Buffalo Tongue

[BrushyCreekDouglas]

Hey folks,

Out of all the stories from the hide hunter trade years, one that has always been intriguing to me is the fondness for buffalo tongues. Now I've heard references to them being pickled, but most are just mentioned as cooked buffalo tongue or the like. Does anyone know the predominant way folks cooked these on the frontier? I'd like to order a few from some of the bison farms and experiment, but a few google searches were futile in gaining any insight into this subject.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks folks!

[ira scott]

0 experience, but I would think it would be delicious sliced thin, a little salt and pepper if available, threaded on a skewer(stick) and seared over the fire or coals.

Mouth watering, B.N. Scotty

[River City John]

There are some pics of racks of tongues being smoked and dried in preparation to being sent back East for consuming in restaurants or Deli's, probably for sliced tongue sandwiches.

From buffalo hunter Henry H. Raymond's diary:

"JAN.  SUNDAY 5.  1873.

Sold meat and tongue today.  I sold 845 lbs one cent per pound.  let Jim have 3 hams (145 lbs)  got breakfast and dinner at hotel.  got can of oysters and glass cider.  at dance hall [at night]."

[BrushyCreekDouglas]

There are some pics of racks of tongues being smoked and dried in preparation to being sent back East for consuming in restaurants or Deli's, probably for sliced tongue sandwiches.

From buffalo hunter Henry H. Raymond's diary:

"JAN.  SUNDAY 5.  1873.

Sold meat and tongue today.  I sold 845 lbs one cent per pound.  let Jim have 3 hams (145 lbs)  got breakfast and dinner at hotel.  got can of oysters and glass cider.  at dance hall [at night]."

Henry Raymond's diary is pure gold. Being a big Bat Masterson fan is also part of the reason, ha!

I did read where "pickled" tongues were actually just salted tongues. Thanks for the insight!

[River City John]

If you figure each tongue was roughly 2.5lbs each?

Could represent some 300-335 buffalo slaughtered for that sale alone. Considering practice at the time was to strip hide and remove tongue, leaving vast majority of carcass of meat to rot.

What a waste.

[Delmonico]

Just look up beef tongue recipes and substitute a buffalo tongue.  Smoke or boiled and skinned then sliced for sandwiches was a popular way and is as good today.

[Delmonico]

Henry Raymond's diary is pure gold. Being a big Bat Masterson fan is also part of the reason, ha!

I did read where "pickled" tongues were actually just salted tongues. Thanks for the insight!

Not dry salted wet salted like pork army rations or beef, aka corned beef, this favorite of everybody pretending to be Irish is also known as pickled beef or River City John likes to call it salt horse.

[BrushyCreekDouglas]

Not dry salted wet salted like pork army rations or beef, aka corned beef, this favorite of everybody pretending to be Irish is also known as pickled beef or River City John likes to call it salt horse.

Thank you! I had no idea.

[Mogorilla]

I am a huge fan of tongue.    Search on this board, and I have a prep of tongue, down to lingua tacos.    Wooly Dan and i cooked 2 bison tongues at GAF Muster in 2021.   We did them all on top of the hill in Nebraska.   We braised them in a dutch oven for ~2.5 hours, peeled them as soon as they were cool enough, sliced them thin, put them on biscuits with mustard and horseradish.    Several of the other participants gave it a try.   Did the same fall of 2021 at the KVC buffalo shoot in Lebo Kansas.   Both times it was 2 tongues and there were no left overs.   

[1961MJS]

I am a huge fan of tongue.    Search on this board, and I have a prep of tongue, down to lingua tacos.    Wooly Dan and i cooked 2 bison tongues at GAF Muster in 2021.   We did them all on top of the hill in Nebraska.   We braised them in a dutch oven for ~2.5 hours, peeled them as soon as they were cool enough, sliced them thin, put them on biscuits with mustard and horseradish.    Several of the other participants gave it a try.   Did the same fall of 2021 at the KVC buffalo shoot in Lebo Kansas.   Both times it was 2 tongues and there were no left overs.

Hi
Say 5 years ago, a bunch of us went to a "wonderful" Yuppy taco place in Downtown OKC.  It was Taco Tuesday.  I ordered a pork taco, a beef taco, a Carne asada taco, and an Lingua taco.  The lingua taco was the only one that was worth eating, the others were dry.  Dry as in Cereal no milk dry. I never touched Tongue until then. 
Later

[Delmonico]

I am a huge fan of tongue.    Search on this board, and I have a prep of tongue, down to lingua tacos.    Wooly Dan and i cooked 2 bison tongues at GAF Muster in 2021.   We did them all on top of the hill in Nebraska.   We braised them in a dutch oven for ~2.5 hours, peeled them as soon as they were cool enough, sliced them thin, put them on biscuits with mustard and horseradish.    Several of the other participants gave it a try.   Did the same fall of 2021 at the KVC buffalo shoot in Lebo Kansas.   Both times it was 2 tongues and there were no left overs.

Dang, nobody told me that, now I am really sorry I missed it, it is looking good for this year, to long a story to tell, save it for a campfire.   Best of all though, I got the sciatic nerve compression fixed, 40 years of pain gone, out patient, one small hole, home by noon including stopping for meds and doughnuts on the way home. 

[Delmonico]

Hi
Say 5 years ago, a bunch of us went to a "wonderful" Yuppy taco place in Downtown OKC.  It was Taco Tuesday.  I ordered a pork taco, a beef taco, a Carne asada taco, and an Lingua taco.  The lingua taco was the only one that was worth eating, the others were dry.  Dry as in Cereal no milk dry. I never touched Tongue until then. 
Later

Stay away from Yuppie places, if there are more Priuses than pickups drive on, cool 64 Impalas are bonus points.

[Mogorilla]

Great news on the pain and health.   (and dang it, now I want a doughnut!)     

I grew up eating tongue.   We raised a vast majority of what we ate and used it all but the moo and squeal.   We ate a lot of them in college.  Bought them at an Amish market.   At $0.50, they were great.    Took some convincing of my roommates, but after they ate it, they were hooked.   One emailed me a year ago to complain how pricey they were.   

[Coffinmaker]

Oh YECH!!  That stuff is horrid.  Phtooey!!  Some NASTY

[Mogorilla]

Coffinmaker, more for me then.   (-:

[Delmonico]

Coffinmaker, more for me then.   (-:

Maybe me too.