Sous Vide Beef Tongue

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Sous Vide Beef Tongue is melt-in-your-mouth tender! The sous vide water bath transforms this tough cut of beef into moist and juicy beef with a braised texture. Enjoy it with truffle mashed potatoes, serve it cold on a sandwich or shred it for tacos!

If you haven’t tried cooking beef tongue yet, I highly recommend cooking it sous vide style! Slow cooking it in this way is hands off and ensures the meat is ultra tender.

Once cooked, it’s browned in a skillet and then sliced and served with a homemade gravy made from the juices the beef is cooked in.

If you love this cow tongue recipe, you’ll love using the sous vide to cook other traditionally tough cuts of beef, including these sous vide beef cheeks and sous vide oxtails!

Or make an in incredible sandwich with this sous vide roast beef or even try one of these sous vide french dips.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum seal bags

You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!

More sous vide beef recipes

• Sous Vide Pot Roast
• Sous Vide Ribeye
• Sous Vide Brisket
• Sous Vide Sirloin

What is beef tongue?

Beef tongue is quite simply a cow’s tongue! Since it’s a well-worked muscle, it tends to be tough so it's best cooked low and slow. That’s why beef tongue recipes often involve boiling or braising.

If you have trouble finding beef tongue at your local grocery store, you can try to special order it or visit your local butcher shop.

And if you're a fan of beef tongue, you'll LOVE this beef heart recipe too!

Why this recipe works

1. Beef tongue benefits from low and slow cooking methods, so it’s ideal for sous vide cooking. After 36 hours of cooking in its own juices in a temperature controlled water bath, this cow tongue is tender, moist and juicy.
2. There is very little active time required for this recipe. Once you seal the tongue in the bag with the other ingredients, it cooks in the water bath with very little fussing!
3. The remaining juices from the bag the tongue is cooked in makes the most amazing and flavorful gravy. You'll wish you had extra!

Ingredients

Please refer to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need a 2-3 pound beef tongue for this recipe. If you can’t find one at your local grocery store, check your local butcher shop.

To season the beef tongue as it cooks, you’ll need butter, white wine, garlic, bay leaf, orange zest, champagne vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, salt and pepper.

I like to use unsalted butter so I can control how salty the beef tongue and gravy turn out. If you only have salted butter, you may wish to reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe.

The main ingredient in the cooking liquid is 1 cup of white wine. I like to use a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc. For the best flavor, I would avoid cooking wines. If you’d like to keep it alcohol free, you can use beef broth like this slow cooker beef bone broth. Just note that it will change the flavor slightly.

You’ll also need 1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar for a hint of tangy flavor. If you don’t have any, you can substitute white wine vinegar.

For a pop of citrusy flavor, the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of orange zest. You can use a zester or the small holes on a box grater to zest an orange. Make sure you just use the orange zest part of the peel and not the white pith underneath.

A little sweetness is added by using 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. You can substitute with coconut sugar if you prefer, or even granulated sugar in a pinch.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 158F degrees.

Place all the ingredients in a vacuum seal bag and seal.

Cook in the water bath for 36 hours.

Remove from the water bath and remove the tongue from the bag, reserving the bag juices to make the gravy.

Let cool to the touch then use your hands to gently peel the skin away from the tongue.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the oil (I prefer avocado oil). Sear the tongue for 30 seconds per side and remove from heat.

Slice and serve with the gravy and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

*To make the gravy, simmer the bag sauce and slowly add the cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon water mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch) until desired thickness is reached. Add more or less slurry as needed. 

Expert tips

1. As beef tongues can be fairly large, make sure you buy one that fits your water bath.
2. Removing air from the bag the food is sealed in is an important step that helps prevent bacteria from entering the bag.
3. As the beef tongue cooks for 36 hours, the water in the water bath may start to evaporate. Make sure the beef tongue is fully submerged in water and top up the bath with water if necessary.
4. The bag may float in the water bath as the beef tongue cooks. To prevent floating, use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight to weigh it down.
5. If air gets in the bag and it starts to float, just open it, let the air out and seal it again.
6. Let the tongue cool slightly before removing the skin, but don’t let it fully cool or it will be difficult to remove the skin.
7. Be careful not to sear the tongue for any longer than 30 seconds per side. You want a crust, but you don’t want the tongue to start to dry out.
8. Don't throw out the bag juices! You'll need it to make the gravy.

Common questions

Storage instructions

The cooked beef tongue and gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. I like to freeze the beef tongue and gravy together as it helps prevent the meat from drying out.

To reheat it, warm the beef and gravy in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top until heated through. 

If it's frozen, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Serving options for beef tongue

In addition to serving it with gravy (which is a must), you can serve this beef tongue with any dish you would normally serve with beef roast or steak, such as:

• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Crispy Roasted Potatoes
• Instant Pot Carrots
• Air Fryer Broccoli
• Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it turned out!