# Pickled Beef Tongue, 3rd time's the charm!



## snorkelinggirl (Apr 18, 2013)

Hi folks,

My cooking project this week has been pickling a couple of beef tongues, and turning one of them into tongue pastrami. The pastrami tongue won't be smoked until Sunday, but I thought I'd post about the pickling process and show the finished pics of the uncured tongue.

I started off making some homemade pickling spice: cracked black pepper, cracked coriander, cracked cinnamon, crumbled bay leaves, dill seeds, caraway seeds, allspice berries, whole cloves, mustard seeds, celery seeds, red pepper flakes.













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__ snorkelinggirl
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I made two containers of brine. One brine recipe is a tried-and-true recipe that I have followed many times for my uncured pickled tongue. The other brine recipe was a new one for me; I followed Bruce Aidells' recipe for the cured pickled beef tongue that I planned to cold smoke. 

"Tried and True" Recipe: 1/2 gallon cold water, 200 grams sugar, 300 grams kosher salt, 1/4 cup pickling spices

Bruce Aidells' Recipe: 1/2 gallon cold water, 1/4 lb (114 grams) sugar, 1/2 lb (227 grams) kosher salt, 1/4 cup pickling spices, 1-1/2 Tbsp cure #1

For both recipes, just mix the water, sugar, salt, and cure (if using) together. Stir for quite a while until everything has dissolved and the brine is clear. Then mix in the pickling spices.













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__ snorkelinggirl
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The "Tried and True" recipe gives a good flavor to the tongue in 4 to 5 days. The Bruce Aidells' recipe specifies 6 days for curing one or two, 2-3 lb tongues.  It should go without saying that you want to wash the tongue well before placing it in the brine; this is actually kind of fun, once you get past the dismembered tongue thing. I mean, if you enjoy the feel of when your cat licks you, you are going to LOVE scrubbing a beef tongue. And if you do it well, you will never experience cleaner fingernails!

Make sure the tongue is fully submerged in the brine. I weight it down with a couple of plates. The Bruce Aidells' recipe specifies to remove the tongue from the brine after 3 days, stir the brine, then replace the tongue back into the brine. Keep the tongue in the refrigerator while it is brining.

It is especially fun to do this in a transparent brining container. And to leave the container near the front of your fridge. Invite people over for dinner, then ask them to get you something out of the refrigerator. This is cheap entertainment at its best.

OK, so my uncured tongue was ready today. At this point just pull the tongue out of the cure, rinse it well, and cover it with cold water in a stock pot. You can add some onion, celery, carrot, and bay leaves to the water if you want (I usually don't). Don't add any additional salt. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 3 1/2 hours.  Pull the tongue out of the water with some tongs, and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes or until you can comfortably handle the tongue.

This is where it gets fun.  Here is the cooked tongue.













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It is mostly covered in a leathery skin which will easily peel off by hand after it is cooked. Look for a handy hole in the skin, or start along the edges, then just pull gently. It will come away easily.













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__ snorkelinggirl
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Almost every recipe for beef tongue that I have looked at simply says to trim the base of the tongue, then slice the tongue and serve. Um....so, there is a dirty little secret about beef tongue. There are some honkin' big nerves that run inside the tongue. Maybe it's just me, but I'm creeped out by the large nerves. Therefore, I've developed a sort-of technique for slicing a beef tongue that gets rid of the bigger nerves before you slice it.  However, if nerves don't bother you, then just slice and go. You rock.

Me, I start off by slicing the tongue in half cross-wise about where the tongue bends and the base starts.













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The thinner end of the tongue has no or very small nerves, small enough where even I am not creeped out by them. This part of the tongue can just be sliced.













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Now we deal with the thicker half of the tongue. Start by slicing away the base of the tongue. This is the part of the tongue that doesn't have taste buds, but has glands and other stuff.













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If you look at the surface you just sliced, you can see that the tongue has sort of channels running along it. The bigger nerves run through these channels and also along the cut surface you just made.













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View media item 216004












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Use a knife to trim inside the 3 channels, but don't cut all the way though the tongue. You might also need to trim a bit more from the top surface that this picture shows, depending on how deep you cut when you removed the base.  This should get rid of the large nerves, leaving you with clean tongue meat.













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You can now slice this section of tongue. The slices will be a bit wonky in shape, but will be nerve free!













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Finally, you can clean the base of the tongue of glands, nerves, and fat to retrieve the remaining meat. This part of the tongue has some long muscle bundles, which are more like brisket in texture than tongue. 













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So there you go!  You now have some lovely slices of pickled beef tongue which are great in sandwiches, tongue tacos, or "as is" with a dab of mustard or horseradish. You can substitute pickled beef tongue in any recipe that calls for corned beef; it is delicious in hash.













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Another way I like to serve it is by making tongue mousse (another Aidells' recipe). It has been a big hit every time I've served it. It uses the pickled beef tongue along with cream cheese, sour cream, shallots, dijon mustard, and sherry.  They are blended in a food processor until smooth, and it is served on sliced baguette or crackers.













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If there is any interest in this post, I'll add to it at the end of the weekend with pictures of the cured and cold-smoked tongue pastrami.

Thanks for looking!

Clarissa


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## mr t 59874 (Apr 18, 2013)

SG, Thank you for the very informative thread, very precise and detailed.  With access to some tongue, this is on my to do list for sure. 

Thanks again.

T


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## moikel (Apr 18, 2013)

Great post .I have done tongue a few ways .I like it  ,brined,smoked then poached. Havent got a lot of love when I have served it at home but I do like it. Nice with beans & pickles.


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## moikel (Apr 18, 2013)

Sorry hit button to soon. I think  your tongue pastrami is closer to how I eat it.Will be checking back for that. Hard to find here now damn yuppies only want things that dont look like an animal part.


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## woodcutter (Apr 18, 2013)




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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 18, 2013)

Mr T 59874 said:


> SG, Thank you for the very informative thread, very precise and detailed.  With access to some tongue, this is on my to do list for sure.
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> T


Hi Mr T,

Thanks so much looking and for the compliment.  I hope that you do get a chance to make this; beef tongue has a unique texture that is addictive. Brining is not absolutely necessary, but it does really enhance the flavor.

Have a great night!

Clarissa

P.S. - I've learned a lot from your smoked cheese posts. I'm thrilled that you liked my post!


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 18, 2013)

Moikel said:


> Great post .I have done tongue a few ways .I like it  ,brined,smoked then poached. Havent got a lot of love when I have served it at home but I do like it. Nice with beans & pickles.





Moikel said:


> Sorry hit button to soon. I think  your tongue pastrami is closer to how I eat it.Will be checking back for that. Hard to find here now damn yuppies only want things that dont look like an animal part.


Hey Mick,

I'm glad you liked my post. I'm excited to see how it comes out after a cold smoke. I know what you mean about love at home....my husband does enjoy eating tongue, but refuses to look at it until it is trimmed and sliced. Even then, he slathers on pickle relish or mustard so that he can't see the taste buds. LOL!

BTW - Do you apply a coating of oil on your beef tongue before smoking? I read about that somewhere, but not sure how necessary it is to keep the tongue from drying out.

Have a great night (day)!

Clarissa


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## chef jimmyj (Apr 18, 2013)

I have eaten Pickled Tongue but never made it. I learned something new about Butchering to remove the Nerves. Nice post...JJ


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 18, 2013)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> I have eaten Pickled Tongue but never made it. I learned something new about Butchering to remove the Nerves. Nice post...JJ


Thank you, Chef.   A compliment from you makes my day!

Have a great one!

Clarissa


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## moikel (Apr 19, 2013)

I dont coat it in oil,just a brine with bits & pieces cure 1# like its bacon then cold smoke it .It comes out a bacon colour then I poach it,then go from there. I posted it before & pig tongues but I lack the computer savvy to express how to get those posts moved over to our whiz bang new nose to tail section. I inject them with brine mix. Its fairly fatty so I dont get the drying out thing  unless the smoker is to hot.I figure if I am poaching anyway I dont need to hot smoke it.

I like to then slice it & add it to sausage & bean style things or just tongue & those little puy lentils.I also recreated a dish I ate in Italy which was sort of a sweet & sour thing with pickled vegetables. I posted it. It does make a lovely sandwich filling.

Its funny how the look of things effects people.Doesnt bother me & I figure a whole lot of things get ground up for frankfurts etc.But then I  am the guy that posted pigs ears Sichuan style
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I do like that the look of that mousse
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.I was a sucker for that style of thing whenever I saw it in Europe.


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## Bearcarver (Apr 19, 2013)

Awesome Post!!!

I haven't had tongue for many years!!! Always liked how tender it was.

I would remove the big nerves too!!!

Great Tutorial !!!!

Have you ever smoked a tongue?

Bear


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## dirtsailor2003 (Apr 19, 2013)

Great post Clarissa! Cash and Carry has had tongue really cheap, so I may pick one up. Interested in seeing how the other one turns out. Nice write up!


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (Apr 19, 2013)

awesome...I have two tongues in my freezer I have been meaning to fix...have been leaning towards curing, cold smoking and poaching.  I really like your idea of making a spread for crackers with it...there is a sausage place here in denver (Continental Sausage) that makes blood sausage with tongue in it that I might also give a shot at....but it will all require planning and me not working 60 hours a week (which could be a rant in itself)...also have a beef heart I need to figure out something to do with.  Great post...thanks.


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (Apr 19, 2013)

Have a question about your brine...did it penetrate sufficiently without injecting or slicing or putting holes into the tough skin prior to submerging?  Did you inject your curing solution into the tongue?


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## daveomak (Apr 19, 2013)

Moikel said:


> *  I posted it before & pig tongues but I lack the computer savvy to express how to get those posts moved over to our whiz bang new nose to tail section.*


Mick, morning......  copy and paste the thread links, you want moved, in a PM to me....   I will forward that info to someone who has the keys to moving stuff around.....  That goes for other members also....  

Be sure to make it known what forum you want the threads moved to...... "Nose to tail" forum I assume....  

We are trying to get things moved to the "right" forum, as soon as they are posted now....   Historic forums as time goes on.....   But we do need your help in getting threads to the right forum.....    

Thanks......  Dave


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 19, 2013)

Moikel said:


> I dont coat it in oil,just a brine with bits & pieces cure 1# like its bacon then cold smoke it .It comes out a bacon colour then I poach it,then go from there. I posted it before & pig tongues but I lack the computer savvy to express how to get those posts moved over to our whiz bang new nose to tail section. I inject them with brine mix. Its fairly fatty so I dont get the drying out thing  unless the smoker is to hot.I figure if I am poaching anyway I dont need to hot smoke it.
> 
> I like to then slice it & add it to sausage & bean style things or just tongue & those little puy lentils.I also recreated a dish I ate in Italy which was sort of a sweet & sour thing with pickled vegetables. I posted it. It does make a lovely sandwich filling.
> 
> ...


Hey Mick,

The mousse is pretty dang tasty. Dinner guests that I'm sure would shy away from eating a slice of tongue, had no trouble eating the mousse slathered on toasted baguette slices. The recipe is from Bruce Aidells' "The Great Meat Cookbook". I've been really pleased with this cookbook, and would recommend it.  The recipe calls for 1 1/4 lbs smoked or pickled tongue, 1 cup sour cream, 8 oz cream cheese (containing guar gum), 1 Tbsp dijon mustard, 1/4 cup finely minced shallot, 2 Tbsp dry sherry, S&P. Finely chop the tongue, then blend all ingredients to a smooth puree. Add additional sherry, salt and pepper to taste. Chill until firm. The recipe also calls for 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, but I left this out as I thought it would distract from the texture of the mousse.

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 19, 2013)

Bearcarver said:


> Awesome Post!!!
> 
> I haven't had tongue for many years!!! Always liked how tender it was.
> 
> ...


Hey Bear,

Thank you for the compliments!! 

Stay tuned!  I have another tongue curing right now. I will cook and peel it Saturday, smoke it on Sunday, let it rest overnight then slice on Monday. I'll post an update to say how it goes.

Have a great weekend!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 19, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Great post Clarissa! Cash and Carry has had tongue really cheap, so I may pick one up. Interested in seeing how the other one turns out. Nice write up!


Thank you Case!  

Hope you have a great weekend!
Clarissa


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## Bearcarver (Apr 19, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> Hey Bear,
> 
> Thank you for the compliments!!
> 
> ...


Sounds Great---I'll be back!!!

Bear


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 19, 2013)

ifitsdeadsmokeit said:


> awesome...I have two tongues in my freezer I have been meaning to fix...have been leaning towards curing, cold smoking and poaching.  I really like your idea of making a spread for crackers with it...there is a sausage place here in denver (Continental Sausage) that makes blood sausage with tongue in it that I might also give a shot at....but it will all require planning and me not working 60 hours a week (which could be a rant in itself)...also have a beef heart I need to figure out something to do with.  Great post...thanks.





ifitsdeadsmokeit said:


> Have a question about your brine...did it penetrate sufficiently without injecting or slicing or putting holes into the tough skin prior to submerging?  Did you inject your curing solution into the tongue?


Thank you for the compliment!  I'll be smoking the cured tongue on Sunday and slicing it Monday. I'll let you know about cure penetration after I've sliced it. The recipe I followed didn't say to inject or poke holes in the skin, although I have seen other recipes specify that. I'm also curious to see how the cure penetrates. Hopefully it will be OK! 

I posted the recipe for the tongue mousse in my reply to Moikel (see above).  It was from Bruce Aidells' "The Great Meat Cookbook".  It was great, I highly recommend the mousse.

In regards to the heart. I've pasted my favorite recipe for beef heart down below. I personally think that heart is best when marinated and just seared rare or medium rare on the grill. If you overcook it, it develops a flavor a bit like liver.  Heart also makes outstanding jerky, as it is very finely grained. It takes longer to dehydrate as compared to other cuts like sirloin or london broil. My husband always says that he and his buddies fight over the heart jerky when at deer camp; they don't move on to regular jerky until the heart jerky is eaten. If you use the heart for jerky, it doesn't matter which way you slice it, as there isn't any grain in heart muscle to speak of.  To slice for heart jerky, I find it easiest to slice the heart while still mostly frozen. Slice the heart open and lay flat like a book. Trim out the fat from the top of the heart and remove the valves. Then just slice the heart. Once sliced, you can cut away the remaining connective tissue and silverskin from the perimeter of the slices very easily.

I'll update this post on Monday with the cure penetration results. Check back then!

Hope you have a great weekend!
Clarissa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grilled Marinated Beef Heart with Balsamic Butter Reduction

Serves 2

1 pastured beef heart, sliced lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced, divided
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
1 fresh rosemary sprig, leaves removed and minced
1 fresh thyme sprig, leaves removed and minced
2-3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into little pats
4 cups (lightly packed) mixed salad greens
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Spread the heart open. Cut the heart into manageable steaks following natural divisions in the heart. Remove the fat from the top of the heart. Remove the valves, connective tissue, and silverskin from the inside of the heart to get down to clean steak meat. Remove the blood vessels and silverskin from the outside of the heart to get down to clean steak meat. To ensure that the steaks are of roughly the same thickness, just use the thicker steaks (from the ventricles) for this recipe. The thinner steaks (from the atria) can be reserved for another use such as grinding for ground beef or slicing thinly and stir-frying with onions and peppers.

Place the thick heart steaks in a large rectangular casserole dish. Season both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix minced garlic cloves, olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the heart steaks and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat grill. Remove the steaks from the marinade. Grill for about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. While steaks are grilling, prepare the balsamic butter reduction. When steaks have finished grilling, let them rest while finishing the reduction.

Simmer 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half and reaches a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Whisk in butter, one pat at a time, allowing melted butter to be fully incorporated with the balsamic reduction before adding more butter. Reduction should become glossy with the consistency of a thick syrup. Remove from heat and use immediately, as the reduction will thicken as it cools.

Slice the steaks thinly and serve on a bed of mixed greens with balsamic butter reduction drizzled on top and sprinkled with crumbled gorgonzola cheese.


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## chef jimmyj (Apr 20, 2013)

That Heart Recipe sounds Great! I don't know if it will fly with my family but the marinade and sauce would be good on Grill strips of Flank Steak or Skirt Steak as a Soft Taco...JJ


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## Bearcarver (Apr 20, 2013)

Gotta agree with JJ on that Heart recipe.

Gotta try that with my next Deer Heart!!!

Bear


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## diggingdogfarm (Apr 20, 2013)

Looks great, Clarissa!!!!
I love pickled heart and tongue.



~Martin


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 20, 2013)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> That Heart Recipe sounds Great! I don't know if it will fly with my family but the marinade and sauce would be good on Grill strips of Flank Steak or Skirt Steak as a Soft Taco...JJ





Bearcarver said:


> Gotta agree with JJ on that Heart recipe.
> 
> Gotta try that with my next Deer Heart!!!
> 
> Bear





DiggingDogFarm said:


> Looks great, Clarissa!!!!
> I love pickled heart and tongue.
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the compliments, guys!!

The balsamic reduction is yummy....I can eat the leftovers with a spoon. It is best if you use a sweeter/less-acidic balsamic vinegar, although you could add a pinch of sugar and/or a bit more butter if the reduction initially comes out too tart for your taste.  If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, the TJ's house brand of balsamic vinegar works great in this.

Have a great weekend guys, and thanks again for looking!

Clarissa


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## moikel (Apr 21, 2013)

I like the sound of that recipe a lot,haven't tried beef heart yet but it's in the store. Some of the Peruvian recipes for heart use red wine vinegar,wonder where the combination started.


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## squish (Apr 21, 2013)

Yes i would love to see more pics.


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 21, 2013)

I'm pleased that the beef heart recipe has garnered some interest. I've got a heart in the freezer, so will plan on making the recipe sometime in the next week so that I can show some pics. For clarity, I'll post it in it's own thread.

Thanks again for the interest!!

Also, beef tongue pastrami is finished. I'm giving the pastrami a day to mellow before I serve it, so I'll edit this thread with the pastrami pictures tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Clarissa


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## moikel (Apr 21, 2013)

.This has turned out to be a pretty active section of the forum. Dave Omack very helpfully move some of my old threads to their new home. I am looking forward to seeing if we turn out the same tongue dish from opposite ends of the world
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.I posted my version a while back .


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 22, 2013)

I finished up Part 2 of this project by curing, cooking, peeling, and then finally cold smoking my second tongue.

It was cured for 7 days using the cure recipe I discussed in the original post. I did NOT inject or remove any of the tongue peel before curing it, as the Bruce Aidells' recipe hadn't specified to do that (the tongue did have a puncture in it from the butchering process). The recipe called for 6 days of cure, but at the last minute I decided to go for an extra day just for extra margin on cure penetration. In compensation, I then rinsed and soaked the tongue in cold water for 30 minutes. I then covered it in fresh water, brought the water to a boil, dropped to a simmer, and simmered for 3 1/2 hours. I pulled the tongue out after 3 1/2 hours, let it cool for 15 minutes, then peeled it and removed the obvious fat and glands from the base of the tongue.

Here is a picture of the tongue after it has been peeled and cleaned up a little.













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While the tongue was still warm, I then gave it a black pepper and coriander rub. I was afraid the rub wouldn't stick to the cooked tongue, so I ground the pepper and coriander rather than leaving them cracked. I also went kind of light on the rub. As it turned out, the rub held on just fine. Next time I would go heavier on the rub.













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After the rub was applied I put the tongue in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to dry off and cool down. After it felt dry to the touch, I covered it in saran wrap and let it stay in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, I put the cold tongue in the smoker and cold-smoked for 6 hours using my AMNS filled with 1/3 hickory, 1/3 cherry, and 1/3 maple dust (homemade pitmaster blend). I cold smoked the tongue for 6 hours, and the smoker chamber temp started at around 64 deg and ended up around 78 deg.













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After pulling the tongue out of the smoker, I covered it in saran wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Then I sliced the tongue in half through the thickest part to check on how the cure penetration looked.  Looks good!  Evenly pink throughout!  The white areas in this picture are just the fat in the tongue.













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And here we are all sliced up thinly. I sliced off the base of the tongue, but didn't use my special "de-nerving" method because the nerves changed to a pink color with the cure, and it was harder to see them. So I left them in. To be honest, they aren't noticeable at all when you eat the tongue.

The smoke taste was a little strong the day I smoked the tongue, so I just covered the sliced tongue in saran wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a day. I've just tried them this evening, and the smoke has mellowed out nicely. The tongue has a nice mild pastrami taste. It is very tasty, but might benefit from using additional pickling spice when you boil it.  The salt level is good, maybe even a touch on the low side. So next time, I won't bother to soak the tongue before boiling it. Also, 7 day cure worked fine.  I'd definitely go with a heavier coating of the black pepper/coriander rub, but do put on the rub immediately after peeling the tongue so that the rub will stick on. I also might just stick with straight apple or cherry next time I smoke.













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I'm really pleased with how the tongue pastrami turned out, and I think this method of curing-cooking-peeling-coldsmoking worked well. I'd definitely do it again. 

Thanks for following this thread!

Clarissa


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## moikel (Apr 22, 2013)

Love it,looks brilliant.Colour is perfect.Nice work tweaking the spice rub. Great post.I will do mine this way from now on.Love your work
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Late breaking news Turkish restaurant near me doing "earthy claypot of roasted deboned sheeps head,tongue & brains..a guaranteed  hardcore foody magnet!". According to todays paper. They got me! Butchers daughter not so sure
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.She has us on paleo diet figured its a fit.


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 22, 2013)

OK!  Here is the absolutely last picture I'll subject you all too.

This is a great way to finish the tongue pastrami. I brought 1/2 cup of dark beer and 1 Tbsp ground mustard to a simmer in a small saucepan, then added in slices of the tongue pastrami. I stirred it around a bit, then covered the pan and let the pastrami steam for about 3 minutes. This added in just the right amount of zip to the pastrami, and also got it back to that soft tongue texture that we all love. I served it with braised cabbage and dill pickles for dinner, but it would have been amazing in a sammy with toasted rye bread, sauerkraut, and melted swiss cheese.













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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 22, 2013)

Moikel said:


> Love it,looks brilliant.Colour is perfect.Nice work tweaking the spice rub. Great post.I will do mine this way from now on.Love your work
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey Mick,

Thanks so much for the compliments!  DaveOmak moved your tongue posts over to the Nose to Tail forum....sorry I didn't see those earlier!  They looked great; beautiful pictures, as always.

You totally cannot pass up the opportunity to try the Turkish special. Post a pic if you can get one.

Show Butcher's Daughter this paleo post on offal if she needs a little extra encouragement....

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/tail...de-to-discovering-the-odd-bits/#axzz2RFPcorx7

Clarissa


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## moikel (Apr 22, 2013)

Your method of brine ,poach,skin then smoke is I think a better way to go than the way I did it,brine,smoke poach,skin.

I do like it with white beans & sausage,not cassoulet but same family.

I will post a pic of Turkish dish I can sell it to butchers daughter that she just has to watch me eat it. Turkish food has a lot of offal dishes.

I am an average photographer but I now have a whizz bang waterproof Rollie camera that takes video & audio as well that I am getting the hang of so I can take it on my fishing kayak.Still reading manual & fitting camera mount this w/e. 25th ANZAC Day here public holiday.Its our version of Veterans Day for all Australians who went to war. There will be several thousand Aussies at Gallipoli in Turkey for the dawn service, to commemerate the thousands who died in the failed attempt to invade Turkey in WW1. Not sure what they will make of the food!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Apr 22, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> OK!  Here is the absolutely last picture I'll subject you all too.
> 
> This is a great way to finish the tongue pastrami. I brought 1/2 cup of dark beer and 1 Tbsp ground mustard to a simmer in a small saucepan, then added in slices of the tongue pastrami. I stirred it around a bit, then covered the pan and let the pastrami steam for about 3 minutes. This added in just the right amount of zip to the pastrami, and also got it back to that soft tongue texture that we all love. I served it with braised cabbage and dill pickles for dinner, but it would have been amazing in a sammy with toasted rye bread, sauerkraut, and melted swiss cheese.
> 
> ...


Another fine plate Clarissa!


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## daveomak (Apr 23, 2013)

Holey Krap Clarissa....  You have convinced me to pickle the tongue I have in the freezer....  That is so beautiful.....  Tongue Strami is at the top of the bucket now.....


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## Bearcarver (Apr 23, 2013)

Awesome Job, Clarissa!!!---Over the top----Great Tutorial !!!

The only things I would change are very minor:

After drying for a couple hours in the fridge, instead of wrapping in plastic wrap & putting in fridge overnight, I'd leave it unwrapped this whole time, like I do my Bacon.

After smoking, I'd wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, before slicing. Of course this would be after the initial sampling of fresh smoked tongue from the smoker.

Thanks for the Awesome Post!!!

Bear


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 23, 2013)

Bearcarver said:


> Awesome Job, Clarissa!!!---Over the top----Great Tutorial !!!
> 
> The only things I would change are very minor:
> 
> ...


Thank you so much, Bear!!  Your advice sounds great; I'll make those changes next time I do this.

Thank you again and have a great day!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 23, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> Holey Krap Clarissa....  You have convinced me to pickle the tongue I have in the freezer....  That is so beautiful.....  Tongue Strami is at the top of the bucket now.....


Thank you very much, Dave!!  Hope you have a great day!

Clarissa


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (Apr 23, 2013)

Awesome...love the color...well done....I'm getting mine out of the freezer to be ready to start brining this weekend...


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 23, 2013)

ifitsdeadsmokeit said:


> Awesome...love the color...well done....I'm getting mine out of the freezer to be ready to start brining this weekend...


Excellent!  Have fun!  And thanks so much for the compliments!

Clarissa


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## daveomak (May 1, 2013)

Clarissa, morning....  Well, I pulled the tongue from the freezer and the pack had a hole in it.... Freezer burned on part of it.... Sooooo, I figured the time etc. to pickle was out....   Into the pressure cooker with lots of spices.... If the freezer burn was going to ruin it, I was going to do the least with time etc....  

Good / bad news.... the tongue is great and I probably should have pickled and smoked it.... 

I love the Chef's Choice slicer.... beats the Rival slicer hands down....













1 Sliced Tongue.jpg



__ daveomak
__ May 1, 2013






Plastic wrapped and ready for the vac-bags....   8 oz packs for sammies... 













2 Plastic wrapped ready to vac pack.jpg



__ daveomak
__ May 1, 2013


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## themule69 (May 1, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> Clarissa, morning....  Well, I pulled the tongue from the freezer and the pack had a hole in it.... Freezer burned on part of it.... Sooooo, I figured the time etc. to pickle was out....   Into the pressure cooker with lots of spices.... If the freezer burn was going to ruin it, I was going to do the least with time etc....
> 
> Good / bad news.... the tongue is great and I probably should have pickled and smoked it....
> 
> ...


that looks great Dave. i'm wanting to up grade my slicer. i'm wanting one that will do whole bacon (or cut in thirds) i looked at yours. i just wish the tray was larger i still my go with the Chefs choice.

happy smoken.

david


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## snorkelinggirl (May 1, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> Clarissa, morning....  Well, I pulled the tongue from the freezer and the pack had a hole in it.... Freezer burned on part of it.... Sooooo, I figured the time etc. to pickle was out....   Into the pressure cooker with lots of spices.... If the freezer burn was going to ruin it, I was going to do the least with time etc....
> 
> Good / bad news.... the tongue is great and I probably should have pickled and smoked it....
> 
> ...


Dave, that tongue looks great, and I'm sure will make some fantastic sandwiches.

Dang, those are some pretty slices!  I'll have to check out your Chef's Choice slicer too. I'm jealous!

Even without pickling or smoking, tongue is still delicious.  Enjoy!

Have a great day!

Clarissa


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## ifitsdeadsmokeit (May 1, 2013)

looks great...I have one of mine curing as we speak...now if would just stop snowing....but I guess the cold temps are good for cold smoking....


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

I thought the flavor profile on my last tongue pastrami was a little bland, so over the last couple of weeks I have cured, cooked, peeled, smoked, and rested another tongue. I followed the same method for making tongue pastrami that I used in my posting above, but with a few minor changes that greatly improved the taste of the finished product. This one is the keeper!! Here are the details!

Brine:

8 cups water
200 grams sugar
300 grams kosher salt

1 1/2 Tbsp Insta Cure #1
1/4 cup pickling spices (or you can just use 2 bay leaves, 6 whole cloves, 6 juniper berries, 1 tsp black peppercorns)

Combine the water, sugar, salt, and Cure #1. Stir for a while until the mixture is clear. Then add the pickling spices. Immerse the clean tongue, weigh down with a couple of plates, and let cure for 6 days. Remove the tongue, stir the brine, then replace the tongue after 3 days. Keep refrigerated while brining. 

Cook and peel the tongue as described in the original post. I was a bit concerned about saltiness, so I soaked the tongue in cold water for about 2 hours (with several water changes) before cooking it. I would do it this way next time too, but only because I don't like salty stuff. If you have a normal tolerance of salt, maybe just rinse really well or soak for 1/2 hour.

While the peeled tongue is still warm, coat it in a generous coating of cracked or ground black pepper and coriander.  I went with basically as much rub as the tongue would accept.  It is important to do this while the tongue is warm, otherwise the coating will fall off. Here is a pic.













IMG312.jpg



__ snorkelinggirl
__ May 11, 2013






I refrigerated the tongue uncovered overnight in the frig to dry out.  Cold smoked for 6 hours using a mix of apple and cherry dust using 2 lit ends on the AMNS for most of that time, and only 1 lit end for some of it.  Chamber temp was in the mid 70 to mid 90 deg range. I pulled it out of the smoker, put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to cool off, then covered it in saran wrap and let it rest in the frig for 2 days. I sliced it this morning, and Wow!  it was really good.













IMG313.jpg



__ snorkelinggirl
__ May 11, 2013






Too good to wait until lunchtime to eat, so here are the breakfast shots...













IMG315.jpg



__ snorkelinggirl
__ May 11, 2013


















IMG317.jpg



__ snorkelinggirl
__ May 11, 2013






This 3rd version of the pickled beef tongue is definitely the best, and is now my "go to" tongue pastrami recipe.

Thanks for checking out this post (again), and hope everybody has a great weekend!

Clarissa


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## daveomak (May 11, 2013)

One more killer tongue..  I already stole the entire recipe...   Thank you.....  Dave


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 11, 2013)

Looks Awesome Clarissa!


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 11, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> I thought the flavor profile on my last tongue pastrami was a little bland, so over the last couple of weeks I have cured, cooked, peeled, smoked, and rested another tongue. I followed the same method for making tongue pastrami that I used in my posting above, but with a few minor changes that greatly improved the taste of the finished product. This one is the keeper!! Here are the details!
> 
> Brine:
> 
> ...


Clarissa I am curious about the amount of cure to the amount of liquid in your brine. How did you come up with this ratio? I'm only familiar with Pop's brine which has 1 tbsp/gallon,


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## woodcutter (May 11, 2013)

Great job! Starting another batch right away is the best way to work out a brine recipe. It is not the same as taking notes and then trying in 3 months. Congratulations!


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

DaveOmak said:


> One more killer tongue..  I already stole the entire recipe...   Thank you.....  Dave


Thanks Dave!  Your cooked tongue looked great.  Hope you get an opportunity to try the pickled version soon too!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

Woodcutter said:


> Great job! Starting another batch right away is the best way to work out a brine recipe. It is not the same as taking notes and then trying in 3 months. Congratulations!


Thanks so much, Woodcutter!!   Have a great day!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Clarissa I am curious about the amount of cure to the amount of liquid in your brine. How did you come up with this ratio? I'm only familiar with Pop's brine which has 1 tbsp/gallon,


Hi Case,

Thanks for checking out my re-post!

I just used the recommended Cure #1 amount from the Basic Wet Brine recipe in Bruce Aidells' "The Great Meat Cookbook".  His Pickled Beef Tongue recipe calls out for using a 1/2 gallon of his Basic Wet Brine, and that calls for 3 Tbsp Instacure #1 per gallon water. His recipe also specified curing for 6 days; I went a couple of extra days because at 6 days the cure hadn't penetrated evenly where the weight plates were touching the tongue (my fault for being lazy and not stirring the brine halfway through the cure period).

Well, dang it, Case. Now you've made me curious.  I took the Bruce Aidells' recipe on faith, as he is a reputable source of many meat cookbooks. But now I'm wondering how this compares to Pop's recipe and USDA guidelines. _* I would love it if someone could check my work for me here!!*_

Assumptions:

1 1/2 Tbsp Cure #1 = about 25 grams (assuming 5.5 grams/tsp) = about .055 lbs  (Bruce Aidells' Basic Wet Brine recipe)

1/2 Tbsp Cure #1 = about .018 lbs  (Pop's Brine recipe)

1/2 gallon of water = 4.17 lbs

1 beef tongue = about 3 lbs

USDA Nitrite in Immersed Products:  (nitrite ppm should be between 125 and 200 ppm)

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISDirectives/7620-3.pdf

Method 1 (used for bigger items like shoulders and bellies that take weeks to reach equilibium):

nitrite ppm = lb Cure #1 x .0625 x 1,000,000 x % pickup  / lb pickle

Method 2 (equilibrium curing, generally used for small items with big surface area like pig ears and tails ):  I think Pop's Brine recipe must assume this method (??)

nitrite ppm = lb Cure #1 x .0625 x 1,000,000 / (green weight meat + weight pickle)

If I had followed Pop's recipe using 1 Tbsp Cure #1 per gallon water and cured until equilibrium was reached, then my nitrite ppm using Method 2 would have been:

.018 x .0625 x 1,000,000 / (3 + 4.17) = 156 ppm  (wow! perfect!)

If equilibrium _is_ reached using Bruce Aidells' recipe, the nitrite ppm using Method 2 would have been:

.055 x .0625 x 1,000,000 / (3 + 4.17) = 479 ppm (hmm...not so perfect)

Using Bruce Aidells' recipe where equilbrium is not reached, here are the ppm amounts using Method 1 and assuming some different levels of pickup:

10%:  .055 x .0625 x 1,000,000 x .1 / 4.17 = 82 ppm

25%: .055 x .0625 x 1,000,000 x .25 / 4.17 = 206 ppm

50%: .055 x .0625 x 1,000,000 x .5 / 4.17 = 412 ppm

Hmmm....I really hope that my actual pickup was around 25%.  I didn't weigh my tongue before and after curing, so I have no idea what my actual % pickup was.

Now I'm thinking those 2 extra days of cure weren't such a good idea.......excuse me while I go put on some supplemental oxygen.  (insert labored, panicked, breathing sounds)

So, Case.  I'm glad you asked the question, because it was a good mental exercise. On analysis I don't know where my actual nitrite ppm came in at, although it seems likely it is somewhere between 82 and 479 ppm. Give or take. 

Assuming you cure long enough to reach equilibrium, looks like Pop's Brine recipe is the safest option. I'm going to have to fiddle to see how much salt and sugar that would require. The problem is that beef tongue is boiled, so a lot of salt and sugar get leached out.

Next time I use the Bruce Aidells' recipe I'll weigh the tongue before curing and after the specified 6 days of curing, and see where I actually come out on % pickup and nitrite ppm. I'll also be sure to stir the cure and flip the tongue, so that I can stick with the specified 6 days of cure.

In the meantime, I'm going to EDIT my post above to be consistent with the Bruce Aidells' 6 day cure time, as I didn't appreciate before what a big difference in nitrite ppm the % pickup/cure time would make. A real eye opener.  And here I thought saltiness was the biggest concern.

THANKS!  For asking the question.  I'm interested to hear feedback.

Have a great weekend!

Clarissa


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## chef willie (May 11, 2013)

Well, Clarissa.....Just HOW did I miss this the first time around?? Is tongue an organ??....lol. If not it should be because it's also on my 'will not eat' list. I must admit though, your thread was like a train wreck....I couldn't turn away. Very interesting & well done tutorial on the subject and I'm sure many here are now intrigued with the prospect of doing one. The price of tongue will probably now shoot up due to increased demand by SMF'ers, pissing off many Hispanics. I do admire your work with such things though.....keep rocking' on......Later, Willie


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 11, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> Hi Case,
> 
> Thanks for checking out my re-post!
> 
> ...


In my book, that's way too much math for the weekend!

I hope that maybe Pop's or someone else will chime in at some point!


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## woodcutter (May 11, 2013)

From Pop's post:

You can add any other flavorings you'd like, this is just the basic curing brine. 1 heaping tablespoon of cure is about 1 ounce.  The maximum concentration allowed safely is 3.84 ounces per 1 gallon of brine (24 lbs.per 100 gallons: 16 oz. x 24 = 384 ounces, 1/100th is 3.84 ounces).  You can experiment with different concentrations as long as you keep it between those parameters:







http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

Woodcutter said:


> From Pop's post:
> 
> You can add any other flavorings you'd like, this is just the basic curing brine. 1 heaping tablespoon of cure is about 1 ounce.  The maximum concentration allowed safely is 3.84 ounces per 1 gallon of brine (24 lbs.per 100 gallons: 16 oz. x 24 = 384 ounces, 1/100th is 3.84 ounces).  You can experiment with different concentrations as long as you keep it between those parameters:
> 
> ...


Thanks, Woodcutter!  That helps enormously.

3.84 oz/gallon comes out to around 5 - 6 Tbsp Cure #1 per gallon of brine.  So the 3 Tbsp per gallon brine that I used should be well within the safe range. Whew!  Crisis averted!

Thanks so much!

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

Chef Willie said:


> Well, Clarissa.....Just HOW did I miss this the first time around?? Is tongue an organ??....lol. If not it should be because it's also on my 'will not eat' list. I must admit though, your thread was like a train wreck....I couldn't turn away. Very interesting & well done tutorial on the subject and I'm sure many here are now intrigued with the prospect of doing one. The price of tongue will probably now shoot up due to increased demand by SMF'ers, pissing off many Hispanics. I do admire your work with such things though.....keep rocking' on......Later, Willie


Hey Willie,

Thanks for looking!  Hope you don't have nightmares tonight!  

Thanks much for the compliments!

Clarissa


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## woodcutter (May 11, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> Woodcutter said:
> 
> 
> > From Pop's post:
> ...


I think 3.83 TBS per gallon. Still in the safe zone!


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## diggingdogfarm (May 11, 2013)

The approximately 4 ounces of cure #1 per gallon of water is only safe for a short term 10% pump or pick-up, exceeding the 10% or immersing too long would lead to too much nitrite.
10% pump or 10% pick-up mean that the cured meat should absorb 10% of the brine in relation to its original weight. For immersion or pumped products, the maximum in-going nitrite limit is 200 ppm and that corresponds to adding 4.2 oz (120 grams) of Cure #1 to 1 gallon of water.


~Martin


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

Woodcutter said:


> I think 3.83 TBS per gallon. Still in the safe zone!


Yay!  Thanks again!


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## snorkelinggirl (May 11, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> The approximately 4 ounces of cure #1 per gallon of water is only safe for a short term 10% pump or pick-up, exceeding the 10% or immersing too long would lead to too much nitrite.
> 10% pump or 10% pick-up mean that the cured meat should absorb 10% of the brine in relation to its original weight. For immersion or pumped products, the maximum in-going nitrite limit is 200 ppm and that corresponds to adding 4.2 oz (120 grams) of Cure #1 to 1 gallon of water.
> 
> 
> ~Martin


Hi Martin,

Thanks very much for clarifying. I'll have to measure the cured tongue next time to figure out my % pickup, but as I added the equivalent of 50 grams Cure #1 to 1 gallon of water, sounds like there is plenty of margin if my pickup was higher. 

Thanks again!

Clarissa


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## moikel (May 12, 2013)

So about 120gms to 4 &1/2 litres. I  am always around that. Not that I am really that precise . Just did 3 big hocks,2 bellies & some belly strips.

But back to tongue .If I can find some tongues I will do a few Clarissa's way but without the spice rub.I have a little French mountains dish thats tongue,Toulouse sausage ,bacon & white beans. Its not quite a cassoulet but is from  the same family. Sort of winter fare, 2 weeks out from winter & I am wearing shorts.I will do my best
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.


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## smokinpapist (Feb 15, 2016)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> Another way I like to serve it is by making tongue mousse (another Aidells' recipe). It has been a big hit every time I've served it. It uses the pickled beef tongue along with cream cheese, sour cream, shallots, dijon mustard, and sherry.  They are blended in a food processor until smooth, and it is served on sliced baguette or crackers.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Tongue mousse in an ABT would be amazing. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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