Recipe: Beef tendon - sous vide and traditonal

3 tough cuts

An affinity for beef tendon tends to be something you learn, and often comes by way of culture.  I came by it through my wife and our subsequent trips to Mexico.  Others my come by it through Asian cuisine.  Due to the extremely high collagen content the texture is very chewy which some people are not used to but can be very delicious and enjoyable.

Carla and I have made it the traditional Mexican way a couple times, but this time I decided to figure out a time and temperature formula for cooking it sous vide.  The result was a remarkably soft texture to the tendon while retaining its structure and retaining its integrity.  In both cases acidity is used to aid the tenderization of the tendon.  In the traditional method cider vinegar is used, but I found that since I used lime juice in the sous vide process, there was no need for vinegar and I simply used a little fresh lime juice for final seasoning.  

fully dressed

In the traditional method, much of the flavour is introduced in the seasoning stage after the tendon has been cooked, cooled and chopped.  With the sous vide version I wanted to try to bring some of those flavours into the mix right from the begining so they could get right into the tendon.  While the flavour involved in both methods are the same, the sous vide method drove the flavours deep into the tenon and the stock produced within the bag was unbelievably high in both high in flavour and gelatin content. 

As for serving, we usually serve it cold on a tostada with some crema and Valentina sauce.  With the sous vide tendon, we discovered that if you warm it up slightly at serving time in the microwave, it  comes out super tender - a good variation if you are introducing this to someone new.

You will need:

all bagged up

For cooking traditionally:

675g                            beef tendon (our package had 3 pieces)
1                                  onion
3 cloves                       garlic
as needed                    olive oil
pinch                           salt

For sous vide add:

2                                 limes (or about 4 key limes)
5ml / 1tsp                   chili powder
5ml / 1tsp                   coarse black pepper

For the final seasoning:

1/2 bunch                 cilantro (oregano is also a popular option)

after 30 hours in the hot tub

1                               small white onion
1                               lime (or two key limes)
as needed                 olive oil
to taste                     cider vinegar (optional)
to taste                     kosher salt
to taste                     chili powder
to taste                     coarse black pepper

 
Traditional method:

 - julienne the first onion and mince the garlic
 - lightly sweat the onion and garlic in some olive oil
 - add the tendon and lightly sear
 - add water just to cover the tendon and season lightly

ready for cutting

 - cover the pan with a lid and simmer until the tendon softens up
 - turn off the heat and let cool in the broth
 - chop the tendon and put it in a bowl
 - drizzle in some olive oil and toss
 - chop the second onion fine and chop the cilantro and add them in
 - squeeze the lime, add the juice and add a bit of cider vinegar (just to get a nice mild acidity)
 - season with salt, pepper and chili powder
 - cover the bowl and keep refrigerated for at least an hour
 - when the lime juice and vinegar have further tenderized the tendon it is ready to eat

Sous vide method:

 - julienne the first onion and mince the garlic

the final seasonings

 - lightly sweat the onion and garlic in some olive oil
 - place the tendon in a bowl
 - add the sweated onion and garlic and toss well
 - add more olive oil if it seems dry
 - add the chili powder and black pepper
 - zest the lime (use a vegetable peeler), squeeze the juice and add them both in
 - toss the tendons in the marinade well then seal in a vacuum bag
 - set the water bath to 78C / 172F
 - submerge the bag and cook for 30 hours
 - after 30 hours, remove the bag, transfer to an ice bath and cool completely
 - open the bag and separate the tendon from the stock (save the stock for something else)
 - chop the tendon up and put it in a bowl
 - drizzle in some olive oil and toss
 - chop the second onion fine and chop the cilantro and add them in
 - squeeze the lime and add the juice (the vinegar shouldn't be necessary)
 - season with salt (you can add more chili and pepper if you like)
 - serve

a tostada with crema, tendon, avocado and Valentina - amazing!