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?

4 comments

4 Comments

sammartinez2mo 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_cooper212mo 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.

tessap7317d agoMost Upvoted

Oh absolutely, I've been there so many times. I had a brisket last month that looked like a solid 12-pounder in the cryo pack, and after I trimmed off the fat cap and silver skin, it dropped to about 9.5 pounds. It's always a surprise when you actually get the scale out, no matter how many years you've been doing it.

gracethomas2mo 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.