I found this recipe for you, chef.
When I was growing up, I had a good friend whose family was quite poor. They had a house full of kids, and the dad was almost never home, but her mother always showed us kids a good time, and we didn't really care if the screen door was falling off or that there were chickens running around in the front yard.
She introduced me to "tongue sandwiches", and they were delicious!
I don't have her recipe, but this one sounds a lot like the way she fixed it, although I doubt she'd have had the stick cinnamon to put in it.
Pickled Beef Tongue
Veal tongue can be substituted, if desired.
1 fresh beef tongue (about 3 pounds)
Salt
1 1/2 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 teaspoons allspice
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Cover tongue with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt for each quart of water. Cover tightly and cook slowly until tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
2. When tongue is tender, remove the skin and cut away the roots. Plunging the tongue into cold water after cooking helps to loosen the skin. Slice tongue crosswise about 1/8-inch thick.
3. Drain all but 2 cups of the water from pan. Add the remaining ingredients and return sliced meat to pan. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. If the tongue is to be served cold, it will be more juicy if cooled in the liquid in which it is cooked. The cooling should be done under refrigeration or where there is circulation of cool air.
Makes 6 servings.
