Beef tongue is muscle meat plus extensive connective tissue. A 3-ounce serving provides 21g protein, ~250% DV vitamin B12, 25% DV iron (heme), zinc, selenium, choline, and significant amounts of CoQ10 (the muscle of the muscle — high-metabolic tissue has high CoQ10).
Available at Latin and Black-serving meat counters, and increasingly at mainstream butchers. Affordable when sold whole. Pre-cooked, sliced tongue available at deli counters in some Black-serving and Jewish-serving markets.
Beef tongue is one of the few foods that delivers meaningful dietary CoQ10 — the mitochondrial cofactor depleted by statin medications and central to cardiac and skeletal muscle energy production. For Black Americans on statins (over-prescribed and often poorly tolerated in this population), beef tongue is a relevant dietary CoQ10 source. The B12 density rivals organ meats. The price is favorable — beef tongue is among the more affordable nutrient-dense beef cuts when available.
Slow-cook (pressure cooker or 4-6 hours simmer) with onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns until very tender. Peel off the outer skin (it slides off easily once cooked) and slice or shred. Use in lengua tacos, sandwiches, or in pot-au-feu-style cooked vegetable dinners.
Free, no account needed to ask.