How to cook beef tongue? Simple and Easy

Sharing with you step-by-step instructions on how to cook your beef tongue. Plus, a couple of recipe ideas you can try to jazz it up.

Beef tongue or lengua, as we call it in Spanish. It is an underrated cut of meat. Most people feel intimidated by it. But it is simple to cook and served in a lot of different recipes.

It is delicious served in tacos or with tomato sauce. Or in a Stew with white rice. You can also enjoy it as a cold cut in a sandwich.

It is eaten globally in various countries, like Mexico, Korea, Japan, and Latin America.

Beef tongue is a tough cut of meat. If it’s not cooked correctly, it will have a chewy texture. For this reason, it needs to cook low and slow.

What does beef tongue taste like?

It tastes like other cuts of red meat. Its texture is slightly different. You can use a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, or a pot that will result in a tender piece of meat that will melt in your mouth. 

Today I’m sharing my mom’s process on how to cook it to prepare other recipes with it.

📋 Ingredients & utensils for the recipe

To cook the beef tongue, you will need beef tongue, onion, garlic cloves, carrot, culantro leaves, peppercorns, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and water.

You could use any aromatics you have on hand. Add celery, bay leaf, and some herbs to boost the flavor and result in tasty beef stock.

You'll need a chopping board, a knife, an instant pot, or a pressure cooker for utensils. In case you don’t have one, you can use a big pot or a dutch oven, or a slow cooker.  Below I’ll explain how to cook it with any of these.

Now that you have all the ingredients and utensils let's get cooking! 

Tongue Prep Before Cooking

Where I get it from, it comes in a vacuum-sealed package. Once you remove it from the package, you should give it a thorough clean.

It will have a slimy feel to it, and some blood still. Run it under cold water until that feeling is no longer there, and there is no more blood until the water runs clear.

You can use a vegetable brush to scrub it. 

After that, you will remove any excess fat you can find using a small knife.

📝 How to cook Beef Tongue? - Step by Step

I’ll share the instructions for each cooking method I recommend to cook your beef tongue at home.

Pressure Cooker Instructions

Step 1: Add all your ingredients to your instant pot. Next, add water and make sure to cover the tongue or tongues with it (completely submerged under water). To ensure even cooking. Cover and set to sealing.

Step 2: Cook for 40 to 50 minutes. You can use an estimate of 15 minutes per pound depending on the cow tongue weight. I usually find a beef tongue around a 3 pounds package.

Step 3: Once it’s done, let it rest for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.

To verify that the tongue is cooked, insert a knife or a fork into it, and it should have little to no resistance. If it is still tough, you would need to cook it for a few minutes. Try 10 minutes increments.

Step 4: Remove the beef tongue and set it aside to cool before you can peel it (approximately 10 mins). Once it is cool to the touch, you should remove the tough skin.

Step 5: Now, you can cut it in your desired shape, lengthwise like the photo, or you can dice it as well. And it is ready to be prepared in whichever way you like. The result would be a tender and flavorful cut of meat. Perfect for any meal.

The following cooking methods would be the same as with the pressure cooker. The only difference will be the cooking time.

Stove Top Instructions

If you are cooking it on a stove, you should use a big pot. I have used a dutch oven that helps maintain the heat well. You will need to make sure that you cover the tongue with liquid. If not, the tough skin will not be loose enough once cooked. 

It would take around 3 hours, monitoring that the liquid is always covering the tongue.

Then continue with Step 4 as the pressure cooker method.

Slow Cooker Instructions

You can also use a slow cooker. The tip would be the same as the stove method. Make sure that you cover the tongue with liquid. It’ll take between 8-10 hours on LOW to cook. 

You can always prepare it before you go to bed, and in the morning, it will be ready to peel and prepare as you prefer.

Then continue with Step 4 as the pressure cooker method.

Tips on cooking the beef tongue

• You could add any type of aromatic or herbs to the stock to cook it. If you have celery ribs, or bay leaves you can also add it.
• You could also use the stock that remains from the cooking process to make soup or use it to make a sauce. You would need to remove or strain the liquid. Note: the broth will have a lot of fat since the tongue has a high-fat content. You can freeze it and remove the fat once it solidifies.
• You can cook two at the same time. Make sure the tongues are about the same weight to avoid one cooking faster than the other.

Recipe Variations

• You could dice it and fry it to make Lengua tacos.
• You could cut it lengthwise and add tomato sauce + sofrito to make Lengua guisada. Or even add some potatoes and carrots to make a tasty Lengua Stew.
• You can add some sauteed onion and make it Lengua encebollada.
• Or add some mushroom + broth and make a Beef tongue in mushroom sauce.

Storage and Serving Suggestions

• Storage: Once it´s cold, you can keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
• Freeze: Once it´s cool, add it to a freezer bag or an airtight container. Seal it to avoid freezer burn. You can keep it for up to 3 months. To enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator the night before and follow the reheating instructions. 
• Reheat: You can reheat them in a skillet, use the microwave, and even the air fryer. 
• Suggested Servings: Depending on how you would like to prepare it, there are different ways to serve it.
  • For making tacos, use corn or flour tortillas, salsa verde, and onion.
  • If you are making a stew or with sauce, serve it with white rice, green salad, and fried plantains or caramelized plantains. You can also serve it with mashed potatoes, patacones, or even cauliflower rice if you choose a low-carb option. You could pair it the same way you pair any beef you make.

If you’ve tried the Beef Tongue recipe or any other recipe on Nashi Food, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! We love to hear about your experience making it.