The norm would be to cook it and then press it - I've not done it myself, but sorted out a load of recipes for a local guy who was given one.
He curled it around in his sister's best cake tin , and put a brick on it to press it.
As I recall you cooked it in water - long and slow, skinned it, then rolled it and put it in a round tin with the reduced cooking liquor, applied weight, and the rolled tongue set in the jelly that the liquor produced.
Oddley does it, here's what he says:
When ready, wash the tongue. Place in a deep pan of cold water, add all of the simmering stock ingredients. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 hours or until cooked and the small bones at the base can be easily pulled out. The tongue is ready when it feels tender when tested with a skewer.
While still warm, skin the tongue and trim the root to remove any gristle or bones. Fix it lengthwise on a board, skewering both ends. When cold, the skewers can be removed and the tongue will remain in shape, enabling it to be carved at right angles.
MY NOTE: I used the following method to press the tongue
Alternatively, the tongue can be pressed: Roll the tongue to fit into a cake tin, it should be a tight fit. Cover the tongue with a plate, stand a heavy weight on top. Leave in a cool place for 12 hours. Run a knife around the edge to free the tongue. Transfer to a serving plate, serve thinly sliced.
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... ght=tongue
It's virtually the same - but I bet he didn't ruin his sister's (Irene) best cake tin doing it!
I never saw a sniff of the end product - he'd scoffed the lot in about 4 days!
HTH
Phil