- 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
- Clean and trim the cheeks. Put them in a container that you can marinate them in.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.