Beef cheeks are a relatively inexpensive cut of meat that are incredible when cooked low and slow. The fat and muscle transforms into delicious, gelatinous, rich, beefy morsels.
Set up your barbecue for indirect cooking over very low heat (100°C to 130°C) with your desired smoking wood chunks.
Ensure the beef cheeks are trimmed of any silver skin. In a small bowl combine the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the salt and pepper all over the beef cheeks. Also add 200mL of beef stock to a spray bottle.
Once the barbecue has preheated, and is smoking, add your beef cheeks to the barbecue. Cook over indirect very low heat for 3.5 to 4 hours, or until a dark crust (aka bark) has formed, spritzing the beef cheeks with beef stock (in the spray bottle) every hour (see tip 1).
Once the barbecue has preheated, and is smoking, add your beef cheeks to the barbecue. Cook over very low heat for 3.5 to 4 hours, or until a dark crust (aka bark) has formed, spritzing the beef cheeks with beef stock (in the spray bottle) every hour (see tip 1).
Place the beef cheeks into a disposable drip pan and pour in the remaining 300mL of beef stock. Cover the pan tightly with several sheets of aluminium foil. Place the pan back onto the barbecue and continue to cook for a further 1.5 to 2 hours or until the beef cheeks are soft and have no resistance when a skewer/probe is inserted (approx. internal temperature of 98°C).
Once the beef cheeks are done, remove the pan from the barbecue and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Slice the beef cheeks (or pull if they fall apart) and serve.
Tip 1
Spritzing your beef cheeks with beef stock will help prevent them from drying out. It will also add to the overall tenderness and flavour of the beef cheeks.
Tip 2
This method is called ‘boating’. Place the meat into a pan with liquid and tightly cover with foil. This will encourage the meat to soak up some of the liquid, and steam inside the pan which will create soft and succulent results.
What do you need?
Recommended Tools
What do you need?
Recommended Tools
Recommended Tools carousel, use the previous and next arrows to navigate, or jump to any slide with the slide bullets.
