Cured Beef Tongue – Traditional Flavour with a Savoury Note

Beef tongue is one of the traditional cuts of beef and is known for its fine, even texture.

As the tongue is a heavily used muscle, it requires a longer cooking time. When cooked slowly, however, it becomes exceptionally tender and juicy.

The curing process gives the beef tongue its characteristic pink colour and pleasantly savoury flavour. Compared with uncured beef tongue, it already has a more pronounced seasoning and slight saltiness.

What is cured beef tongue?

Curing involves treating the meat with salt or curing brine. This changes both the colour and flavour of the meat.

Typical characteristics of cured beef tongue include:

• its characteristic pink colour
• a savoury, slightly salty flavour
• a tender and juicy texture after cooking
• versatile uses in both traditional and modern dishes

Cured beef tongue is especially common in classic European meat dishes.

What does cured beef tongue taste like?

Beef tongue has a rich yet balanced beef flavour.

The curing process adds a savoury and slightly salty note. After slow cooking, the meat becomes exceptionally soft and develops a fine, almost buttery texture.

This makes beef tongue very different from classic steak cuts and gives it a distinctive character of its own.

Cured or uncured beef tongue?

The main difference lies in flavour and seasoning.

Uncured beef tongue has a more natural, pure beef flavour and can be seasoned entirely according to personal preference during cooking.

Cured beef tongue, on the other hand, already has a characteristic savoury flavour and slight saltiness and develops its typical pink colour through the curing process.

Which version is preferable therefore mainly depends on personal taste and the dish being prepared.

What goes well with cured beef tongue?

Cured beef tongue is traditionally served sliced with a sauce.

Good accompaniments include:

• Madeira sauce
• horseradish sauce
• rich gravy
• potatoes or mashed potatoes
• dumplings
• root vegetables
• red cabbage

Once cooked, the tongue can also be sliced and briefly pan-seared or grilled. This creates roasted flavours on the outside while keeping the meat tender inside.

Preparing Cured Beef Tongue

Cured beef tongue is best cooked slowly and gently in liquid.

Rinse the tongue briefly under cold water and place it in a sufficiently large pot.

Cover with water and add vegetables and spices to taste. Suitable ingredients include:

• onions
• carrots
• celery
• leek
• bay leaves
• peppercorns
• juniper berries

As the beef tongue has already been cured, additional salt should be used sparingly at first. It is best to taste the cooking liquid towards the end of the cooking time before adding any more salt.

How long should cured beef tongue cook?

Bring the liquid to the boil once, then reduce the heat.

The beef tongue should then simmer gently rather than boil vigorously.

Depending on its size, it usually requires approximately 2.5 to 4 hours.

The tongue is ready when the meat feels noticeably tender when pierced.

Removing the skin

After cooking, remove the beef tongue from the cooking liquid and allow it to cool briefly.

The firm outer skin is easiest to remove while the tongue is still warm. Carefully make a small cut in the skin and peel it away piece by piece.

The tongue can then be sliced and served immediately.

Traditional serving suggestion

Cured beef tongue pairs particularly well with rich sauces.

A classic combination is beef tongue with Madeira sauce, potatoes or dumplings and vegetables.

Horseradish sauce also pairs very well with the savoury flavour of the cured meat.

Pan-seared or grilled

For a more modern preparation, allow the cooked and peeled beef tongue to cool completely and then cut it into slices approximately 1 to 2 cm thick.

The slices can then be seared briefly over high heat in a pan or on the grill.

This creates a delicious crust on the outside while the meat remains particularly tender inside.

Ingredients:
Beef tongue, water, nitrite curing salt (table salt, preservative: sodium nitrite [E250]), sugar.

Nutritional values: (per 100 g)*
Energy: 893 kJ / 214 kcal
Fat: 16.0 g
of which saturated fatty acids: 6.5 g
Carbohydrates: 0.5 g
of which sugars: 0.5 g
Protein: 16.5 g
Salt: 2.5 g

*The nutritional values for beef tongue are approximate values and refer to the raw state of the meat.