Prep Time
Cook Time
Serves
4-6
Ingredients
2 to 3 pounds deer or elk tongues 3 quarts cold water 3 large white onions
peeled 2 dried ancho chile peppers 1 dried New Mexico chile pepper 1 head garlic
cloves slightly crushed and peeled 6 bay leaves 2 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons taco seasoning of your choice (recipe here if you would like to make your own) 18 corn tortillas Toppings 1 bunch fresh cilantro
chopped 1/2 cup queso fresco cheese
crumbled (optional) Lime wedges Salsa verde
Cooking Instructions
Start by simmering the tongues to tenderize.
Add the water, 2 of the white onions, quartered, the dried chile peppers, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns to a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil. Finely dice the remaining onion and set it aside as a topping.
Add the tongues to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer, partly covered, for 2 to 3 hours, or until you can stick a sharp knife into the tongue without much resistance. Remove the tongues from the pot and submerge in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Use your fingers or a knife to remove the outer skin from the tongue. Discard the skin. Use a sharp knife to dice the meat into roughly 1/4-inch cubes. Heat the oil up either in a large cast-iron skillet or on a griddle. Sear the tongue, adding the taco seasoning as you do. The meat is already cooked through. You just need to crisp it up, so 3 to 5 minutes should be plenty. Remove the meat to a bowl and cover. Heat the tortillas in the same skillet or on the griddle.
To serve, build a taco. You don’t need me to tell you how to do that. Top the meat with a sprinkling of diced white onion and chopped fresh cilantro. Add a bit of crumbled fresco cheese, if desired. Serve with lime wedges and salsa verde.