Pork Tongue Skin Removal

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 13:00

Found under http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage ... od-sausage, the following statement deals with tongue skin removal, "To remove pork tongue skin place the tongue for 3-5 minutes in 70 C (158 F) water. The greyish skin on the tongue is easily removed.".

The pork tongues that I've ever purchased resemble short twisted firm pieces of meat. Once cooked, its nearly impossible to skin these buggers! Very different from a beef tongue which is something big enough you can handle, and grab a hold of the skin for removal without any problem.

Would someone be kind enough to explain their method of skinning pork tongues. I'm shooting to make some blood sausage.

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 18:01

Hi Rick - The skin on pork tongue is a lot less tough than skin on beef tongue. I have left it on and had good results with it as chunks in head cheese. You might be able to get the tougher skin toward the back off, but other than that I wouldn't worry about it.

I made morcella - Portuguese blood sausage - not too long ago using this as a guideline: http://honest-food.net/2009/03/16/repay ... d-sausage/ Worth looking at if you have not already decided on your formula. The one thing I would have done differently is to add more fat.

Hint: if you call it anything but blood sausage, folks are more likely to eat it.

I hope we get to see pictures!

Jeff

Post by **redzed** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 20:05

Not as easy as beef to skin, but the key is not to let them cool and dry before attempting to skin. Take them out of the simmering pot and immerse immediately into ice cold water. The skin will then separate a lot easier.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 23:28

Rick, this may help:
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?p=4885#4885

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:31

Cabonaia, I did leave the skin on the pork tongue last time I used them, and I wasn't spitting out pieces of leather with each bite either. So I'll try and get off what I can, and what I can't stays!
As for beef tongue, that's a different story. That skin does come off and I think it comes off easy, so that's not a problem.

Thanks for the replies.

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 19:19

Rick wrote:Cabonaia, I did leave the skin on the pork tongue last time I used them, and I wasn't spitting out pieces of leather with each bite either.

Yikes! Guess I had a thin skinned pig. In fact, based on your experience I'm not going to try leaving on the skin again. Thanks for the feedback.

Jeff

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Wed Dec 18, 2013 13:58

Jeff, no I didn't have a bad experience really. It's just that after you blanch those tongues, and considering the size of them, they remind me of an old woman's arthritic twisted finger after 100 years of knitting! Them buggers are just kind of hard to handle is all.
Shoot, its just sausage, if it has a taste and grinds, throw it in!

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Wed Dec 18, 2013 17:21

Rick - Oh! I read your previous post wrong. You said your weren't spitting out pieces of leather, and somehow I read it as you were. Yeah, I would definitely not bother skinning pork tongues if I were going to grind them, but I would with beef tongues because they are so easy to peel and the skin is a lot tougher. I used the pork tongue in a head cheese, and I can't recall whether I ground them or cut them into chunks. But I did taste them first to see if the skin was leathery, and it wasn't.

I like your line, "if it has a taste and grinds, throw it in!" Yay boy! Last time I made liver sausage I included lungs, spleen, heart, stomach, and kidneys. It all came from a pig I had slaughtered. They dropped the guts in a bucket and I pulled out pretty much everything but the intestines. That was some tasty sausage.

Jeff

IdaKraut · Post by **IdaKraut** » Wed Dec 18, 2013 20:42

Rick,

I've made headcheese numerous times but I usually use beef tongues since pork tongues are hard to find around here. When I can find them, I will inject them with brining cure and then after letting them cure the required time, I will cook them in simmering water for about 1.5 to 2 hours and the skin comes off easily. I don't care to eat pork tongue skin myself. Beef tongues take about 3 hours in 180°F water and peel easily as well.