Smoked Beef Cheeks (Barbacoa) Tacos
Beef cheeks, give them a bit of love and they'll reward you with rich, intense, soft beefy goodness.
Servings 2
Calories 910kcal
Ingredients
- 3 beef cheek around 7oz each
- 350 ml ginger beer
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tortillas
For the rub:
- 2 parts ground pepper
- 1.5 parts kosher salt
- 1 part garlic granules
For the salsa:
- 4 ripe tomatoes diced
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1/4 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 1 lime juice only
- olive oil to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the rub by combining all ingredients in a large bowl and mixing well.
- Trim your beef cheeks of all external fat and silverskin.
- Lightly oil cheeks and sprinkle over rub on both sides of cheeks.
- Prepare your smoker to 250 - 300 F.
- Smoke beef cheeks for around 3 hours, until the deep mahogany color, or 170 F.
- Prepare your salsa by combining all ingredients, except oil and lime juice, s&p. Refrigerate until needed.
- Boat your beef cheeks in an aluminum tray, add 350ml ginger beer, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the beef cheeks. Cover with aluminum foil, then put back into the smoker.
- Smoke for a further 2-3 hours, until they probe like butter. This should be around 203 - 210 F. Rest beef cheeks.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil and juice of 1 lime to salsa, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pull beef cheeks and serve on tortillas with the salsa and some sliced chilli.
Nutrition
Calories: 910kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 1558mg | Potassium: 1851mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 2170IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 10mg