Smoked Beef Tongue with Juniper-Red Wine Brine
Beef tongue is cured in an aromatic juniper-red wine brine and then hot smoked until it becomes buttery tender. The combination of red wine, juniper, and cloves gives the meat a deep, complex flavor. After smoking, it can be sliced thin and served warm or cold.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Prepare the brine
20 minutes + coolingBring water, red wine, sugar, juniper, cloves, and pepper to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely to below 4 °C, then stir in the curing salt until fully dissolved.
Curing
5-7 daysSubmerge the cleaned beef tongue completely in the cooled brine, weigh it down with a plate so it stays submerged, and cure for 5-7 days at 2-5 °C in the refrigerator. Turn daily and inspect the brine.
Preparation & Drying
2-3 hoursRemove tongue from brine, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and pat dry. Hang on a smoker hook or place on a rack at room temperature for 2-3 hours until the surface is slightly dry and tacky (pellicle formed).
Smoking
6-8 hoursPreheat smoker to 110-120 °C using beech and cherry wood. Place tongue in smoker and cook until an internal temperature of 88-92 °C is reached. Apply active smoke during the first 3 hours, then smoke can be reduced.
Peeling & Resting
20-30 minutesImmediately after smoking, score the hot tongue with a knife and peel off the rough outer skin – this works best while the tongue is still hot. Then let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing thin against the grain.
Pro Tip
For especially even curing, vacuum-seal the tongue together with the brine in a bag – this reduces curing time to 3-4 days and results in even more flavor.
Glossary Terms
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.