Corned Tongue Salad

by Jefferson Munroe

This dish takes long-range planning, as you’ll want to brine your tongue for a week. I usually brine two tongues for good measure, and for leftovers. When simmering this recipe I can’t help but imagine myself in a delicatessen somewhere in the New York metropolitan area with cured meats hanging from strings and yellowed light fixtures illuminating glistening lox.

Ingredients

  • Brine:
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups kosher salt
  • 12 juniper berries
  • 12 cloves
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 gallon water
  • Salad:
  • 1 (or more!) brined beef tongue(s)
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 2 leeks, cleaned
  • 2 onions, peeled
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 head of garlic, skin on
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • a bunch of fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaves tied together
  • fresh greens
  • pickled beets
  • horseradish dressing
Corned Tongue Salad

Sybil Teles

Corned Beef Tongue Salad. You can also use the brine from this recipe for other meats like pork belly.

Brine: Bring all ingredients to a boil in a non-reactive pot until the salt and sugar dissolve, then transfer to your brining vessel and let cool. When cold, add the tongue(s) and place container in the refrigerator. Leave to soak for 7 days.


Salad: Rinse the ox tongue under cool water then place in a pot with the carrots, leeks, onions, celery, garlic, peppercorns, and herbs. Cover with cold water and bring up to a simmer, then lower the heat to tremble for 3-4 hours. When a knife easily penetrates the tongue, you know it’s done. Peel the tongue and allow to cool. Once cool, slice the tongue thinly and drape over your plate of greens and beets. Drizzle with horseradish dressing and serve. Fry up your leftovers with eggs and hash browns.


Horseradish Dressing: Mix all ingredients together, lighten with a splash of water if you want a more photogenic drizzle.