"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> Whole beef tongue is on sale for $1.79/lb (Thank you mad cow - it's
> usually $4+). So I thought I'd try smoking one.
>
> I've never cooked tongue. The cleaning, simmering, and peeling
> instructions always made me figure it's not somthing I want to
> experiment with at $4-$5/lb.
>
> So I figure I either clean it first (with a toothbrush, of course ;-),
> trim off any cartilidge..
>
> Then:
>
> Brine, simmer, peel, and smoke?
> Simmer, brine, smoke, peel?
> Peel, brine, smoke?
> Peel, brine, simmer, smoke?
> Or even smoke, brine, peel?
>
> Or just give it to the cat to play with.
>
> Is 'peeling' a tongue easy? Do I lose a lot in that process?
>
> Do I smoke really low, say.. under 200F - or closer to 270F? Am I
> just smoking to flavor it, or will I be breaking the tiussue down to
> make it more tender?
>
> ????
>
> -sw
Steve,

My finest hour with the smoker happened earlier this year with an ox tongue.
The tongue I smoked was just under 2 kilos in weight.
As you indicated you have to get rid of the membrane. I assume you bought a
fresh tongue (they are also sold salted in the UK).
I boiled the tongue for 2 hours with a couple of onions. (Keep the stock.
Excellent base for soup)
Let it cool and chill. The membrane peels off easily. You can also trim the
"root" if desired. Its a little fatty.
The tongue is almost, but not quite cooked at this point.
I smoked it at 235 degrees for 3 hours 45 minutes. I halved the tongue
length ways prior to smoking as I thought it was too thick to smoke in one
piece.
I smoked it using oak chippings over lump. The bark was truly wonderful and
the inner meat remained really moist. It also freezes well. Slice as thinly
as possible. It should go a long way.
I'll repost the pic on abf later today.
Good luck

Graeme