Beef cheeks frequently feature on restaurant menus and are prized for their rich and full flavour and meltingly tender texture but they’re not a cut that home cooks often use. If you would like to add something new to your cooking repertoire then they are definitely worth trying.
What cut are they?
Beef cheeks, unsurprisingly, come from the facial cheek muscles of the animal. As they come from a working muscle they are tough cut that needs proper cooking to get great results.
So how do I cook them?
Really the only way to cook them is slow-cooking. This will ensure that they achieve the desired melt-in-your-mouth texture. Beef cheeks absorb the flavours of the liquid they are cooked in, resulting in a flavoursome meat with a texture that melts in your mouth like butter.
Tips for buying
When you buy beef cheeks they will be trimmed. Each cheek usually weighs around 300-400 grams but during cooking you will find that they shrink to about 200 to 300 grams. If buying for four people we recommend purchasing 1 kilogram of beef cheeks, this will leave you with a cooked weight of approximately 150g of meat per person.
FAQs
Beef cheeks (cachete de res in Hispanic recipes) are cuts of meat from, you guessed it, the cheek muscles. The tender meat is an excellent choice for making various appetizers, stews, soups, sandwiches, and main dishes. Several traditional and modern Mexican recipes, such as, birria and barbacoa, also use the meat.
What is beef cheek meat good for? ›
Beef Cheeks
We also love to cut them into large cubes for beef stew, or small cubes for Texas-style chilis, which often use small cuts instead of ground meats. Any slow cooked beef dish, like ropa vieja, is wonderful with this cut as well. You can also make one into a small pot roast for two!
What part of a cow do beef cheeks come from? ›
The cut. The beef cheek comes from the facial muscle of the cow. Throughout its life, the cow is constantly working its cheek through chewing food, and consequently the meat is tough. Once cooked correctly, all the connective tissue becomes tender and melts in the mouth.
Are beef cheeks a cheap cut? ›
While beef cheeks are less popular today than they were in the past, they're one of the best cheap cuts of meat for slow cooking. They feature an ultra-beefy flavor, and cooking it in liquid brings it out fully. Another underappreciated cheap cut of meat is the bavette.
What are beef cheeks called in the USA? ›
Also known as barbacoa meat, beef cheek meat is great in tacos, quesadillas, burritos and other delicious dishes. What is beef cheek meat? Beef cheeks come from the face of the cow, next to the jaw muscle. Our cheek meat produces a wonderful, melt-in-your-mouth bite packed with traditional flavor.
Do beef cheeks taste like steak? ›
Beef cheeks have a rich, beefy flavor and—when properly smoked—a tender texture, similar to short rib. Learn how to make flavorful smoked beef cheeks at home.
Do you trim fat off beef cheeks? ›
When you decide to buy beef cheeks, go to your local butcher, who will skin the cheeks for you. Ask them to trim off most of the fat so that you're left with a nice chunk of meat with just a little fat around the sides to help it stay moist during cooking.
Can you overcook beef cheeks? ›
Can you overcook beef cheeks? Because beef cheeks are a tough secondary cut with a lot of muscle, they are perfectly suited to slow-cooking, and it would be very hard to overcook them!
What is the closest meat to beef cheek? ›
We believe Beef Cheeks are the undisputed King of all slow cooking / braised beef cuts. That being said, the closest substitutes for Beef Cheeks would be either braised Beef Short Ribs (cooked for an extra-long time) or Beef Oxtail.
Are beef cheeks safe? ›
No, a beef cheek is not rawhide.
Beef cheeks are a type of natural chew and a great source of protein, making them a safe and healthy option for dogs. They are also highly digestible and are processed without chemicals.
Beef cheeks or cachetes is one of my favorite parts of tacos de cabeza (literally, head tacos). The whole head of the cow is cooked in hot steam for hours leaving the beef easily out of the bone, and the taste and texture is amazing!
How many beef cheeks per person? ›
Beef cheeks are generally big in size, so we'd recommend one beef cheek per person. Tip: If your piece has a lot of excess fat or sinew on it, trim this off before you start cooking — it won't cook out and will remain tough.
Are beef cheeks considered organ meat? ›
The most popular organ meats are the heart, kidney, and liver. While other options include the brain, cheek, tongue, intestines, testicl*s, tripe (stomach), and sweetbreads (pancreas). Today, most animals are raised for their muscle tissue, which means organ meats are often overlooked. We get it.
Is beef cheek tender or tough? ›
Beef Cheeks are the cheek muscle of cows and they are a very tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked long and slow to make it tender. It absorbs the flavours of braising liquid well and when you cut into it, it is stringy, almost like pulled pork.
Are beef cheeks high in collagen? ›
Even better, beef cheeks contain lots of collagen. The collagen turns to gelatin when slow-cooked and makes the meat moist and succulent. Besides having a delectably tender mouthfeel, beef cheek has a rich beefy flavor that you can enhance by braising the meat in a broth.
How digestible is beef cheek? ›
Firstly, beef cheeks are a natural chew, meaning they are safe and healthy for dogs to eat. They are also highly digestible, making them less likely to cause gastrointestinal issues than rawhide chews.
What is beef cheek dog treat? ›
A beef cheek roll is a type of dog chew made from the meat of a cow's cheek.
