Smoked Beef Tongue with Juniper Brine

Briefly bring water to a boil in a pot, stir in curing salt, sugar, juniper berries, bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic until fully dissolved. Allow the brine to cool completely to below 4 °C before submerging the tongue.

Place the washed beef tongue in a non-reactive container and fully submerge in the cooled brine. Weigh it down and cure at 4–6 °C in the refrigerator for 5 days. Check daily to ensure the tongue remains fully submerged.

Remove the tongue from the brine, rinse under cold water, and soak in fresh water for 30 minutes to reduce excess salt. Pat thoroughly dry, then hang on a smoking hook or place on a rack and allow to come to room temperature and dry on the surface for 1 hour.

Bring smoker to 110–120 °C and add beech and plum wood chunks. Hang or place the tongue on the grate and smoke until an internal temperature of 72–74 °C is reached (approximately 4–5 hours depending on size). Monitor temperature regularly.

Remove the tongue from the smoker immediately after smoking and peel off the skin while still hot – it releases easily at this stage. For cold serving, roll the peeled tongue tightly in cling film, allow to cool, and firm up in the refrigerator. Then slice thinly.