Beef cheeks in red wine | Jamie magazine recipes (2024)

FAQs

What wine is good for beef cheeks? ›

Perfect match: Slow roasted beef cheek

The slow roasting tends to encourage a more complex, meaty flavour, which is a perfect simile for the earthen, rich notes of a Cabernet or older local red (at least 3-4 years old). The contrast of oak richness and aged earthen silkiness are a match made in heaven.

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.

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.

If your recipe requires it, cut each beef cheek into smaller pieces. If you'd like, you can enhance the flavor and appearance of the beef cheeks by browning them in a skillet. Place the cheek meat in a pot and add enough water, beef broth, or stock to cover the meat.

Why are my beef cheeks tough? If they haven't been cooked long enough, or if they haven't been submerged in the braising liquid while cooking, this can lead to tough rather than tender meat.

There Are Many Health Benefits

Beef cheeks are a great lightweight alternative to traditional cuts. Beef cheeks are lower in calories and fat and higher in protein than most popular steaks. Plus, they have more immune-supporting vitamins (vitamin C and B) and 200 percent more iron than traditional cuts.

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.

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!

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 expensive? Beef Cheeks used to be one of the cheaper cuts & referred to as an Offal cut by the wholesalers. Recently modern chefs are using cuts like this in todays recipes, the demand & price have increased. We offer these at a reasonable price because we make them as a wholesale meat cut.

Are beef cheeks a delicacy? ›

Yes. All of that tough chewing the cow does builds connective tissues that render down into an incredible texture If you cook them low and slow. Beef cheeks are famous in barbacoa and stews for a reason.

Because of that collagen seam I have found the final internal temperature for beef cheeks can often be quite high, around 205f-210f. Be wary when probing for tenderness as often the meat can feel quite tender before that collagen has fully broken down.

Best beef for Beef Barbacoa: Beef cheeks

The Tex-Mex version tends to use beef cheeks. This cut yields pulled beef that is outrageously tender but also remains succulent and juicy, thanks to the fine fat marbling and ample connective tissue that breaks down with slow cooking into rich, lip-sticking gelatin.

Don't have beef cheeks? You could substitute chuck steak, gravy beef, brisket or even whole chicken thighs works too. Chicken will take much less cooking time so adapt timing accordingly.

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.

If you have rosacea, consider opting for chilled white wine over room temperature red wine to lower the chances of a flare. When you have the skin condition rosacea, having a glass of red wine could have a surprising effect on your skin.

If your face turns red after a couple glasses of wine, you're not alone. Many people experience facial flushing when they drink alcohol. The technical term for this condition is “alcohol flush reaction.” Most of the time, the flushing happens because you have trouble digesting alcohol completely.

If you're making a red wine reduction sauce, some of the best choices are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chianti, or Barbera. All of these wines are dry and full-bodied, which will reduce well and make for a balanced sauce.

On a basic level, veal can pair well with very full-bodied dry red wine, and can also pair well with full-bodied wine. Keep in mind that the more complex the veal dish (such as stew, which has several different flavors), the more acidity it should have.