Beef, variety meats and by-products, tongue, raw

Beef tongue is a dense, well-worked muscle that needs long, slow braising or simmering, often for several hours, to break down its connective tissue into a tender, richly beefy meat, traditionally peeled of its outer skin after cooking. It shows up sliced thin for tacos de lengua, in Eastern European aspics and cold cuts, or braised whole and served with a mustard or horseradish sauce, prized for its fine-grained texture once properly cooked. A pressure cooker can shorten the long braising time considerably while still producing the same tender result.

Raw, it has 224 calories per oz (28 g) on a per-100 g basis, 14.9 g protein, and 16.1 g fat, with protein reaching 30% of the daily value and iron at 16%, while sodium stays low at 69 mg. Because it's a variety meat, freshness matters more than with primal cuts, so raw tongue should be used within a day or two of purchase or frozen promptly, and its low carbohydrate and sugar content means it fits into a meal built around vegetables or starches for balance. Once cooked and peeled, it can also be chilled and thinly sliced for cold sandwiches or added cold to a charcuterie board alongside pickles and mustard.