Re-run: Biting the Tongue

Biting The Tongue
I can't say that the thought of eating tongue has ever appealed to me.  I've never had tongue and never thought about having tongue until Eeyore mentioned the buffalo.  I discussed it with Uncle Bern and he told me that my grandfather liked tongue as sandwich meat and would take every opportunity to get the tongue out of a cow and sometimes even a moose.  When I cut the tongue out of the buffalo, it felt like shark skin.  Very course.  Almost hairy.  To quote Rooster Cogburn, "I'd give three dollars for a pickled buffalo tongue!"

But I brought it home and washed it outside and then let my mother-in-law at it.  Unlike most married men, I really do like my mother-in-law.  She's classic in that bygone era sort of way.  Classy, even on her days off.  She's not afraid to cook a tongue and she has been on the shipping end of the very 300 Winchester Magnum that brought down this buffalo (she's only about 5'3 and slim as a rail).  She likes guns and loves to go shooting when I make it out to the range.  She's a mother by nature and a fighter by heart.

Here is the tongue with the skin still on.  Yummy.

Skinning up garlic.  You can never have too much garlic.

Rinsing the tongue

Garlic cloves, peeled.

In the pot.

Basil, oregano and......something else.  I forget.  She cooked it for about 3-4 hours at low heat, then took the skin off.  After taking off the skin, she sliced it into small pieces.  Something to add is that her older brother boils all of his meat.  She says when he's done there is a bit of "scum" on top of the water that looks like dirt.  Even with tongue.  This tongue didn't do that and we were a little shocked by that.  It smelled good in the pot and looked good when cooked.

The taste was similar to roast beef.  The texture, to me, was that of pork.  Was it good?  Yes.  You just had to stop thinking about what you were eating and enjoy the taste.  Ma fried it up later in a pan and I liked it better that way.  It is a little greasy, but good just the same.

Will tongue be in regular rotation on the Hotel family's menu?  No.  Will I eat it occasionally and if times get hard?  Yes.  I'd also consider making some sort of jerky out of it.  For some reason, tongue on the jerky platform appeals to me.  I could also see having it in stews.  Sandwiches?  Not so much.  Just remember the next time you hunt or harvest, this is a viable source of a few pounds of meat.  Trying it won't cost you anything but time.  And maybe a stomach cramp, if you have a weak stomach and active imagination.

I also have the testicles.  I thought about cooking them......but I think they will be a special treat this weekend for my decrepit old beagle.  She needs a taste of the wild.  Every man that I tell about the testicles cringes and usually says something like, "That just ain't right, man."  While I'm curious, I would have to agree.  They are each as big as my fist and are sure to fatten up the ol' mutt. 

Pax Domini Sit Semper Vobiscum,

Mike, Oscar, Hotel....out.