Sous Vide Beef Tongue

4.50 from 6 votes

Sous Vide Beef Tongue is melt-in-your-mouth tender! The water bath makes this tough cut of beef moist and juicy with a braised-like texture.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 12

Total Time1 12 20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 308kcal

Heat a sous vide water bath to 158F degrees.
Place all the ingredients in a vacuum seal bag and seal.
Cook in the water bath for 36 hours.
Remove from the water bath and remove the tongue from the bag, reserving the bag juices to make gravy.
Let cool to the touch then use your hands to gently peel the skin away from the tongue.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the oil (I prefer avocado oil). Sear the tongue for 30 seconds per side and remove from heat.
Slice and serve with the gravy and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
*To make the gravy, simmer the bag sauce and slowly add the cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon water mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch) until desired thickness is reached. Add more or less slurry as needed.

As beef tongues can be fairly large, make sure you buy one that fits your water bath.
Removing air from the bag the food is sealed in is an important step that helps prevent bacteria from entering the bag.
As the beef tongue cooks for 36 hours, the water in the water bath may start to evaporate. Make sure the beef tongue is fully submerged in water and top up the bath with water if necessary.
The bag may float in the water bath as the beef tongue cooks. To prevent floating, use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight to weigh it down.
If air gets in the bag and it starts to float, just open it, let the air out and seal it again.
Let the tongue cool slightly before removing the skin, but don’t let it fully cool or it will be difficult to remove the skin.
Be careful not to sear the tongue for any longer than 30 seconds per side. You want a crust, but you don’t want the tongue to start to dry out.
Don't throw out the bag juices! You'll need it to make the gravy.