Beef cheek tortillas
I love low and slow cooking especially with not so popular cuts of meat. Beef cheek is perfectly suited to slow cooking and really takes on flavours during the process. This is one dish that needs very little attention, just get it on the barbecue and you can pretty much forget about it until it's ready. I tend to go by eye and feel when cooking for long periods rather than core temperature. The beef cheek just falls apart when ready and perfect for serving in tortillas with some salsa and guacamole. As many of you know now I tend to make my own spice rubs, I want to have something that compliments the meat not drowns out the natural flavours.
Juice 1 orange
Juice 1 lime
10ml rapeseed oil
100ml freshly brewed strong coffee cooled
Spice mix
2cm cinnamon stick
2g all spice berries
5g cumin seeds
2g coriander seeds
2g black peppercorns
5g oregano
5g smoked paprika
5g sweet paprika
5g guajillo chili powder
2g maldon sea salt
Place the cinnamon, all spice, peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds in a heavy based pan and toast on a medium heat for 5 minutes
Allow to cool and then place in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder
Pour into a bowl and add the rest of the ground spices, salt and oregano, mix together well
Add the fruit juices, coffee and oil and mix further
Place the beef cheek in a deep baking dish or cast iron pan and pour over the marinade
Cover with cling film and place in the fridge over night or a minimum of 12 hours
Ensure you turn the beef during this time to ensure an even coating of marinade
Remove the beef from the fridge an hour before cooking
Set your barbecue up for indirect cooking at 140c with additional wood chips such as hickory or pecan for extra flavour
Remove the cling film from your dish/pan and place it on the barbecue, you'll be cooking the beef in the marinade
Cook for a minimum of 4 hours, cook for 2 hours uncovered and them cover the dish with tin foil and cook for a further 2 hours
Start checking the beef from about 3 hours to see if the meat is starting to give/become tender
Once cooked remove to a warm place and allow to rest for at least 45 minutes
After it has rested you can pull the meat apart quite easily
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