Mouthwatering Beef Tongue Stew in the Instant Pot

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Learn how to use an unusual and undervalued cut of meat to make this mouthwatering beef tongue stew enriched with fresh vegetables and herbs, conveniently made in the Instant Pot. A healthy, nutritious, simple, and inexpensive family meal!

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Beef tongue: a delicacy to rediscover

Among all the organ meats, tongue is probably the most underestimated. Tongue is also among the most delicious and easiest to make cut of meat, naturally tasty and tender. It might be uncommon in North America, but beef tongue recipes are popular traditions of many cultures around the world.

As other cuts of organ meat, most people feel intimidated to try it, mostly because they don’t have access to it, don’t know how to prepare it, or are afraid it won’t taste good. If you are new to consuming organ meats, tongue (and hearth) might be the easiest to transition to in terms of preparation and taste.

Tongue is a fatty cut of meat, with about 70% of its calories coming from fats. This makes tongue a tasty, satisfying and satiating meal. Because of its high content of fats, as well as collagen, tongue is also naturally tender when cooked properly and for a long time.

Another bonus? Like most organ meats, tongue is inexpensive and much more affordable than muscle meat.

So why not try this mouthwatering beef tongue stew conveniently prepared in the Instant Pot?

Sourcing beef tongue

You most likely won’t find beef tongue at the grocery store (and you probably shouldn’t buy meat from the grocery store, anyway!).

If you’re interested in buying beef tongue, ask your trusted butcher. Even better, ask a local farmer!

As with all meat, you should buy tongue from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals that are raised with no hormones and antibiotics.

Nutritional value of beef tongue

Besides being delicious and inexpensive, beef tongue comes with extraordinary nutritional value.

Tongue is high in proteins, fats, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, iron, and choline.

Folate (Vit B9) is involved in cell growth and function and in the formation of red blood cells. Similarly, zinc is an essential mineral involved in many structural, functional, and metabolic processes, such as cell growth and repair, enzymatic reactions and immune function. Folate and zinc are particularly important for pregnant women and growing children, and for people recovering from illness.

Vit B12 and choline both play a role in nervous system health.

Tongue is also a collagen-rich cut of meat, with over 10% of the protein content coming from collagen. Among the numerous benefits, collagen sustains healthy skin, joints, and gut (read more about the benefits of collagen here).

If you are interested in learning more about the nutritional value and health benefits of different organ meats and ways to incorporate them into your diet, read here.

Eat in moderation

As we’ve seen, beef tongue is a nourishing food with many health benefits.

However, the high fat content of tongue calls for moderation.

With 26 grams of fats per 100 grams (of which almost 10 grams of saturated fat and 130 milligrams of cholesterol), eating a big portion of tongue can easily overload your digestive system. I’m not one who is afraid of eating fats or cholesterol. Fats are essential and so is cholesterol! However, eating too much fat at once can lead to digestive issues. Especially if your body is not used to it or if you have digestive issues, fat overload can trigger diarrhea, gas, and abdominal discomfort.

So, enjoy this mouthwatering beef tongue stew (or other recipes), but in moderation!

Ingredients for this mouthwatering beef tongue stew

How to make this mouthwatering beef tongue stew in the Instant Pot

1. Thoroughly wash the tongue under cold running water
2. Place the tongue on the Instant Pot rack, add 1 1/2 cups of water or bone broth, close the lid and the pressure valve, and turn on the Instant Pot on “pressure cook” (high) for 1 hour

3. Let the Instant Pot naturally release the pressure for about 15 minutes and carefully open the lid.
4. Take the tongue out and place it on a cutting board. Once the tongue is not too hot to touch anymore (but still warm), remove the skin with your fingers or with the help of a knife. You should be able to easily peel the skin off the meat. If some of the white harder pieces of skin are still on the meat, scrape them off using a knife
5. Cut the tongue meat into chunks
6. Save about 2/3 cup of the tongue cooking liquid, and discard the rest (or save it to add extra flavor to other recipes!)
7. Finely chop the onion, and peel and cut the potatoes and carrots into chunks
8. Turn the Instant Pot on “sauté” and add the butter and clove of garlic (optional)
9. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onions and let them sauté for a few minutes stirring often with a wooden spatula
10. Add the chunked tongue meat, potatoes and carrots and season with sea salt and a few leaves of fresh, chopped parsley. Add about 2/3 cup of the tongue cooking liquid (or bone broth or water) and stir to combine everything together

11. Turn off the “sauté” function, place the Instant Pot lid on with the valve closed, and turn the Instant Pot on “pressure cook” (high) for 20 minutes
12. At the end of the 20 minutes, release the pressure and safely open the Instant Pot lid
13. If the stew if too runny, turn back the Instant Pot “sauté” function and let the stew reduce for a few minutes, stirring frequently
14. Serve warm and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired

Recipe variations

You can substitute potatoes and carrots with your choice of (any vegetables). For a fall version, try it with squash! Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

If you wish, you can substitute half of the tongue meat with about 1 pound of stew meat (beef, pork, lamb, or any other meat). This will make the recipe less intense. To do so, reduce the first cooking time for the tongue to 40 minutes instead of 60. Clean and cut the tongue as described in the original recipe, and then place back in the Instant Pot with the rest of the meat and 1 cup of liquid and pressure cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from the Instant Pot and follow steps 7-14 of the original recipe to cook the vegetables

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