beef cheeks

[smoke ninja]

at the Costcobusiness center buying $300 worth of snack food and is figured I'd check the meat aisle. I really had my eye on a nice thick two back of short ribs but I reay didn't want to drop another $100 for them. none of the briskets spoke to me but the pack of beef cheeks for $30 did. when I got home I took them out of the package. these things were a mess



lots of trimming. from over 4.5lbs to just over 2.5 raw. I seasoned and cooked in the pan for a couple of hours



I added some diced onions and garlic to beef stock and a dash of hot sauce then covered and cooked some more


it took longer than I thought. when I tried to pull it was still a little tough, I recovered and finished in the oven until it was completely tender


leftovers. I don't want any flack for the amount of cilantro, the cheap cheese, commercial sauce or flour tortilla.


meat was very good, better than pulled brisket. yield cooked was 1.5 lbs so about a third. it was very rich, I wouldn't eat it by itself that's for sure but works in dish.

 

[LYU370]

Mmm... Real barbacoa tacos. I do minimal trimming, just get rid of the big obvious gristle. The rest of the fat melts and turns into a sweet, sticky gooey goodness. Any leftover crap just pull out while shredding.

 

[ronbrad62]

I wouldn't give you any flack, it would be hard to get a taco if I did. I've heard that they were a chore to clean up. Do you think it's worth it to do it again?

 

[smoke ninja]

Mmm... Real barbacoa tacos. I do minimal trimming, just get rid of the big obvious gristle. The rest of the fat melts and turns into a sweet, sticky gooey goodness. Any leftover crap just pull out while shredding.

I didn't know where to stop. I looked at Malcom Reed as an example and he trimmed heavy. most of the fat was tough and sinew-y

I wouldn't give you any flack, it would be hard to get a taco if I did. I've heard that they were a chore to clean up. Do you think it's worth it to do it again?

they were a chore but prep work is part of cooking and I do enjoy the process. I would probably feel different if I had to do more than the 5 lbs. value wise it's a tough one. $30 bucks for 1.5 of cooked meat is expensive. it was better than other pulled beef I've made so as a treat I'd do it again, ground beef has a strangle hold in this house

 

[LYU370]

I didn't know where to stop. I looked at Malcom Reed as an example and he trimmed heavy. most of the fat was tough and sinew-y

That's what I did the first few times, trim, trim, trim, trim... After a while I just trimmed the obvious nasty stuff and pulled out the crap that was left at the end.

 

[16Adams]

Remove from cryo
Pat em dry and cook em
Any Big fat easily picked after cooking. No knife work involved
6-7 hours smoke
Overnight crockpot or oven

See Chuds YouTube on cheeks

 

[smoke ninja]

That's what I did the first few times, trim, trim, trim, trim... After a while I just trimmed the obvious nasty stuff and pulled out the crap that was left at the end.

Remove from cryo
Pat em dry and cook em
Any Big fat easily picked after cooking. No knife work involved
6-7 hours smoke
Overnight crockpot or oven

See Chuds YouTube on cheeks

I'll check out the chuds recipe and try out a more minimalist approach next time. here is the Malcom reed write-up I used as a reference

Beef Cheek Tacos Recipe

The beef cheek is incredibly tender and full of flavor. It’s marbled with fat and has a richness like no other cut of beef.

howtobbqright.com

 

[Stingerhook]

Great cook!

 

[16Adams]

It was early and I'm on drugs Forgot to mention, outstanding cook. One of my favorites. The tallow is great for future cooks. Leroy _Lewis uses Chuds method. They save all the fat bits, grind and fry and use that in their chili dishes like Frito Pie (YouTube video on that too)
But those juices like shown in your cook are amazing. Enjoy, I know I would.

Better living through chemistry

 

[BillN]

I switched from beef cheeks to crosscut beef shanks. Better yield at half the price and a very similar end product. 3 to 4 hours smoke then into a covered pan with broth etc and braise in oven until fall apart tender. No trimming necessary.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Very Nice Steve. I have done them by dredging them in flour and sautee them in butter on the stove. When brown I put them in a casserole dish. Add a chopped vadalia onion and some baby carrotts. Add a jar of prok gravey abnd bake in oven for about 3hrs aT 350. Sooooo Good

 

[ssv3]

Good stuff Steve!

 

[Smoking Piney]

Looks great!

 

[4ever3]

Good LAWD man!

 

[SmokinAussie]

You did well with those. Yes, when you consider the loss, Beef Cheeks are very expensive and they really shouldn't be. It became a snobby meat cut here and I can't see the value even if they are delicious.

 

[dcbc]

Remove from cryo
Pat em dry and cook em
Any Big fat easily picked after cooking. No knife work involved
6-7 hours smoke
Overnight crockpot or oven

See Chuds YouTube on cheeks

The Chud method is solid. Basically, they're butterflied in each pack. The fatty, messy half, you remove and save for carnitas or whatever. The other side is what you smoke. I rubbed them like a brisket, put them on the smoke for about four hours, tossed them in a crock pot with four sticks of butter and beef tallow, and let them go on low for 8 hours. Sliced them up as a pre-dinner snack and everyone was clamoring for more.

 

[Learning to BBQ]

Cuts I don't find around here. Looks and sounds delicious. Nice job!

 

[Big Andy]

at the Costcobusiness center buying $300 worth of snack food and is figured I'd check the meat aisle. I really had my eye on a nice thick two back of short ribs but I reay didn't want to drop another $100 for them. none of the briskets spoke to me but the pack of beef cheeks for $30 did. when I got home I took them out of the package. these things were a mess

View attachment 242553

lots of trimming. from over 4.5lbs to just over 2.5 raw. I seasoned and cooked in the pan for a couple of hours

View attachment 242554

I added some diced onions and garlic to beef stock and a dash of hot sauce then covered and cooked some more
View attachment 242555

it took longer than I thought. when I tried to pull it was still a little tough, I recovered and finished in the oven until it was completely tender
View attachment 242556

leftovers. I don't want any flack for the amount of cilantro, the cheap cheese, commercial sauce or flour tortilla.
View attachment 242558

meat was very good, better than pulled brisket. yield cooked was 1.5 lbs so about a third. it was very rich, I wouldn't eat it by itself that's for sure but works in dish.

Great cook. I started mixing chuck roasts and cheeks instead of brisket since the prices got so high. It saves money and yields better. I do a 50/50 raw weight split. Wrap seperate, mix when tender.