by aargersi
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1
red onion
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1 tablespoon
salt
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2 tablespoons
sugar
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1/4
a beet
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1
handful cilantro
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1
part water
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2
parts cider vinegar
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Slice the onions very thinly and put them in a microwaveable container. Add the beet, cilantro, salt and sugar. Cover everything with 1 part water to 2 parts vingar.
Ask the hotline about this step!microwave for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for another minute. Cool, then refridgerate overnight. The beet will turn it a really pretty hot pink color.
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2 1/2 pounds
beef cheeks
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4
cloves garlic
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1 tablespoon
natural peanut butter
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1
ancho chili
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1 teaspoon
instant espresso
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2 tablespoons
olive oil (plus 2 more for cooking)
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1 tablespoon
honey
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2 teaspoons
cumin
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1 teaspoon
smoked sweet paprika
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1
handful fresh cilantro
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 cup
chicken broth (you can use beef too, I just had chicken on hand)
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3
limes
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1
avocado
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Clean and trim the cheeks. Put them in a container that you can marinate them in.
Ask the hotline about this step!Remove the stem and seeds from the ancho, cut it up into chunks and rehydrate in a little water (I stick it in a ramekin and microwave for 30 seconds)
Ask the hotline about this step!Peel and chop the garlic. Put everything from the garlic to the salt in the food processor (including the water from the chili) and blend into a paste. Toss the paste with the cheeks and marinate for several hours or better yet over night.
Ask the hotline about this step!When it is time to cook, heat the oven to 275, and heat 2 tbs olive oil in a dutch oven. Brown the cheeks on both sides. Use the broth to rinse the rest of the marinade into the dutch oven, then squeeze the juice of 3 limes in.
Ask the hotline about this step!Bake at 275 for 3 1/2 hours - turn the cheeks over once or twice while they cook and if the liquid dries up add a bit more broth
Ask the hotline about this step!When the cheeks are fall-apart tender, take the pan out of the oven. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart in the pan so that it mixes in with all of that fatty juicy goodness.
Ask the hotline about this step!To serve - heat 2 tortillas (I like to double wrap the taco as they are juicy). Fill with barbacoa, a slice of avocado, some of pickled onions and fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!!!
Ask the hotline about this step!We made this with 2 lbs of brisket and popped it in the slow cooker for 10 hours overnight (and another 1 without the lid). Delicious! Thanks!
I can attest from personal experience that Aargers' beef cheek tacos are absolutely delicious. I hope she will give me another chance to review them. (c; I may try to make them myself. Her Cochinita Pibil is awesome as well. Of course the pink onions go well on both items, or on their own for that matter.
I can attest from personal experience that Aargers' beef cheek tacos are absolutely delicious. I hope she will give me another chance to review them. (c; I may try to make them myself. Her Cochinita Pibil is awesome as well. Of course the pink onions go well on both items, or on their own for that matter.
Beef cheeks are available at Costco Business Center in San Diego (not the regular retail stores, though). At $2.35 a lb, they are a steal!
I made this with beef chuck and it was delicious - tender and full of flavor! Thanks for the great recipe.
Just sensational--don't let the overnight marinade keep you from making this! I was looking for something fun and different to make (easy is always good too!!!) for my 14 yo and me...so I went to the best recipe section and my kid was all over this Barbacoa. Issues? Not so much: It was late in the day, and store didn't carry beef cheeks (I was sort of okay with that - Mr. awesomeness-beef-man-behind-the-meat-counter Dave recommended: prime rib (REALLY 'spensive, Lucy! And also said could use Chuck. Got the chuck...). Forgot the buy ancho chile...So anyway used two limes, poblano paste instead of the anchos----and just cooked it all up without all the marinating...three hours, low heat. Son made homemade flour tortillas. The pickled beets and onions, beyond just being beautiful...were so simple and tasty...so many fabulous app. ideas to use this prettiness for ....What a great find....
This recipe is amazing! It was an opportunity for me to go to a local carniceria. They also had great oxtail too so we literally had a head to tail week of eats! The beef cheeks had great flavor and I liked the differences in texture. And the onions...man, awesome. Love your recipes!
I would like to try this with a whole 6lb brisket that I got at the farmers mkt. The farmer told me that since it's bison, I should cook it "low and slow," at 185F overnight. Do you think it will still work?
Absolutely - bison is a lot lower fat though so I think it might be a good idea to up the oil a bit to compensate ... and you'll need more marinade since it's 6 lbs ... make a lot of the onions!!!
Props to you aargersi, this recipe was the shit!!! made it for the wife and a couple of friends. had some drinks and what not, man, we enjoyed these tacos thoroughly! the onions are all gone, still have more meat though, any leftovers suggestions? BTW- I tossed in some heel meat that we happened to have in the freezer. TRUE nose to tail tacos!
pce!
I am so glad you liked them! Leftovers - enchiladas maybe? Or just with refried beans and salsa, maybe some jalapenos? Awesome deal on the heels, I have never cooked them (or even seen them for that matter :-) I have some cheeks in the freezer, perhaps this will be a taco weekend ...
Leftover Barbacoa breakfast tacos: over moderate heat, sprinkle some babacoa in your pan, render remaining fat, add scrambled eggs and green onion. You can add other stuff to the pan before the eggs, whatever you like really. Mushrooms would work well.
I made these recently using short ribs instead of beef cheeks -- again, delicious! Thought people might want to know there's an alternative if they can't get the cheeks.
That is a great idea!! Funny because cheeks are everywhere down here ...
I'm making this dish tonight :-) The beef cheeks have been marinating since yesterday afternoon and the onions are looking pink and awesome!
Can't wait :->
I love beef cheeks, but to me this is not a good recipe. I'd pass.
Cheeks! It's what's for dinner!
Two quick questions: 1.) Did you cover the cheeks during the braise? 2.) Did you use plain white vinegar or cider vinegar for the onion? (I used apple cider vinegar and my sneak onion bite this AM tasted oddly effervescent...)
The marinade alone is a keeper. Bet you could do this with ox tail. Many thanks.
Hi there! Answers! 1) not completely, but I flipped during the process 2) apple cider vinegar - effervescent is a new one! an oxtail would be great!!!!
Substituted brisket and it was great. Onions were yummy too. Leftovers will make for a nice salad tomorrow.
Oh great idea! Next time I can't find cheeks I will consider brisket instead ... yeah onions in salad, on nachos, you name it ...
aargesi - I had to change up the recipe a bit because (1) there are no beef cheeks to be had within 50 miles (2) we are in the midst of a blizzard so, even if they did stock beef cheeks, all the grocery stores are closed and (3) I wanted to modify it for a slow cooker. So, I stuck with your recipe except I used a bone-in pork shoulder (because that's what I had in the fridge), I didn't marinate it (because I was time-crunched) and I used the crock pot on high for 4 hours instead of braising the meat in the oven. Meat was incredible - so flavorful and it just fell apart - and my whole family enjoyed the tacos - even my 9-yr-old who thinks the world revolves around Ortega/ElPaso taco kits!! The pickled onions are like a gift from above! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I am so glad you liked them, and your substitutions sound great! The onions are addictive aren't they??
Congrats! These look amazing.
Mmmm...the rich, meltingly soft cheeks with the flavor and texture contrast of the pickled onions sounds perfect. Congratulations on the win, and thanks for such a great recipe.
congratulations!
Thanks! You know, you have to go to HEB for cheeks - they don't stock them at CM! Odd, huh?
Congratulations! I can't wait to try this :D
Knew you were going to win with the one! Great recipe...congrats!
Congratulations - I voted! Love this recipe...
Congrats!
I just had beef cheek tacos at an amazing Mexican restaurant here in San Diego. Now, thanks to you, I can make them at home! They look sensational.
I am hungry now...
Congratulations to you!
Congrats aargersi!
Thanks so much - it's such a great honor among so many great recipes and cooks!!
Finally after so many wonderful recipes YOU WON! Well done and CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you! I am SO excited! There's one new year's resolution taken care of :-)
This is so interesting with the honey espresso peanut butter and chile. What an exciting combination. I wonder how a little red wine would work in this recipe...
A little red wine or a little dark beer - both of those things are almost always a GOOD idea! :-)
Never had beef cheeks, but these sound wonderful. They get my vote.
Well, I could be!
-- Bennie
This looks awesome... when can we try with a TX Martini?
These are just beautiful!
I volunteer to sample they next time we are pool side!!! ;-D They sound wonderful!!
What a great use for beef cheeks - yum!
I hadn't a clue that you could get beef cheeks in the States. They are amazing, so much flavour and so tender!
I adore beef cheeks and love the combination of ingredients. Someday we need to make these together!
this looks fantastic! gotta love pickled onions, too!
Darn. I aas going to do tacos with beef heart...I'm not going to bother now, because this looks SO GOOD!
Do it anyways! Never too many tacos! And thank you - that is nice of you to say! :-)
What a great use of beef cheeks. It sounds perfect with the heat and spice of the mole-like sauce!
This sounds delicious!!! I love to cook beef cheeks...so much flavor! I was going to ask you where you got the cheeks. They are very hard to find due to the method that most butchers kill the beef....but then I remembered that you are from Texas! Beef and Big Red Wine Country!!! (one of my best markets)
Yeah here I can get them in any store ... along with other qualifying nose to tail ingredients that I am a little scared of :-) Hey can you email me some of your wines? I would love to try them!!!
YUM. Love beef cheek.
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These pickled onions are pink from beets, sweet and tangy from sugar and cider vinegar, and fresh and herbal from cilantro.
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A reconstituted ancho chili, sans seeds, is one of the many marinade ingredients.
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Drizzling honey into the food processor (that's instant espresso and peanut butter below it).
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Smoked sweet paprika -- the ingredient of choice these days -- goes in as well. Sarah pointed out that the spice oddly matches Merrill's lipstick in this shot.
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Everything gets whizzed in the food processor, and you have a complex, incredible smelling marinade.
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Amanda can't resist stealing a closer sniff.
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She then dons her Ice Milk apron for the tough task of browning the marinated beef cheeks -- tongs at the ready.
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Once the beef is richly caramelized, it's time for braising.
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The juice of three limes, one cup of chicken stock and the rest of the marinade go into the pot. Nothing goes to waste here!
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3 1/2 hours later...
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Merrill coaxes the butter-tender meat into bite-sized chunks with two forks, while Amanda prepares to slice an avocado for the tacos.
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Some beef cheek, a slice or two of avocado, several strips of pickled onion and a pinch of fresh cilantro: et viola!
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These are wonderful! I almost didn't make the pickled onions, but am so glad I did. The bright acidic bite was needed against the full fattiness of the beef. Wonderful meal - thank you!