Tongue—la lengua, in Spanish—is a very popular food in Mexico, especially in the central and northern parts of the country, where good grazing land supported a large ranching culture. On ranches, most prime cuts are sold to markets, and the lesser cuts, like tongue, are cooked for the ranch hands. The use of tongue and other secondary cuts of meat, often overlooked, is at the core of peasant cooking. Made rich with brines, marinades, chiles, complex spice mixtures, and rich accompanying sauces, these preparations are some of the most flavorful in all of Latin American cuisine. Tongue is naturally succulent, but needs slow cooking to become really tender and luscious. The flavor is pretty neutral, so this filling has lots of additions to spice it up. A bright salsa is the finishing touch, much like the hot spicy-sweet mustard that was slathered on the tongue sandwiches that I used to eat at my old neighborhood delicatessens.

　　

Ingredients

makes 14 tacos

　　2 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　2 medium white onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice

　　2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

　　2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced

　　4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

　　2 bay leaves

　　6 cups beef broth

　　6 dried de árbol chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened

　　4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened

　　2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, sliced open, and flattened

　　2 whole cloves

　　8 whole allspice berries

　　2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

　　1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164)

　　1 beef tongue (about 3 1/2 pounds), trimmed

　　14 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　Garnish: Pickled vegetables, pickled jalapeños, sprigs of fresh cilantro

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large, heavy, ovenproof braising pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are just translucent, about 7 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except tortillas and garnish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place in the oven. Braise the tongue until the meat is very tender and forms cracks in the surface, about 3 hours.

　　

Step 2

Remove the tongue from the pan, discarding the other ingredients, and allow to cool. Using a paring knife, carefully peel off the skin (which should remove easily); try to leave the tongue intact. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices and cut again into 1/3-inch-thick matchsticks (fine julienne) and place in a bowl. Serve right away or keep warm until ready to serve.

　　

Step 3

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with garnish and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with garnish and salsa, fold, and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.