Beef cheeks -WOWZA-

[thsmormonsmokes]

So I thought brisket point and beef short ribs were about as rich and flavorful as beef got. NOPE. Holy crap I still can’t believe how rich those bad boys are. It’s an interesting cut of meat to deal with, but worth it (especially when I bought them for $2.85/lb).

Smoked at 240 for about 5 hours, then braised in beef bullion in the oven (weather was rolling in and I didn’t want to deal with it, plus I had hungry family coming over and needed to hurry it along) for another 2 hours at 280. On the trusty old WSM with Kingsford and scrub oak cut right out of my own back yard. SP&G in equal proportions for a dry rub and we were off.

If I had it to do again, I‘d braise for more like 3-4 hours at 240, maybe lower. They were great, but a little chewy yet in a few places and a little more braise time would have made it texture I was going for. And I’d be more careful trimming because there were some huge chunks of fat with no meat (although I’d be a liar if I denied eating a piece of pure fat and enjoying the crap out of it).

Anyway, I don’t know if it was fat, collagen, or what, but I’ve never had smoked meat that rich and flavorful before. The were such a good texture and crazy flavorful. I will definitely be doing them again in the future.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Wow! That does look good! Great job! And where the heck do you find that cut of meat?

 

[forktender]

So I thought brisket point and beef short ribs were about as rich and flavorful as beef got. NOPE. Holy crap I still can’t believe how rich those bad boys are. It’s an interesting cut of meat to deal with, but worth it (especially when I bought them for $2.85/lb).

Smoked at 240 for about 5 hours, then braised in beef bullion in the oven (weather was rolling in and I didn’t want to deal with it, plus I had hungry family coming over and needed to hurry it along) for another 2 hours at 280. On the trusty old WSM with Kingsford and scrub oak cut right out of my own back yard. SP&G in equal proportions for a dry rub and we were off.

If I had it to do again, I‘d braise for more like 3-4 hours at 240, maybe lower. They were great, but a little chewy yet in a few places and a little more braise time would have made it texture I was going for. And I’d be more careful trimming because there were some huge chunks of fat with no meat (although I’d be a liar if I denied eating a piece of pure fat and enjoying the crap out of it).

Anyway, I don’t know if it was fat, collagen, or what, but I’ve never had smoked meat that rich and flavorful before. The were such a good texture and crazy flavorful. I will definitely be doing them again in the future.

View attachment 448463

View attachment 448464View attachment 448465View attachment 448466

I absolutely love beef cheek taco's, it's the best meat there is for taco's by far if you ask me...love it, love it!!!
We don't get it that cheap around here though, it's normally about $4 per pound...still worth it though.
Your meat sure is tastey looking, good job.
Dan

 

[Jabiru]

They look very tasty, a favourite in our house. The flavour of cheeks is something else.

 

[smokerjim]

They look excellent.

 

[jcam222]

Pretty cheap to buy in my area too. I did some last month finally and they were very rich and beefy. The collagen and fat rendered down are decadent. Yours looks great.

 

[bacon_crazy510]

If you want to take cheeks to the next level of decadent, after smoking them, confit them in tallow or lard. Heaven on a plate!

 

[thsmormonsmokes]

Dude, my cholesterol levels went up a few points just from thinking about doing that.

Anyway, for those who haven't tried them out, give them a whirl. They seem to be really popular with tacos, and that's certainly not a bad way of going about it, but I kind of liked eating it straight so I could appreciate its flavor.

That said, I bet they'd be MONEY as burnt ends.