply

  42. Me and my daughter’s love it, especially the back part. The front makes great sandwiches. I Hook it, peel it and hen add veggies and tomato sauce and let it cool for an hour. Great meal. Lamb tongue cook in sauce till tender, peel add veggies, potatoes carrots onions let it simmer.

    Reply

  43. I had a beef tongue in my freezer, and after reading your recipe got the nerve to try it out. It’s cooking as I type! I’m not going to tell my husband what he is eating till after consumption! Sure hope it turns out as good I’ve heard it can be.

    Reply

  44. How would I make the cooked Tongue into pressed Tongue with the jelly in and around it? I love Lunch Tongue that you buy in the Supermarkets and would love to try and recreate myself. I think the jelly is made using some of the stock and gelatine, do you have any suggestions that might help me? Thank you

    Reply

    • I’ve never purchased pressed tongue, but from a little digging around on the internet, it looks like the beef tongue is cooked as directed, and then while it’s still warm, it’s pressed tightly into a loaf pan. The pan is covered with a weighted plate, and then the whole thing is left to chill for around half a day. The gelatin is formed from the natural juices that are in the tongue as they chill.

      Reply

  45. My favourite meal int he whole world that I can remember from a very young age is Ox Tongue in Sherry Sauce.
    This was cooked by my grandmother’s chef Harry Patterson at the Cape Turf Club and he had it down to a T simply delicious.
    Although the sauce was called Sherry sauce it was cooked in the conventional way to start in boiling water with bay leaves, onions, carrots – usual stockpot with salt and peppercorns but the it was placed in this sherry sauce which was oinionsm tomoattoes and green peppers cooked down in Demi glaze with white wine until everything was infused into each other. The tongue was then sliced and this naturally thickened sauce spooned over. Served with Mash and veg on the side. The best.
    I have tried to replicate this at home but don’t have a restaurant stock pot or deglazed pans so can’t seem to get the original flavour that I remember. If only he was still alive.

    Reply

  46. I live in Texas.Mexicans call it lingua and it is great on tacos!My husband who swore he would never eat it (cuz he could tell the difference and it would make him sick)has been eating them and commenting on how tender the “roast” is for about 9 of our 20 years of marriage????The secret I found is slicing it and never letting him see me cook it.Delicious!

    Reply

    • There you go. My mother-in-law hasn’t wanted to eat my soup since she found out I use chicken feet to make the stock, but she says as long as she doesn’t see them, she’s okay.

      Reply

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