GRILLED SMOKED BEEF TONGUE WITH VEAL SWEETBREADS
MacLean Fraser, Executive Chef, Artisan at Bolton Hotel
Grilled smoked beef tongue, eggplant and black garlic, sweetbreads, baby veg, foraged weeds and mustard jus.
This recipe makes 12 portions
BEEF TONGUE
3 beef tongues
beef stock to cover
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stick celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
manuka wood chips
Method: Brown the vegetables on the grill. Braise the beef tongue in the stock with the aromatics and mirepoix at 150C for 3-4 hours until very tender. Peel the tongues while they are still hot then press between two lined trays with a significant weight on top overnight. Cold smoke with manuka chips for 20 minutes. Slice into 130g portions, brush with rendered beef fat, season and grill to order.
EGGPLANT PUREE
3 eggplants, roasted on a hob until black and peeled
8 small cloves of black garlic
2 lemons, juiced
150ml olive oil
2.5Tbs tahini
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp activated charcoal
Method: Blend all the ingredients together, season to taste.
RENDERED BEEF FAT
1kg (approx.) of beef fat trimmings
3 garlic cloves
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
¼ cup water
Method: Save and store any beef fat trimmings such as sirloin caps in vac pac bags. When you have enough, chop up the beef fat and place in a pot with the water and aromatics and render over a low heat until the fat has rendered and become clear, pass and store in containers to be used for basting.
BABY VEG
2 large agria potatoes
36 baby carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Method: Scoop out the peeled potato into small Parisienne balls using a melon baller. Cook gently in salted water with a clove of garlic. Peel the carrots keeping the tops on and vacuum pack with a clove of garlic, thyme and bay leaf and sous vide at 90°C for 20mins or until tender. To order, roast the carrots and potato in beef fat with a little flaky sea salt.
GREMOLATA
1Tbs minced lemon zest
1 Tbs minced garlic
4 Tbs chopped parsley
extra virgin olive oil
Method: Keep the ingredients separate and combine to make a small batch daily or as required. Let down with a little extra virgin olive oil.
CRUMBED VEAL SWEET BREADS
36 veal sweetbreads
Milk
¼ C Verjus
½ Lemon
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
¼ onion
½ carrot
1 stick celery
Method: Soak the sweetbreads in milk overnight to release the blood. Drain and rinse off the milk with cold water. In a medium sized pot make the court bouillon using the remaining ingredients and enough water to half fill the pot. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavours infuse then poach the sweetbreads in the court boullion until just set (5mins). Drain and while still hot peel away any obvious membrane. Crumb using flour, whisked egg and panko breadcrumbs. Deep or shallow fry to order, drain on a kitchen towel and season with flaky sea salt.
GARNISH
Foraged greens such as brassica, oxalis, chickweed
Veal Jus – finished with grain mustard
Manuka smoke
TIPS FOR CREATING AND SERVING THIS DISH
The braised beef tongues are lovey and tender and are quite delicate to handle, so MacLean has some tips for plating and presentation below.
use a nicely oiled grill plate which is hot when grilling the tongues
use two fish slices to make sure the tongues don’t fall apart when putting them on and off the grill
you don’t need to rest the tongue after grilling so it can go straight from the grill to the plate
garnish with your chosen dish components and serve under a cloche with a pump of smoke under it from a smoking gun
place the jus in a small serving jug to be served at the table
If you have any questions about this recipe or cooking with other cuts of offal we can put you in touch with MacLean Fraser - just post your questions below.
Served under a smokey cloche adds some theatre to the dining experience with this dish.