Dreaming of that getaway to the beach to sit back and relax sipping on some margaritas all day without a care in the world? Not a worry in the world until dinner time rolls around and you find yourself needing something quick and easy to gulp down and soak up that bottomless drink you chugged all day, right? Hey, you are on vacation so why not cheat a little, be lazy, and have some street tacos full of delicious, juicy beef and topped with fresh pico de gallo, pickled onions, and some Mexican crema to tie it all together! Sounds great, huh? We all can’t take off and head to the beach on a whim, but we can bring those tasty street tacos right into our own home kitchens. The only thing holding us back at this point are those over priced beef costs from lack of production and increased shipping charges…#ThanksCovid. Well, beef cheeks are a simple solution to bringing down the cost and still enjoying those amazing street tacos! Hear me out now because I’m guessing many of you find this lesser known cut somewhat unappetizing, but I’m here to tell you it is full of that great beef flavor at half the cost of most other options. Pour yourself a drink, relax a bit, and follow along as I bring a little warm, beach vacation to you, free of charge!
There are several cooking options we could use with this recipe, but I am keeping it super simple today and letting the crock pot/slow cooker do all the heavy lifting for us all! You could go ahead and use your instant pot pressure cooker, but then you miss out on all those great aromas that continually drift from your slow cooker and fill your kitchen and house with tasty goodness all day. Plus, most of us are quite busy doing this or that so the slow cooker is an easy, hands off approach to cooking overnight while you sleep or all day while you are gone to work. As long as you have some liquids in that bad boy, it is pretty much fail proof and simple as any recipe can get.
Thanks to beef cheeks being a somewhat fatty, lesser known and used cut, the stores are practically giving it away. I found 3 pound packages at my local grocery for just over $3 per pound making it the perfect taco filler once cooked and shredded. We will start by grabbing your favorite seasoning, whether steak or taco or just about any flavor you wish to impart, and generously coat the beef cheeks. Feel free to trim some of the excess fat beforehand if you wish, but most should naturally cook off in the crock pot so I just let mine be and saved a couple minutes of prep time. Throw that well-seasoned hunk of beef in your slow cooker and pour in about 4 cups of beef stock, or enough to submerge the meat by about two-thirds to three-quarters. And that’s it…..we are ready to set the timer and walk away. Set your slow cooker to low and let it do its thing for 8-10 hours while you sleep or work. It does not get much more simple, eh?
Once the crock pot has finished all the heavy lifting, remove the beef cheeks from the liquid (may require straining) and shred into a container. And that pretty much completes the recipe. You can eat the beef cheeks as plain shredded beef or take it to the next level and create the street tacos we first began this journey dreaming about devouring. Leave the meat as is for a soft, juicy taco or toss it in a pan for a quick sear to help dry it out a bit and create a nice crust similar to pork carnitas. Warm a couple tortillas, top with the shredded beef cheeks, then let your heart go wild with any toppings you desire. Some of the standard basics include pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and some queso fresco/cotija cheese. Other ideas might be pickled red onion, cilantro-lime salsa, or even just a squirt of fresh lime juice. The beef cheeks are full of amazing flavor so you don’t really need to add much to create the perfect street taco. Whatever you choose, just keep your mind open and try different combinations. You are already eating that weird ass cheek meat, right?
TACOS DE CACHETE
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