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.
An elkmoose or bison tongue, or 4 to 6 deer tongues
1large onion,chopped
5garlic cloves,peeled and crushed
2bay leaves
1tablespoonblack peppercorns,cracked
2tablespoonssalt
A spring of epazote(optional)
3tablespoonslard 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.