I finally decided to share my take on my favorite tacos: tacos de lengua. Yes, lengua, as in beef tongue. Now hear me out, before you turn your nose up to cooking and eating beef tongue, I’ll have you know that it tastes just like a regular cut of beef would and that the majority of untraditional beef cuts that aren’t super popular: the tongue, cheeks, head, and other offal, are absolutely delicious.

Traditionally, beef tongue is cooked for a very long time to allow the meat to break down easily and get tender. And typically, it’s pressure cooked to allow easy cleaning and trimming of the tongue itself and the meat is then usually grilled for tacos or braised and slow-cooked in a stew.

Growing up, my mom would often make meals that included cuts of meat that I didn’t know much about and this cut of meat was no exception. We often ate stewed lengua (that recipe can be found here) or she would make us her version of tacos with the beef tongue after having enjoyed from our local Mexican restaurants and trucks in town. And that’s what I love most about cooking humble meals and incorporating all kinds of ingredients together; the time and energy spent on the dish itself can definitely be felt in the process when it comes all together, stewed or not.

And trust me, the end result is worth the relatively easy effort! These tacos take quite some time from start to finish, but they’re worth the trouble. I decided to break up the prep over two days, by pressure cooking the lengua the first day and then smoking and slow-roasting the beef tongue the next day. If you don’t have a smoker, that’s totally fine, you can just put the pressure cooked tongue in a dutch oven with a lid and roast it low and slow in the oven with a little bit of broth.

Tacos de Lengua (Beef Tongue Tacos)

Cook time: 3 hours

Serves: 6-8

1 4lb beef tongue

3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup Simple Sofrito

1 medium onion, halved

6 garlic cloves, whole

2 large bay leaves

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo

Liquid Smoke seasoning, a few shakes as needed

Water, as needed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp chili powder spice blend

1/4 cup reserved broth (see note)

Corn tortillas, for serving

1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 medium white onion, finely diced

Lime wedges, for serving

Hot sauce, for serving

Spicy Pickled Carrots, for serving

Note: reserve, portion, and freeze the broth after pressure cooking the lengua for chilis, soups, and sauces as needed. Save about 1 cup for cooking and serving the tacos.

Add the beef tongue, bacon, sofrito, onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, chipotle peppers and liquid smoke to the pressure cooker and add enough water to fill up to machine’s max fill line.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and pressure cook the beef tongue on high for 1 hour and then use a natural release setting. Once it’s safe to open the pressure cooker, remove the beef tongue and set aside to cool. Strain and set aside the broth. Save 2 cups of broth for cooking the lengua for the tacos and freeze the rest for another day. When the lengua is cool enough to handle, peel off the outer membrane and any excess tough tendons and discard. 

If you have a smoker, smoke the lengua on 225ºF for 1 1/2 hours. If you don’t have a smoker, simply place the lengua in an oven safe dutch oven or roasting pan, add 2 cups of the reserved broth to the bottom and then slow roast for 225º for 1 1/2 hours. At this rate, the tongue should tender to the touch. When cool enough to handle, slice into thick slices and then cube.

Heat up a cast iron skillet with the vegetable oil over medium heat. Once hot, sautė the cubed beef tongue and season with the chili powder spice blend and the reserved broth from pressure cooking until crisp on the edges and well-coated with the seasoning.

Serve with warm corn tortillas (I prefer mine super charred and burnty), cilantro, white onion, lime, your favorite hot sauce and some pickled carrots.

¡Buen provecho!