Deer Tongue Tacos

5 from 4 votes
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If you learn only one deer tongue recipe, tacos de lengua should be it.

Mexican tongue tacos, or “lengua tacos” as pretty much ever English speaker calls them, are a food truck staple where I live in Northern California, and everyone does it slightly differently. The constant is long-braised meat that’s been peeled (tongues have skin on them that needs to be removed), chopped, shredded or sliced, then seared in lard.

Holding a deer tongue taco ready to eat
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

So good.

If you’re not convinced, remember that tongue is just meat. And since it works all the time (deer chew cud, after all), a deer tongue is dense and full of connective tissue. Super flavorful, rich and meltingly tender, the little browned and seared edges complete things.

Once you chop the deer tongues, they just look like any other meat, so the squeamish need not know what you’re serving.

As to what you serve with your venison tacos de lengua, anything goes.

I prefer little corn tortillas, but flour tortillas, burritos, even the hard shells will work. You can also use this recipe as a filling for green enchiladas or enchiladas rojas.

An array of things to make tacos de lengua
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

You’ll want a typical taco spread, too. My preference is:

  • Chopped cilantro or epazote.
  • Chopped onions soaked in lime juice with a little salt
  • Minced hot fresh chiles, like serranos, habaneros, cayenne or jalapenos
  • Maybe some crumbled dry Mexican cheese like cotija
  • Diced radishes for crunch
  • Avocado adds some more richness. Slice or dice them.
  • A salsa of your choice. I mostly will use homemade salsa verde

I can guarantee you that if you make these deer tongue tacos, you will win over the tongue haters. Just don’t tell them what they’re eating until the last tortilla is gone. I also have another version of tongue tacos, where you grill the braised venison to finish it.

As a side note, if you are not sure how to extract the tongue from the deer, elk, moose, etc. that you hunt, my friend Kevin Kossowan has a tutorial here.

Holding a taco de lengua ready to eat
5 from 4 votes

Deer Tongue Tacos

Keep in mind any tongue will do. Beef is traditional, and I use deer tongue, but lamb, pork, elk, moose, antelope, etc. will all work. I like my tongue sliced thin, shredded or chopped, not in big chunks. It’s up to you. I also like a bit more in the way of toppings, and I especially think a fiery salsa verde or roasted chile salsa, plus some fresh avocado, is a perfect balance with the rich, tender tongue meat. This is beer food. Mexican beer or German lagers, or hell, Budweiser or Miller are just fine here.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 people
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients 

  • An elk moose or bison tongue, or 4 to 6 deer tongues
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • A spring of epazote (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
  • Corn tortillas
  • Salsa, canned or homemade
  • Diced or sliced avocado (optional)
  • Chopped cilantro, onion, radish and serrano chiles

Instructions 

  • Simmer the tongue. Put the tongue or tongues in a large pot and cover it with water by 2 inches. Bring the water to a simmer and add the onion, garlic, bay, black peppercorns, epazote and salt. Simmer the tongue until the sharp point of a thin knife will pierce it easily, about 2 to 3 hours.
  • Prep the tongue. When the meat is tender, set it on a cutting board to cool somewhat. When it’s just barely cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. You can do all this up to a week ahead if you want. Just cool the peeled tongue and wrap in plastic wrap, it’ll keep in the refrigerator a week.
  • Brown the meat. When you’re ready to make the tacos, cut the tongue meat into large pieces. Sear in the lard until they’re nicely browned, then chop roughly. Serve on warm corn tortillas with the salsa, avocado, cilantro and other garnishes.

Nutrition

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 2327mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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