Tripe was definitely not on the list of things I ate in my childhood. The first experience I've ever had with it was in my first bowl of pho (same as with gan, or beef tendon). Although I've eaten it when presented before me in various forms, it wasn't until trying the tripe at Sugarcane Raw Bar one night after a Chef Club that I planted a seed within my head to learn as much as I could about re-creating that texture (the seed started to perk up after seeing the dish on our friend Frod's best bites of 2010 list). I don't know what flavors Chef Timon uses to prepare his version, but I was most interested in the crunch and the subsequent chew he achieved.
After a couple of attempts, I happen to hit upon an acceptable cooking method.
Use cleaned reticullum (without getting into a detailed essay on the anatomy of a cow's stomach, purchase some honeycomb tripe that is yellowish or off-white in color), and cut into thin strips.
Pressure cook the strips under high pressure for 45 minutes (I used the Cuisinart R2-D2 cooker). The cooking medium is your choice depending on flavor. I'm still messing around with this portion of the recipe. Do be sure that you have enough liquid though... I used at least 2 qt for 1.5 pound. The tripe when first subjected to heat will contract into tight knots like any tough cut of meat, but in time will break down and swell with the liquid around it.
Allow the tripe to cool naturally in the pressure cooker and absorb more flavorful liquid (alright, for this run I used buttermilk, beer, Zatarain's crab boil, bay leaf, and a few other seasonings).
Lightly rinse the cooked tripe, then marinate it with a basic Southern fried chicken egg marinade (buttermilk, egg, salt, pepper, blah, blah).
Dredge the strips in seasoned flour, then fry at 365ºF until golden and crispy. Each bite will give the crunch of the breading followed by the soft yielding chew of the tender flavorful tripe. Going on a condiment suggestion from Chef K, I made a sauce of Kewpie and green tabasco (other great additions are lemon and garlic). The sensation of the bite is very similar to fried calamari.
buttermilk fried tripe
Happy with the results. Aside from tweaking the braising liquid, I may try a cornmeal crust next just for shits and giggles.
BTW... just tried the cornmeal crust last night, and it rocks! Going to stick with it or a variation thereof.