How Long to Boil Beef Tongue: By Weight, Pressure Cooker, Peeling

Time is counted from the boil; after that the tongue simmers gently, covered. A Russian catering technical card gives 2-4 hours for beef tongue, and cookery publications 2.5 to 4 hours depending on size. An average beef tongue weighs 1.3-1.75 kg (3-4 lb).

These times are a guide: tongue from an older animal takes longer. Checking with a fork is more reliable than the clock. For safety, 71 °C (160 °F) in the centre would be enough, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) minimum for variety meats, but tongue turns tender much later.

• Size. An average beef tongue weighs 1.3-1.75 kg (3-4 lb). One under 1 kg is more likely veal: more tender and quicker to cook.
• Colour. A fresh tongue is pinkish-purple and springy: a dent from your finger fills back quickly.
• Smell. Clean and meaty. A sour or musty smell means it has gone off.
• The root end. No dark patches or slime, and only a little fat.
• Frozen. No thick layer of ice or signs of refreezing. Thaw it in the fridge, which takes about a day.

• Thaw frozen tongue in the fridge, which takes about a day.
• If you like, soak the tongue in cold water for 30-40 minutes. It is optional: in catering, tongue is simply washed thoroughly. Keep it in cold water or in the fridge: raw meat should not sit in the warm for more than 2 hours.
• Scrub the tongue well with a brush or scrape it with a knife under running water, especially the rough top and the root.
• Trim excess fat, bits of cartilage and blood clots from the root. The rest is easier to remove after cooking.

1. Put the tongue in a pot and cover with water by 3-4 cm, about 1.5-2 litres per kilogram. Keep it fully submerged the whole time: top up with boiling water if the level drops.
2. Bring to the boil over medium heat and skim off the foam.
3. Turn the heat down so the water barely trembles, and cover. A hard boil makes the tongue tougher and the broth cloudy.
4. Add a carrot, an onion and parsley or celery root 40 minutes before the end.
5. Add salt 20-30 minutes before the end, about 1 tsp per litre of water, together with peppercorns. Add a bay leaf 10 minutes before the end.
6. Test with a fork near the root, in the thickest part: it should go in easily and the juices should run clear.
7. Move the tongue straight into cold water for 3-5 minutes and peel it while it is still warm.
8. Return the peeled tongue to the hot broth for 10-15 minutes so it stays juicy and takes up the salt evenly.

• A fork or thin knife slides easily into the thickest part near the root, with no resistance in the centre.
• The juices run clear, with no pink tinge.
• The skin at the tip blisters and starts to lift by itself.
• If the skin clings and comes off in bits, the tongue is undercooked: return it to the broth for 15-20 minutes.

Every source agrees on one rule: peel the tongue while it is warm. Once it cools, the skin sticks and is almost impossible to remove. The cold water is only there so you can handle it.

1. Lift the tongue out of the simmering broth and put it in a bowl of cold water for 3-5 minutes.
2. Cut into the skin at the root and peel it towards the tip, like a stocking.
3. If the skin tears, make a lengthways cut along the underside and peel it off in strips.
4. Trim the fat, small bones and cartilage from the root.
5. If the skin will not come off at all, the tongue is undercooked: return it to the boiling broth for 15-20 minutes.

• Undercooked. The most common reason: a 1.5 kg tongue is still firm after 2 hours. Return it to the broth and cook until a fork goes in easily.
• A hard boil. Over high heat the muscle fibres contract. Keep it at a gentle simmer, covered.
• An older animal. A large tongue from an older animal can take up to 4 hours.
• Cooled without broth. Sliced tongue that has dried out on the surface seems tougher. Store it in the broth or wrapped in film.

Catering technical cards add salt 15-30 minutes before the tongue is done. That makes it easier not to oversalt, since the broth reduces noticeably over 3 hours. The popular belief that early salt makes tongue tough has no evidence behind it: British recipes salt the water from the start and even brine the tongue before cooking. Choose whichever suits you.

There is no safety reason to pour off the first water: catering kitchens do not, they only skim the foam. At home, some cooks discard the water 10-15 minutes after the boil and cover the tongue with fresh boiling water for a paler broth. That is a matter of taste.

Pressure cooker

• Cover a 1-1.5 kg tongue with water and cook for 45-60 minutes at pressure.
• Let the pressure release naturally, 15-20 minutes.
• If the skin does not peel easily, cook for another 10-15 minutes.
• Sources vary from 25 to 90 minutes, so check with a fork the first time.

Multicooker

• "Stew" or "Soup" mode: the same time as on the stove, 2.5-3.5 hours for a 1-1.5 kg tongue.
• Do not fill above the max line; skim the foam after 15 minutes.
• Add salt 15-20 minutes before the end.

• Veal: less than half the weight of beef tongue, 0.5-0.8 kg, and takes 1.5-2 hours.
• Pork: 0.2-0.4 kg, takes 1.5-2.5 hours depending on size. See the recipe for boiled pork tongue.
• Lamb: small, takes 1-1.5 hours.
• All tongues are peeled the same way: warm, after a short dip in cold water. Pork tongue skin sometimes peels badly and can be left on.

• Cool the tongue and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking. To keep it from drying out, store it in the broth or wrap it tightly in film.
• Boiled tongue keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• It keeps in the freezer for up to 2-3 months: freeze it whole or sliced in broth.
• Raw tongue keeps in the fridge for no more than 1-2 days.

Cold tongue is sliced thinly across the grain and served with horseradish and mustard. It also goes into:

• Tongue in aspic with gelatine: it comes out clear if you strain the broth through muslin.
• Tsarsky salad with tongue.
• Favourite salad with tongue and pickled mushrooms.
• Tongue in garlic sauce.
• Hot tongue with mashed potatoes and horseradish sauce.

Times for other meat: how long to boil pork and how long to boil kholodets.

100 g of simmered beef tongue has 284 kcal, 19 g of protein and 22 g of fat, according to the USDA. A Russian catering technical card gives 242 kcal for boiled tongue. Veal tongue is leaner, about 200 kcal, and pork tongue about 270 kcal per 100 g.