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It’s time to stop being intimidated by beef tripe – here’s how to clean and cook it

Tips from Chef Michael Simmons outline how to do it at home

Lindsay Parrill
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Beef tripe cow stomach
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you consider yourself somewhat of a culinarian, a foodie, or an at-home master chef, then learning how to clean beef tripe and then cook it to perfection should be your next culinary challenge. Sure, organ meats can be intimidating at first, especially if you’re not used to the sight or texture of these delicacies.

But if you ask us, one of the most overlooked offal cuts is tripe, which is typically made from the first three chambers of a cow’s stomach (though tripe can also be made from other animals). What a piece of tripe is named depends on the chamber it comes from.

Calf raised for dairy
WireStock / Alamy

Types of tripe

“Honeycomb tripe [which comes from the second chamber] is named for its honeycomb appearance and bible tripe [which comes from the third chamber] looks like the many folded-over pages of a book,” said Mike Simmons, the former chef and partner of Cafe Marie-Jeanne in Chicago (now closed). The third cut is called blanket tripe, which is smooth in appearance and comes from the first chamber of the cow’s stomach.

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Most quality butcher shops and counters will carry tripe. And if you have a good relationship with your butcher, you can likely call ahead and ask if they’ll order some and set it aside for you. “Usually it’s already cleaned but if it’s not, no worries — it’s easy,” Simmons told us. All it takes is four simple steps to thoroughly clean tripe, which Simmons laid out for us here.

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How to clean tripe

There are a few steps to cleaning this meat. Here they are:

  • Place the tripe in a large pot of salted water — make sure it’s completely submerged.
  • Slowly bring it to a boil and allow it to boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the tripe from the water and place it on a cutting board.
  • With a sharp knife, scrape gently and remove any bits that aren’t white and don’t look appealing.
  • Give the tripe one final rinse and double-check to make sure there’s nothing unsavory clinging to the many pockets, folds, nooks, and crannies, and you’re good to go.

If you’ve gotten this far, the hard part is over! Now, all that’s left to do is cook the tripe and then enjoy the delicious fruit of your labor. “I like to braise the tripe in a very flavorful and robust liquid, like veal stock, which complements the flavor of the tripe,” Simmons said. Here, he shares a simple recipe for Braised Tripe that makes for a hearty and delicious meal any time of the year.

Braised tripe
Caroline Hatchett / Star Chefs

Braised tripe recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 large carrot, cut into chunks
  • 1 1/2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
  • Half a stalk of green garlic, cut into chunks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup dried morel mushrooms
  • 8-ounce can stewed peeled tomatoes
  • 3 smashed cloves of garlic
  • 8 cups chicken or veal stock
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1 pound tripe
  • 1 pig foot
  • 1 cup fresh cleaned chickpeas
  • 1 cup cleaned morel mushrooms
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Sherry vinegar
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Butter
  • Crusty bread, to serve

Method

  1. Start with a pot large enough to hold the entire operation, at least 4 quarts.
  2. Heat a bit of butter or oil in the pot until hot and add onion, celery, green garlic, and carrot, and caramelize.
  3. When the veggies are nice and dark, add tomatoes, bay leaf, and peppercorns and cook for a few minutes longer.
  4. De-glaze the pot with red wine, and reduce until half the liquid is gone, roughly 10-15 minutes.
  5. Add stock and slowly bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pig foot, tripe, Dijon mustard, and dried mushrooms.
  6. Cover and reduce heat to a slow simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours (tripe should yield to the teeth and be soft and rich in flavor).
  7. Strain and reserve the liquid.
  8. Cut the tripe into 2-by-2-inch pieces and remove tender meat and skin from the pig foot.
  9. Put the liquid back into the pot and then add fresh chickpeas and cook until soft, roughly 10-20 minutes. Add tripe and pig foot meat back into the broth, add morel mushrooms, and cook for one more minute.
  10. Ladle into large bowls and douse with good sherry vinegar, Tabasco, and more butter, and then serve with crusty bread.
tripe soup
Adobe Stock

Other ways to prepare tripe and what to eat with it

There are several ways to prepare beef tripe. Here are some ideas for preparing it and what to eat with it.

  • Soups and stews: Tripe is a popular ingredient in soups and stews, as it adds a rich flavor and chewy texture. Some tripe soups include menudo, a Mexican soup made with tripe, hominy, and chili peppers, and it’s traditionally served with chopped onions, cilantro, lime wedges, and hot tortillas. Add it to mondongo, a Dominican soup made with tripe, vegetables, and spices, and serve it with avocado, rice, and hot sauce.
  • Braised tripe (the above recipe): Other ideas for braised tripe include using a tomato sauce, white wine sauce, or a broth. Serve braised tripe with mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta.
  • Fried tripe: Fried tripe is a dish found in some cultures, such as the Southern U.S. In that area, people often coat tripe in a batter or breading and then fry it until crispy. Serve fried tripe with a dipping sauce, such as tartar sauce or hot sauce.
  • Tripe salad: You can chop or shred beef tripe and add it to salads with other vegetables, such as onions, tomatoes, and peppers. The options are endless.
  • Stuffed tripe: Many people enjoy tripe stuffed with a variety of fillings, such as rice, other meat, and vegetables. This is a great way to use up leftover tripe or to create a unique and flavorful dish. Stuffed tripe can be served with gravy or a sauce.

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Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
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