How I Cooked A Whole Cow
Well, at least two halves. I order my grass-fed beef one half of a cow at a time. So along with the filet mignon and the flank steak, I have to work with tongue, heart, and tons of stew meat before I can order another.
I exhausted all the more familiar cuts: seared tenderloin with crawfish butter sauce, Italian meatball soup, t-bone steaks with local crimini mushrooms and thyme, lime marinated flank served over local rice and beans.
I now have to begin the trek into unfamiliar territory.
Starting With The Tongue
When I am preparing to cook something for the first time I generally consult the experts in this order: The Joy of Cooking, the internet, then I browse my cook book collection (or the public library) for more ideas. I find it best to get a good cross-section of recipes before I move forward.
In each one of these places I found the same basic structure information: the tongue is tough, the skin is almost inedible, and it is incredibly versatile as long as you cook it to tender.
Familiar Tastes
Knowing that people would have a hard time wrapping their heads around tongue, I pursued a dish I called tongue pot roast, trying to put it in a frame of reference that most folks would be comfortable with. This pot roast began with a long simmer in aromatic water (infused with black peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic cloves) to both soften the tongue and remove the skin, with. I then peeled the skin off and chopped the tongue up into little pieces.
In a pan, I sautéed onions, garlic, and carrots – added the pieces of tongue and some dark beef stock. I cooked this more until everything was nice and tender and added a flour slurry (cold water and flour) to thicken the liquid into a gravy consistency.
Beef Tongue Pot Roast
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