Red Wine Braised Beef Tongue
Something wicked this way comes, we got Red Wine Braised Beef Tongue in our tums.
Beef tongue is an inexpensive and delicious treat that I often get to feed my family, especially during the spooky season. When making this cut of beef, I can’t help but feel like a witch concocting a wicked brew. But alas, it’s not as exciting as my imagination has led me to believe it’s just simply delicious.
Tongue may look intimidating but really it’s like any other cut of beef and with a little bit of effort you will have the most tender pot roast that you’ve had. Braised in a veggie laced red wine broth, beef tongue becomes the most unctuous and delectable Fall supper. Pair with creamy mashed potatoes and your favorite fall veggies and you’ll have an inexpensive and very satisfying meal.
Red Wine Braised Beef Tongue
1 beef tongue
1 TBSP unsalted butter
2 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalk celery, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 TBSP tomato paste
¼ cup dry red wine
1 quart chicken or beef stock
½ tsp worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot or Dutch Oven, place the whole beef tongue and one of the onions peeled and chopped. Fill the pot with water, making sure the beef tongue is submerged. Top with a lid and set to low heat on the stove. Simmer the beef tongue for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the tongue onto a plate and let cool for 30 minutes.
With gloved hands and a very sharp knife, you are going to peel away the outer skin of the tongue leaving the meat underneath behind. When you are peeling the tongue it’s very important to make sure all the skin is removed. The skin is very tough and pretty much inedible so you could see how it could ruin your beef tongue eating experience.
Once your tongue is peeled, starting at the smaller end of the tongue cut it into manageable meat chunks. It’s important to cut the chunks roughly the same size that way they cook evenly during the braise. Salt and pepper each chunk liberally and put aside.
Preheat the oven to 300 °F.
In a Dutch Oven, cook the other onion as well as the celery with the butter until soft and translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Mix in the tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste becomes bright red about 1-2 minutes. Deglaze the Dutch oven with the red wine, mix until incorporated and scrape up any brown bits from cooking the onions and celery. Reduce until the red wine and tomato paste thickens.
Add in the stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and thyme. Turn the heat up to high and cook until the braising liquid starts to boil.
Add the tongue pieces to the liquid and turn off the stove. Place the lid on the Dutch Oven and put it in your preheated oven. Cook slowly for 4 hours, checking after two hours to make sure there’s enough liquid in the dutch oven as well as turning the pieces so the other side of the meat can be exposed to the sauce. Cook the tongue until it is very tender and could be pulled apart with a fork.
Remove the meat, bay leaves and thyme from the liquid. Blend the vegetables into the liquid with an immersion blender until everything is cohesive. Set the stove to medium high heat and add your spinach. Cook until the liquid has reduced and your spinach is wilted. Turn down to low and return the meat to the Dutch Oven, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the tongue to rewarm.
Serve hot with mashed potatoes and your favorite sides, one of mine are honey glazed roasted carrots. Hunkerdown and enjoy!
*Notes:
I highly recommend using gloves when peeling the skin off the beef tongue. Beef tongue is very fatty and could leave your hands feeling really greasy if you don’t.
After peeling the beef tongue, you can easily wrap the poached tongue in cling film and braise at a later date. You will have up to 3-5 days to use it.
Wondering how to acquire beef tongue? They can be easily acquired from your local butcher shop or meat provider. Sometimes you may have to order in advance so keep that in mind when planning to make this meal.