Smoked Beef Cheeks
Beef cheeks are muscles heavily laced with connective tissue that transform into incredibly tender, fibrous meat through long low-temperature smoking. The intense flavor of the cheek area is perfectly complemented by smoke. They are excellent for braising or tacos after smoking.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparation
15 min. + 1 hr. chillingTrim the beef cheeks: remove coarse silver skin and excessive fat strands. Mix all rub ingredients and apply evenly to the cheeks. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Smoking
4-6 hrs.Bring smoker to 115-125 °C and use mesquite and cherry wood. Place beef cheeks and smoke until core temperature reaches 68-70 °C and a dark crust has formed.
Wrapping and Finishing
2-3 hrs.Wrap each beef cheek individually with a splash of beef broth tightly in aluminum foil. Continue cooking at 115-125 °C until the core temperature reaches 93-96 °C and the meat feels butter-soft when pressed.
Pro Tip
After reaching the core temperature, hold the beef cheeks wrapped in beef broth at 95 °C for 1-2 hours – this softens the connective tissue even further and makes the meat even juicier.
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