Beef Tacos De Lengua
Tender beef tongue is browned and folded into warm corn tortillas with salsa verde, avocado, cilantro, onion, and radish for rich, bright tacos.
Prep 35 min · Cook 3 hr 40 min · Total 4 hr 17 min · Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
- 1 3-4 lb beef tongue
- 2 large onions, peeled
- The cloves from 1 head of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 6-7 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp of peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp salt
- Vegetable oil
- Corn tortillas
- Salsa verde
- Avocados
- Cilantro
- Chopped red onion
- Thinly sliced radishes for garnish
Directions
- Set a large stock pot, 12-quart if you have one, on the stove and pour in enough water to reach two-thirds of the way up. Add the tongue, onions, crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt.
- Bring the pot up to a boil, then lower the heat so the liquid gently simmers. Put the lid on and cook for 3 hours, until the tongue feels tender and soft when pressed. Lift the tongue out of the cooking liquid and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes.
- Look for the pale outer layer that covers most of the tongue. Pull it away with your fingers, using a small sharp knife where needed, and discard it.
- At the base, you’ll see a coarser section where the tongue connected to the bottom of the mouth. Trim off that piece if you prefer a smoother texture, or leave it in place if you do not mind it.
- Cut the tongue into 1/4-inch slices. If you are not using all of it for tacos right away, leave the unsliced portion in the cooking liquid so it stays moist.
- Warm a little vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the tongue slices and cook them on each side until they take on a light brown color.
- Transfer the browned slices out of the pan. Cut them into strips first, then turn the strips and cut across them to make small cubes.
- Warm the tortillas on the stove-top until they puff with little air pockets, or heat them in the microwave for about 10 seconds per tortilla. Spoon a generous amount of meat into the middle of each tortilla, then top with salsa verde, chopped avocado, onion, and fresh cilantro. Finish with radish slices.