Although Summer is coming to an end, you might not believe it with all this hot weather hanging around. But trust us, it will end and autumn will begin and so too, will hunting season. If you’re a big-game hunter and are thinking of taking a trip this fall to bag yourself an elk, you’re going to want to favorite this recipe for cast iron elk tongue breakfast hash. Don’t worry though, if you’re not a hunter or aren’t into consuming the tongues of large cervidae, you can always substitute the best cut of beef you can find instead.
We teamed up with Chef Doug Adams from Season 12 of Top Chef and former executive chef of Imperial Restaurant, and Mike Whitehead, founder and owner of Finex Cast Iron Cookware Company, to assuage your fears and bring you this easy, elk tongue breakfast hash, perfect for either the home kitchen or campsite. Pro-tip: this dish is also one hell of a good hangover cure.
Cast Iron Elk Tongue Hash as Prepared by Chef Doug Adams
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Elk Tongues
- 1/2 onion small diced
- 2 stalks of celery small diced
- 1 red bell pepper small diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled and cubed
- 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
- 2 duck eggs
- 3 bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper (ground and whole peppercorns)
- 1 bunch thyme
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Tongue
1. Place the tongue in a medium/large pot and fill pot with water. Salt the water generously. Add the whole head of garlic as is, bay leaves, a small handful of black peppercorns, and thyme. Bring pot to boil and simmer for 2 hours or until the tongue is fork tender.
2. Remove the tongue from the water and peel off the outer layer of membrane from the tongue as soon as it is cool enough to handle. If the tongue completely cools, this job becomes much harder and will require a knife.
3. Once the tongue is peeled, cut into large 1 inch chunks
For the Veggies
1. Toss the onion, celery, and red bell pepper in a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper.
2. Roast in the oven at 375 until slightly colored and tender.
For the Hash
1. Start your cast iron pan over medium heat and add a small amount of cooking oil.
2. Add the chunks of tongue to the cast iron, moving constantly. The tongue will get dark and crispy, but take care not to burn the tongue.
3. Once all sides of the chunks of tongue are crispy and seared, remove the tongue from the pan, and season with kosher salt.
4. Add the potatoes to the cast iron and cook till crispy and golden and season the potatoes with Kosher salt.
5. Add all veggies and tongue back in the cast iron with the potatoes.
6. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add parsley and stir.
7. Crack the duck eggs on top of the hash in the pan, season, and throw in the oven at 350 until the eggs are just set. You have to use your best judgement on this one.
If you can’t find elk tongue, and let’s be honest, you probably won’t be able to, you can substitute any good thick cut of steak from your local butcher or high-quality grocery. Just cut the steak into cubes and start from The Hash instructions.
