My tongue in this cheek
Jan. 5th, 2015 10:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Beef Cheek Tacos.
2 Tbsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 orange
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (Ha! I used... more.)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup whole dried chiles de arbol
1 1/2 whole dried guajillo chiles
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 quarts water
1 lb beef cheeks, cleaned
tomatillo salsa (there's a recipe for this too, but I used some we made in the summer and froze.)
Combine all the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and cool completely. Add the beef cheeks to the brine and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Set the brine and cheek over high heat the next day and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender - about 1 hour. Remove the cheeks from the pot and discard the brine.
Once the cheeks have cooled, roughly chop them into small pieces. Heat some oil on a griddle and crisp up tortillas over medium heat for 30 seconds per side. (Remove them.) Add the beef cheeks, cooking for about 2 minutes, until the meat is caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
Stack 2 tortillas on a plate and top with beef cheek. Spoon salsa over. Garnish with onions and cilantro. Eat many.
What worked: Good tacos. We ate many.
What didn't: It was like carnitas, but not as good. More unctuous though.
Will I make it again? I'll probably just stick with carnitas.
2 Tbsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 orange
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (Ha! I used... more.)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup whole dried chiles de arbol
1 1/2 whole dried guajillo chiles
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 quarts water
1 lb beef cheeks, cleaned
tomatillo salsa (there's a recipe for this too, but I used some we made in the summer and froze.)
Combine all the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and cool completely. Add the beef cheeks to the brine and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Set the brine and cheek over high heat the next day and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender - about 1 hour. Remove the cheeks from the pot and discard the brine.
Once the cheeks have cooled, roughly chop them into small pieces. Heat some oil on a griddle and crisp up tortillas over medium heat for 30 seconds per side. (Remove them.) Add the beef cheeks, cooking for about 2 minutes, until the meat is caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
Stack 2 tortillas on a plate and top with beef cheek. Spoon salsa over. Garnish with onions and cilantro. Eat many.
What worked: Good tacos. We ate many.
What didn't: It was like carnitas, but not as good. More unctuous though.
Will I make it again? I'll probably just stick with carnitas.
