Barbacoa Beef Cheeks

  • 2 1/2pounds beef cheeks
  • 4cloves garlic
  • 1tablespoon sun butter
  • 1ancho chili
  • 1teaspoon instant espresso
  • 2tablespoons olive oil (plus 2 more for cooking)
  • 1tablespoon honey
  • 2teaspoons cumin
  • 1teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
  • 1handful fresh cilantro
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • 1cup chicken broth (you can use beef too, I just had chicken on hand)
  • 3limes
  • 1avocado
  • fresh cilantro
  1. Clean and trim the cheeks. Put them in a container that you can marinate them in.
  2. 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)
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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.

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