Beef cheeks behave quite similar to Beef ribs, a hard working muscle, chewing almost nonstop from birth!
With a slow cook and a bit of BBQ magic, they are a stunning meal!
Rub
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 teaspoons salt
Smoking
Generously coat the beef cheeks with the rub and refrigerate uncovered overnight. Let the cheeks come to room temperature then smoke low and slow on the BBQ for 2-4 hours. This gets a good layer of Flavour to penetrate the meat and brings the internal temperature up just over 60°C and starts the breakdown of the Collagen.
Time to get the Cheeks into Phase two! Look at those beefy balls of goodness!
Phase two: into a pan with Stout, Beef Stock and Star Anise, foil and back into the Smoke King.
Braising
2 stubbies Thooheys Old (or good stout or porter)
4 star anise
2 cups chicken stock
Add one stubby of the Tooheys Old to the 2 cups of chicken stock in a large bowl, place the cheeks in a baking pan. and pour the mixture over the beef cheeks and drop in the star anise. Seal the dish tightly with aluminium foil and place it back in the BBQ at a baking temperature, 150°C (302°F). The cheeks will braise in the liquid for the next 2 1/2 hours. Use the second stubby is you are running low on liquid or if you are thirsty.
Finishing
1/2 cup dry vermouth (or Rum)
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs Brown Sugar
Open a corner of the foil and pour out a half a cup of the braising liquid, add to the dry vermouth in a pan and reduce to roughly half while the cheeks rest.
Warm up the reduced sauce and using a whisk dissolve the sugar, then add the butter a little at a time, stirring constantly until the butter emulsifies. Carefully remove the foil from the cheeks and slice against the grain into generous slices, or shred into a pile, dress with the sauce and enjoy.
Cheers
Chris
