Confit-Style Sous Vide Beef Tongue

This tongue goes well in a sandwich, with sweet and sour red cabbage, cooked brown lentils or on a salad of robust greens.
Yield 6 Servings Prep. Time 20 min Marinating Time 1440 min Cooking Time 2160 min Total Time 3620 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 1 small Beef Tongue (1¾ to 2 lb/875 g to 1 kg)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) salt
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) coarsely ground coriander seeds
  • 1½ tsp (7 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
  • 4 bay leaves, crumbled
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) duck, pork or bacon fat

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Method

Follow these cooking methods/directions:

  1. Trim any excess fat from the tongue using a sharp knife. Cut a slit lengthwise through the top side of the tongue, about ½-inch (1 cm) deep.

  2. Combine garlic, salt, coriander, pepper, cloves, bay leaves and thyme in small bowl. Press into the slit and all over the tongue, especially on the underside. Place in a large resealable freezer bag or resealable silicone food bag or vacuum seal bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag or using vacuum sealer. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

  3. Set up water bath for sous vide and preheat to 170ºF (76.7ºC) according to manufacturer’s directions.

  4. Remove tongue from bag and rinse off marinade under cold water; discard excess marinade. Place in a new vacuum seal bag and add the fat. Remove as much air as possible and seal bag using vacuum sealer. Immerse bag in preheated water bath and secure it to the side of the pot with a clip, keeping the top of the bag above the surface of the water. Cover water bath with foil or plastic to reduce evaporation. Cook sous vide for 36 hours, replenishing with hot water as needed.

  5. Remove bag from water bath and place in a sink filled with cold water; let stand until tongue is cool enough to handle, replenishing cold water, as necessary. Remove tongue from the bag and discard liquid. Peel off the skin. Start at the back end and use a small knife to lift up the skin; then, using your fingers, peel off the skin like removing a mitten, being careful to not rip the meat at the tip. Discard the skin, trim off any fat, gristle or bumps at the back of the tongue.

  6. Carve tongue into thick slices and serve warm, or fry slices over medium heat in an oiled skillet for 3 minutes per side, until crisp and browned.