A customer's question made me look up the actual weight of a cow's tongue

A guy came in yesterday asking for a whole beef tongue, said he was making a family recipe. I grabbed one from the cooler, and he just casually asked, 'How much meat do you think is on there, anyway?' I told him about two pounds, give or take. But it got me thinking, so I looked it up later on my phone. The USDA says a beef tongue averages 3 to 4 pounds, sometimes even more. I've been handling them for a decade and never really weighed one out of curiosity. I just cut and trimmed them. It made me realize I take a lot of the basic facts for granted, you know? How many of you have actually weighed standard cuts just to know for sure?

3 comments

3 Comments

sammartinez3d ago

Yeah, I had to weigh one for a special order last year. It was just over four pounds before trimming. You really don't know until you throw it on a scale.

max_cooper213d ago

But you said you've been cutting them for ten years, that's way more real world experience than a random USDA fact sheet. Your two pound guess is probably right after all the trimming is done anyway.

gracethomas3d ago

Yeah, that "after all the trimming" part is the real kicker. I mean, you can lose a crazy amount, especially if you're taking off the silver skin and a good chunk of the fat cap. @max_cooper21 is right that hands-on time gives you a feel for it, but sammartinez is also spot on. I've seen two that looked identical end up a full pound apart on the scale. For something like a big dinner, I'd just weigh it to be safe.