Mongolian Beef Tongue Appetizer

Cooking beef tongue is so simple, yet you’ll get melt-in-your-mouth tender, flavorful meat, perfect as appetizer, or added to any quick meal.

You guys, bear with me here. I know, it may sound off-putting, but believe me when I say it’s worth it. Slow cooked beef tongue is so tender and so flavorful. And you’ll cover quite a few meals with one cooked tongue.

As lunar new year is fast approaching (this weekend!!), I thought it’s a perfect time to share a very popular Mongolian beef tongue appetizer. Because I grew up eating it often, it never seemed weird to me. And I’m so lucky to be married to a rancher, who can get me a beef tongue without raising an eyebrow when I ask for one during butchering. Ok, the first time around, I think it was quite a surprise for him and my in-laws when I said I’d love to take the beef tongue home. 🙂

Anyway, let me show you how to cook beef tongue. It’s so easy! You don’t really need anything special to cook this cut of meat. I keep it pretty simple with just salt, black peppercorns, couple of bay leaves in water with beef tongue, and simmer it for about 3 hours.

Here’re a few Q&As for common questions when it comes to beef tongue.

How to clean beef tongue before cooking?

· You don’t really need to clean it much. Simply wash it under cold water, and you feel it’s necessary you can scrub it a little bit. But the outer skin will be removed after cooking, so don’t worry about how it looks.

How to cook beef tongue in pressure cooker?

· Pressure cooker is ideal for cooking a beef tongue. I personally never tried cooking it in my electric pressure cooker yet, but it’ll definitely save you some cooking time. Place the beef tongue in the pot, fill with water so that meat is fully submerged, add spiced and cook. Follow the manual for time directions.

How to cook beef tongue in slow cooker?

· I also never cooked beef tongue in slow cooker, but I’m sure it’ll work just fine. Basically same technique as on stove top but longer.

Can you grill beef tongue?

· Once you slow cook the beef tongue on stove top, you can peel it, slice it and grill it for additional flavor. It’s fantastic for tacos!!

Where to buy beef tongue?

· I believe any butcher shop can get you a beef tongue.

If you’ve got any other questions, leave it in the comments below.

As I mentioned earlier, in Mongolia, we mostly serve cooked thinly sliced beef tongue as an appetizer with cucumbers and tomatoes.

But I also love cooking stir-fries, especially fried rice with beef tongue! But I know it’s very common in Mexican and Chinese cuisines.

Hope you’ll give it a try, and if you do, please let me know what you think!!

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How to Cook Beef Tongue

Cooking beef tongue is so simple, yet you’ll get melt-in-your-mouth tender, flavorful meat, perfect as appetizer, or added to any quick meal.

Yield: 3lbs

Total Time:3 hours 30 min

Ingredients:

• 1 beef tongue (about 3lbs)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 2 dried bay leaves

Directions:

• Wash and scrub, if necessary, the beef tongue.
• Place it in a large pot and fill it with water to cover. (I use 5.5qt dutch oven.)
• Add salt, peppercorns and bay leaves.
• Bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
• Then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 3 hours.
• Remove the tongue onto cutting board and cool until safe to handle.
• Peel the outer skin (it should come off pretty easily) and discard.
• Slice the meat and serve. Leftover meat can be stored in the fridge for a few days, or frozen in an airtight container.
• Beef tongue is great as an appetizer with cucumbers and tomatoes, or in stir-fries, in tacos, salads. You can also grill the cooked beef tongue for additional flavor.

All images and text ©Shinee D. for Sweet & Savory by Shinee

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