Beef Tacos de Lengua (Beef Tongue Tacos) Recipe

Name: Beef Tacos de Lengua (Beef Tongue Tacos)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 225 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 1 3-4 pound beef tongue; 2 large onions, peeled; Cloves from 1 head (yes, an entire head) of garlic, peeled and crushed; 6-7 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon of peppercorns; 2 tablespoons salt; Vegetable oil; Corn tortillas (2 to 3 per person); Salsa verde; Avocados; Cilantro; Chopped red onion; Thinly sliced radishes for garnish

This recipe is not for the food-queazy. If that's you, you might want to just skip this one, or instead check out some of our chicken breast recipes. What? You're still with us? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you.

My first recollection of beef tongue was when I was about 8 years old and there happened to be a huge one in the refrigerator.

It looked, and felt (I touched it, who could resist?) like a ginormous tongue.

Just like my little 8-year old tongue, but oh my gosh, it was so big!

And then my parents cooked it and made us eat it. (No idea how they prepared it.) The texture. It was so, so tongue-like. All too weird, even for me.

Fast forward a couple decades (okay, more than a couple) and I'm in Mexico when my bud Matt announces that there's a crowd around the lengua tacos in the buffet line. I get there just in time to scoop up the last of the day's lengua for my taco and I'm in tongue heaven. So tender, so perfect in a taco.

Here's the deal with tongue.

Prepared correctly it is melt-in-your-mouth tender (from slow braising) and flavorful (because it's a muscle that got a lot of exercise). If you chop it up enough the texture isn't an issue. Its home of homes is truly in a taco, slathered with tomatillo salsa verde.

By the way, my mother instructed me to tell you that the way you know you are at an authentic taqueria is that there are "tacos de lengua" (tongue tacos) on the menu. If you find yourself at such a taqueria, try some!

Or if you are the adventurous sort, and love tacos and Mexican food, the following is a traditional Mexican recipe for tacos de lengua, taught to me by my Acapulco friend Arturo. This is the way his mother made it for him growing up.

Outrageously good. If I could, I would eat the entire batch all by myself.

Beef Tacos de Lengua (Beef Tongue Tacos)

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs 45 mins

Total Time 4 hrs

Servings 18 to 24 tacos

Beef tongue may be found at local Asian markets, Mexican markets, or ordered by your local butcher.

Bottled or canned salsa verde can be found in the Hispanic section of markets.

1 3 to 4 pound beef tongue
2 large onions, peeled
Cloves from 1 head (yes, an entire head) of garlic, peeled and crushed
6 to 7 bay leaves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt
Vegetable oil
Corn tortillas (2 to 3 per person)
Salsa verde
Avocados
Cilantro
Chopped red onion
Thinly sliced radishes for garnish

Simmer the tongue:

Fill a large (12-quart if you have one) stock pot two-thirds full with water. Add the tongue, onions, crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 3 hours, until the tongue is soft to the touch and tender.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Remove the skin-like covering:

Remove tongue from water and let cool for a couple of minutes.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Notice the light colored skin-like covering over most of the tongue. Using your fingers, and/or a sharp small knife, remove this covering and discard.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Notice the rough patch of meat where the tongue would attach to the bottom of the mouth. Arturo removes this patch (as does his mother when she prepares tongue) because it is a little rough. It's perfectly edible though, so keep it attached if you want.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Slice and sauté the tongue:

Slice the tongue in 1/4-inch slices. (If you are not preparing the whole tongue for tacos, you can return whatever tongue you do not slice to the cooking water to soak.)

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium high and sauté the slices on both sides until they are lightly browned.
Dice.

Remove from pan and slice first into strips, then crosswise again so that you end up with small cubes.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Assemble the tacos:

Soften tortillas either by cooking on the stove-top until pockets of air appear in them, or in the microwave (about 10 seconds per tortilla).

Place a large spoonful of meat in the center of a tortilla. Add a spoonful of salsa verde and some chopped avocado, onion, and chopped fresh cilantro. Garnish with radish slices.

Links:

Cuban-style beef tongue with tomatoes, peppers, and onions from Masa Assassin

Beef tongue in caper sauce from Nikas Culinaria

Another take on tacos de lengua from He Cooks, She Cooks

Many thanks to Arturo Vargas of Taste for the Senses for sharing his family recipe of tacos de lengua.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
365	Calories
25g	Fat
19g	Carbs
18g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 18 to 24
Amount per serving
Calories	365
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g	32%
Saturated Fat 7g	36%
Cholesterol 100mg	33%
Sodium 836mg	36%
Total Carbohydrate 19g	7%
Dietary Fiber 6g	20%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 18g
Vitamin C 13mg	64%
Calcium 42mg	3%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 549mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.