Smoked Beef Cheeks with Mezcal-Chipotle Glaze
Beef cheeks are dry-cured overnight and then slowly smoked at low temperature until the connective tissue fully breaks down. The mezcal-chipotle glaze adds a smoky-sweet depth with a gentle heat. Perfect for a festive BBQ experience with a Mexican twist.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Rub & Chill
12 hours (refrigerator)Combine sea salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chipotle powder and black pepper thoroughly. Rub the beef cheeks generously all over, place on a rack over a tray, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Initial Smoke
4-5 hoursPreheat smoker to 120-135 °C using mesquite and cherry wood. Place beef cheeks directly on the grate and smoke uncovered until a good bark forms and an internal temperature of approx. 70 °C is reached.
Wrap & Continue Cooking
4-6 hoursMix mezcal and agave syrup together, brush over the cheeks, and wrap tightly in butcher paper. Return to the smoker and cook until an internal temperature of 93-96 °C is reached and the meat probes easily.
Rest & Serve
30-45 minutesRemove the wrapped cheeks from the smoker and rest in a cooler or oven at 60 °C for at least 30 minutes. Then slice or pull apart and drizzle with remaining glaze.
Pro Tip
Once the desired bark is achieved, always wrap beef cheeks in butcher paper inside the smoker – this prevents drying out and speeds up the breakdown of connective tissue.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.