Beef Cheek - Barbacoa


 
LarryR

LarryR

TVWBB Diamond Member
PICTURES

So I found some beef cheek at my local market and remembered how great Barbacoa is and now I’m cooking 12 lbs of beef cheek! Traditional (Mexican) Barbacoa is the head of a cow with the best part (IMO) being the beef cheek. So after some quick reading on the Internet and some input from Kevin K I’m ½ way through my cook.

Seasoned the cheek with kosher salt, pepper, ancho powder, cinnamon and cumin. Put her on the cooker at 225 grate with a piece of red oak. At the 4 hour mark I’ll transfer to a foil pan, cover and cook for another 2 – 3 hours.

I just turned and rotated the pieces, probably didn’t need to but I wanted to see what was “doing” in the cooker. Looks really odd so far. I’ll keep you posted.
 
I missed getting back to you on your other thread.

The spicing seems fine to me. At current temps and at the timing you are planning consider adding some liquid when you pan and foil (water or low-salt chicken stock mixed with a little beef stock) to create steam. I'd suggest bumping the temps up post-foiling to ~250.
 
You know what Kevin, I was just wondering about that. What if I threw say 1 cup beef broth in the bottom of the pan (no chicken on hand other than Knorr powder)? I was thinking of bumping-up temp up to 300 once foiled, too high?
 
Mix 50-50 beef and boiling water into which you've dissolved a little Knorr, i.e., don't make it full strength.

No, not too high, but check sooner, say 1 hour and get a feel for the meat. Gauge from there when you'll next check. If the meat is stacked on top of each other in the pan, rearrange/reverse positions when you check.
 
Pictures Updated: Foiled with 1 cup of the broth and brought cooker up to 275. Smells incredible!

Toby, you don't know what you're missing, I love this stuff; similar to say smoked shredded beef more tender, moist and flavorful. You should be able to find a restaurant in your area, my uncle lives in Ventura and knows all the great mexican restaurants down there, I'll ask him for a recommendation.

SO has the tortillas, some salsa, avocado and fresh corn tortillas ready to roll.

UPDATE: 1:30 of being foiled, just checked and not even close to shredable. What gives? I knew I should have only cooked one of these and learned from it. Back on, kicked temp up to 300 and will check again in 40 min.

UPDATE II: That's what she needed, a little more heat. Took off a small piece (the rest needs about another 30 min) and "oh my" very tasty stuff. My 7 yo son almost ate the entire piece himself. Can't wait for the rest to be done. Pictures updated.
 
never thought of making my own. there is a place here not very far that i go to to get barbacoa. love the stuff. used to have to go to farmersville for it, was a sunday ritual. when i was in rehab i had a real bad need for it and one of the nurses went and got me some. dang, now i got to go out and get me some.
 
Looks like a dang good meal there Larry, and an interesting change of pace.

I'm assuming that beef cheek needs a slow or moist cook in order to end up tender? That's gotta be one of the most often used muscles on the cow.
 
Pictures are updated: Well just finished dinner (the meat was done to late last night for dinner) and I've got to say WOW it turned out great, much better than my expectations for a first run at this dish (and how it looked during the cook). I'd give it a solid B+. Meat was very moist, a nice hit of smoke, very tender and flavorful. Served with corn tortillas, cilantro, avocado, tomatoes and red onion.

Next time I think I'll kick the spices up a bit, maybe do an Al Pastor type seasoning. I recommend for a "off the beaten path" cook.

Thanks for the help Kevin!
 
Try a chile powder blend of mostly ground pasilla with some guajillo. Consider either alternatively or additionally adding a whole pasilla and a chile de árbol along with a mashed clove of garlic or two to the pan when you add the liquid. If you wish you can purée some or all of the chilies and garlic with the liquid in the pan after the cheeks are done and then work as much as you'd like into the meat as you break it up. Just a thought.

Glad you enjoyed your barbacoa.
 
Really looks great Larry, I would like to try that some time, I'll keep an eye out for beef cheek.

Thanks for posting!
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Looks fantastic Larry. Thanks for sharing. Something else to try for sure. So do you basically cook these things until tender, I.E can you cook with a fork or probe test or do you need to go by food temp? As in amount of rare like steak or do you cook till some sort of rendering is done like chuck or but?
 
Ray, yep, cook to tender, didn't use a temp probe on her went by "fork" done/when she started to shred. Similar to a butt or chuck roll.

I do want to add that there was a lot of fat, a lot! I'd say about 1/3 fat that I had to remove after cooking.
 
hmmm... barbacoa. There is a good little mom and pop shop down the street from my work that make good barbacoa burritos. Sometimes a bit too greasy but hey ; )

Im going to have to go to the meat markets and ask from some cheek now. Im sure I can find them here in a border town. Whats a pita to find here is tri-tip : )
 
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