Beef, calf or lamb tongue is a highly underrated cut of meat, yet it is packed with flavour and very easy to prepare. Tender and fatty, its delicate flavour is more subtle than other offal such as the liver or kidney. Plus, when it comes to conveying rock and roll during a dinner with mates, nothing quite says ‘rock and roll’ like a bit of tongue. Just look at Gene Simmons of KISS, a rock icon that (allegedly) has slept with over 3000 women yet is undoubtedly one of the ugliest motherfuckers on the planet. How is this possible? Tongue, that’s how. 

This recipe is great for barbecues: Don’t forget to poach the tongue the day before, and when the grill is ready to cook, casually present the language to the table and parade it around the gathering. If you have squeamish guests, don’t tell them this is what you’re preparing. Make them face it head-on once they arrive, and if they shudder in disgust,  send them to the shop to buy something more vanilla to cook. Hopefully, the potential trip will be enough of a pain in the ass to make them try the delicacy, in which case they’ll forever be in love with a bit of tongue.

For best results, soak the tongue in salted water for 4-6 hours before cooking. The gribiche can also be made the day before.

Barbecued beef tongue baguette with sauce gribiche 

Serves 4

For the tongue;

1 ox tongue, soaked for 4-6 hours

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half

1 carrot, cut into chunks

2 sticks of celery, cut into chunks

1 small leek, white part only, cut into chunks

10 peppercorns

3 cloves of garlic

Salt

To serve;

Loaf of sourdough - we sourced ours from The Dusty Knuckle

400g of watercress

1 bunch of spring onions

A little olive oil for grilling

For the sauce gribiche;

3 hard-boiled eggs

2 hard-boiled egg yolks 

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

150ml olive oil

25g chopped coranichons

25g chopped Lilliput capers (regular capers will do the job if you can’t get hold of Lilliput ones)

A handful of parsley leaves, chopped

A handful of chervil, chopped

Salt, to taste

Method;

1. Soak the beef tongue in salted water for 4-6 hours.

2. In a large saucepan, place the chopped vegetables, garlic, peppercorns and salt, then add enough water to submerge a tongue and bring to the boil. Add the tongue to the pan and return to the boil before turning it down to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the tongue. It’s ready when the skin begins to blister. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pot.

3. When cooled completely, remove the tongue from the pot, peel away the outer membrane, and trim away any giblets or gristly bits. Keep in the fridge until time to serve.

4. To make the sauce gribiche, mash the 2 hard-boiled yolks with a fork until smooth. Add the mustard and vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil (a little at a time) to create an emulsion. Once thick and creamy, add the cornichons, capers and herbs. Peel and roughly chop the three whole eggs, keeping them chunky, then mix through the sauce—season with salt and pepper to taste. 

To serve

1. Heat the barbecue until it’s stinking fuckin’ hot (this is an actual cooking temperature in Australia; a little cooler than ‘fuck me that’s hot, and a little hotter than damn that’s hot )

2. Cut the bread into thick slices and liberally slather in the sauce gribiche on both sides.

3. Lightly toss the spring onions in the olive oil, season and chargrill on the barbecue. Once cooked, set aside and slice the tongue, season with a bit of salt & pepper and quickly sear the sliced tongue on both sides. The tongue is already cooked, so you are just heating lightly and adding a smoky flavour

4. Fill the sandwich with the tongue, lay the spring onions lengthways and stuff with the watercress. 

All Images by Steve Ryan https://steveryanphotography.com/