Recipe and question

Larry Maler

I have a question for the colleggtive, but first here's something I did last Saturday:[p]Langue de boeuf a l'oeuf

---

(That's French for "Beef tongue from the egg"; doesn't it sound better in French? - rhymes too!)[p]The night before, boil a 4 pound beef tongue for two hours with:
2-3 bay leaves
3 cloves
8-10 fresh peppercorns
5-6 allspice seeds
10-12 coriander seeds
1 cardamom seed
lots of garlic powder
a little cayenne[p]The skin of the tongue should then be soft enough for you to remove it. Do so, then wrap the tongue in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.[p]Sauce:
Retain 1/2 cup of the boiling liquid above and add 1/2 cup dry red wine, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Stir while heating, and let it simmer for 15 minutes, then refrigerate with the tongue.[p]The next day, egg the tongue at 275 to 300 for 2 hours. (I used pecan wood chips for a bit of light smoke.) Then wrap the tongue in tinfoil, adding enough of the above sauce to adequately moisten the tongue just before closing up the tinfoil. Return the tongue to the egg for another 2 hours.[p]Serve the tongue basten in 3 to 5 teaspoons of the sauce. It will be incredibly tender and tasty. Subtly smoky, a little sweet and very spicy. Yummmmmm![p]----[p]And now my question: my bottom vent is getting very hard to move unless I bang it with a wrench or small hammer. I think ash has lodged in the groove, and that's gumming up the works. Should I buy a stainless steel vent or is this something I can fix easily?[p]Thanks, people![p]Larry

Dr. Chicken

Larry Maler,
IMHO, the first thing you need to do, is determine what has caused the problem in the first place! If it is ash build up, when you take things apart to replace it with the SS unit you'll have fixed your own problem. The replacement of the original vent/slide would be an overkill in the former situation. If it is something else, like say corrosion to the slide/gate parts, the ss unit would be a good update.
Some questions that would help determine your coarse of action; How long have you had your Egg? Is it left outside in the weather all the time? Is it exposed to something like say a lawn sprinkler that continually gets it wet? I know these are basic questions, but I think they will help you determine which way to go! I've only had my Egg's for 1 yr. (lg) and 10 months (sm.) so I've not had any of these problems yet. I'm sure there are others on the forum that have had their Egg(s) a lot longer and they may be able to shed some more light on the problem. I checked my lg. BGE out and there are 4 small bolts holding it in place. I'd pull those out, remove the entire unit and examine it before I decided which way to go!
Just a few suggestions, but I think they will help you figure the problem out![p]Good luck! Dr. Chicken

KennyG

Larry Maler,[p]Your bottom vent problem is an easy fix and I had the same situation after a couple years of use. Pull the innards out of your Egg to gain access to the nuts securing the air intake assembly and remove the 2 on the right. The sliding door can now be removed from its track and you should be able to see what the real problem is. The SS replacement is always an alternative if a simple cleaning doesn't do the job.[p]K~G

Nature Boy

Larry Maler,
I see your sliding door problem has been addressed.[p]Now, about that tongue. I have a hard time with that one. I am pretty open to trying new stuff (I took grief for months about my squid adventures), but something about tongue. Maybe it is the way the word sounds. Maybe it is the thing about eating something elses tastebuds. Maybe it will bring back memories of biting my own tongue. Maybe I will try it soon, and it will become one of my favorites.[p]So, does it taste like beef? Does it taste like an organ? Tripe? Is the texture like beef?

Dr. Chicken

Nature Boy,
Tonque is great! Its just your perception of the word. Once you try it, you'll love it! I imagine, you've never eaten "mountain oysters" either! You've got to expand your taste buds!(along with your waist line) Yuk! Yuk![p]Dr. C

Unknown

Dr. Chicken,[p]Reminds me of the joke about the tourist in Mexico. He goes to a local eatery, places his order and looks around to see what others are eating. The waiter brings out a plate with two large meatballs in sauce for one of the patrons.[p]He calls over the waiter ands asks what the patron ordered. The waiter say they are one of the specials only available after the bullfights and are from the bull.[p]So he goes in the next night and orders it, but the waiter brings out two much smaller meatballs. He asks what's up and the waiter says;[p]"Sorry, the bull does not always lose".[p]Regards,
Jobu

Dr. Chicken

Jobu,
Kinda makes you stop and think, don't it? Oooh! That smarts![p]Dr. C

Nature Boy

Dr. Chicken,
I would try it, just don't know if I would run out and buy a tongue, and spearhead the whole project. I have tried tripe, pigs ears, jellyfish, rotten shrimp sauce, among other things, so I am ready for a sampling. For now, I am not laying a tongue on my egg until I try it![p]Anyone for squid?

Dr. Chicken

Nature Boy,
What's in a name?....Did you know, when you go into a fancy or even non-fancy but good restaurant and the menu shows Calamari(I ttink dats da wey youse spells it) you're really getting squid? You probably knew that already! Believe me, the recipe shown for the tongue is an excellent one. A slight modification from what I've seen before, but if you didn't know it was tongue, you'd never suspect it at all. Its very tender, but like he said, it has to be boiled first to get the skin off. It about grossed my wife & kids out the first time I bought it and went to fix it. Not anymore! All 3 of our kids ate it when they were young and still do today after they're grown and out of the house! Like you said, its getting past the first initial shock of it![p]Cheers, Dr. C

Nature Boy

Dr. Chicken,
You gonna cook some at the eggfest?? I will try it.
Just aint gonna run out and buy a tongue yet.

Dr. Chicken

Nature Boy,
I wish I could! Thirteen hundred miles is a long ways to go! If there was some way I can work it into a business trip I will! Then you'd have your tongue! (Maybe I should have said,"Then I'll have your tongue"!) Maybe someone else will be brave enough to tackle the job! Sorry![p]Dr. C

Gretl

Larry Maler,
Your recipe sounds very good indeed. When I was a kid, my mother prepared tongue by boiling it in pickling spices and vinegar and removing the skin. I don't know that her preparation went beyond that; perhaps there was another boiling after the skin was removed; can't recall. I do remember that the cooked tongue was wonderful sliced thin across the grain and served cold as a sandwich meat. A sauce of ketchup and horseradish is what we had. Your recipe sounds much better[p]Cheers,
Gretl

King-O-Coals

Dr. Chicken, You boy come on down here with us southerners. We got plenty to eat so'z you don't have to resort to eating stuff like that. I would never consider eating anything from inside a cows mouth,,, would you pass the eggs please.... Of course I'm kidding. I've eaten liver, hogs head cheese, something they call liver-n-lites,(internal organs of a hog I think) tripe, neckbones, alligator, rattlesnake, shark, squid, pig feet, pig snouts, and I've even tried ox tails and rice. You gotta keep an open mind....

Char-Woody

Larry Maler, No time to read all the answers, but the slider ash door has been in use here for 2 years. After each use or cleaning slide the door back and forth to clean the grooves. If you still have a problem..use a sharp tipped thin bladed knife and clean the groove. Simply moving the door back and forth several times cleans if for me, and I seldom have to use anything else..Hope it helps!
C~W[p]

Grumpa

Larry Maler,[p]Thanks but, No Thanks for the recipe. I put that right in there with squid...not now...not later...not ever! Bleah![p]My sliding door gets a little full of ash from time to time and I just slide the door back and forth a few times and it cleans the track out to allow normal operation. If that don't work then try a dry paint brush to clean it out with. Unless you are in a humid and or salty environment, I would not think the stainless would be necessary.

Dr. Chicken

King-O-Coals,
Yo boy, you got da right idea![p]Dr. C

YB

Bob,
Next thing you know they will be cooking, goat nose and okra,hummingbird hearts and rice and anything found dead on the side of the road.
YB

Dr. Chicken

King-O-Coals,
I kin see me Boy, I'm gona have ta come down der an fix youse some scrambled eggs & brains!!! Mmmmmm! Mmmmmm! Good! It might even gives youse some smartz![p]Dr. C

Larry Maler

YB,
You should know that beef, calf and pork tongue are pretty standard European cooking, not thought of like we think of roadkill. Beef tongue, in particular, is served in sandwiches in most good Jewish delis, even here in the US.[p]Just because it sounds disgusting to you doesn't mean it is. After all, steak is just dead cow's muscle slices. Doesn't make it any less tasty. Beef tongue is also dead cow muscle slices, albeit from a different part of the dearly departed bovine.[p]Larry

King-O-Coals

Dr. Chicken, I forgot, I have eaten them too, but I can't remember why. Seem I remember that they weren't too bad, but I leave them off since I heard you are what you eat. Another favorite of mine is Potted Meat and Vienna Sausage and you know they have everything in them but the moo and the squeel..

Cat

Larry Maler,[p]My mom used to make tongue all the time when I was a kid. Even my squeamish dad ate it. [p]I'd like to try your recipe, which sounds great. But will have to wait until my squeamish husband is out of town. ;-}[p]The spice mix is really intriguing. Do you mean a whole cardamom pod?[p]Cathy[p]

Dr. Chicken

King-o-Coals,
so does bologna and hot dogs! dat's whys I limits my self to beef boloney & beef hot dogs. Wanta mak sur Felix and Rover ain't parta my boloney sandwich or a hot dawg hot off da Egg and it barks at me! I know fer a fact when I was overseas, some of those streetside vendors fed me dog, cat and probably horsey too! Whew! Gotta draw a line somewhere![p]Dr. C

Unknown

Larry Maler, I have beef tongue every New Year’s day along with all of the traditional Southern fare (never tried it on the Egg, but now I will thanks to you recipe). For those who think that it is a ‘poor man’s meat’, check out the prices in your local Jewish delicatessen and be prepared for ‘sticker shock’. As far as your lower vent problem, it is normal to have an ash buildup in the grooves making difficult to fully close. I’ve tried many methods to clean it out, and have found an old toothbrush to be pretty effective. A shot of WD40, with the straw on the nozzle, in both the upper and lower groove will work every time. Simply wipe off the residue with a rag. It also helps to prevent rust.

Nature Boy

Larry Maler,
Great points. And for all the squid doubters, I will cook some at the eggfest. At least one batch.[p]I would try the tongue. And I am afraid i might like it. Especially egged. Maybe if I see it on sale!! Definitely would try it if someone else cooked it. [p]I wonder how you tell if it is a good tongue?? The more taste buds the better? Do you push on it to judge tenderness? Do grocery store carry it? What do they call the tongue in a deli? Tongue sandwich? I am curiuos now. Maybe I'll get some tomorrow.

Nature Boy

Dr. Chicken,
You can always find a reason to come to DC.
1300 miles is nuthin,
Hope to see you there. And remember this IS business.
I wanna see you put your tongue on the egg.

Larry Maler

Cat,
Yep, a whole cardomom pod. I used the large black cardomom, but I guess that a small white one would be just as good.[p]Why not make it for your squeamish husband and make up a different name for it. How about something exotic sounding: North Dakotan pemmican ??[p]Larry

Dr. Chicken

Nature Boy,
I am tempted! Believe me I am tempted! If things would come together, I will make an effort, an extreme effort to be there. I'd sure like to meet all of you "crazies"! Is that what you call "sane" or "insane"? All sorts of "crazies" enjoying somethin' like a Big green monster that cooks out of this world! Life is too short to have to work! We should all get paid fer this stuff![p]Dr. Chicken

Larry Maler

Nature Boy,
The criterion for good tongue is the same as for any meat: you want it to be fresh. Also since tongue is a pretty fat meat (on the inside), you should get one that doesn't look too fat on the outside too.[p]And you're right. In a deli it's called tongue sandwich, and sometimes it's prepared like corned beef.[p]Good luck! Serve it to an unsuspecting diner of the opposite gender... slip them some tongue.[p]Larry

Nature Boy

Larry Maler,
Thanks. LOL. That is good.[p]I don't know about all this talk of tongues and testicles!!

MAC

Larry Maler,[p]
Larry [p]thats discusting. And I was going to ask what the French call a tongue sandwich.

Elder Ward

Larry Maler,[p]That is a classic Larry I have not read all these post to your question, but if no else has ask you to post this please do.[p]I had that problem with my vent all I did was hose it down and move it back and forth several times. No problems since.[p]Elder Ward