Smoked & Braised Beef Cheeks
Wild Fork beef cheeks with a mustard, pepper and Gospel bark, smoked five hours at 225°F with tallow, braised in beef broth until probe tender, then crisped back up at 275–300°F.
People keep saying beef cheeks are the best bite in BBQ, so I gave them a go. I got mine from Wild Fork and treated them like my pulled chuck roast: build bark in open smoke, then braise.
The bark
Mustard as a binder, plenty of coarse black pepper and Meat Church The Gospel. Smoke at 225°F for about 5 hours, brushing with heated tallow now and then, until the bark is very set.
The braise
Move the cheeks into the pan of broth that's been catching drippings underneath, cover it and braise for 2–3 hours until they probe like butter, around 205°F. The braise softened my bark, so I pulled them out, bumped the smoker to 275–300°F and firmed the bark back up for 20–30 minutes.
There's so much connective tissue that renders into gelatin that you get a really rich bite. It's a little too much for me on its own, but they were great in tacos. My wife loved them and put them in her soups all week.
Watch the cook
Beef
Smoked & Braised Beef Cheeks
Wild Fork beef cheeks with a mustard, pepper and Gospel bark, smoked five hours at 225°F with tallow, braised in beef broth until probe tender, then crisped back up at 275–300°F.
Print- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 7½–8½ hours
- Total
- About 9 hours
- Yield
- 4–6 servings
- Method
- Smoke, then braise
- Wood
- Your choice
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim the membrane off both sides of the cheeks.
- Coat with mustard, then season with coarse black pepper and The Gospel.
- Set your smoker to 225°F. Put a pan or Dutch oven of broth on the rack below the cheeks to catch drippings.
- Smoke for about 5 hours, brushing with heated tallow now and then, until the bark is very set.
- Move the cheeks into the broth and cover. Use just enough liquid to come partway up, or elevate them a little so the bark doesn't go mushy.
- Braise for 2–3 hours, until probe tender, around 205°F.
- Take the cheeks out of the braise, raise the smoker to 275–300°F and cook for another 20–30 minutes to firm the bark back up.
- Rest, slice and serve with some of the braising liquid.
Pitmaster Notes
- Cheeks shrink a lot. Plan on about half the raw weight once cooked.
- They're excellent in tacos with a little of the braising liquid.
- Don't braise in water. Use broth, or a mix of broth and tallow, to add flavor.
Product links are things I actually used. Some are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Times and temps are my starting points. Every cooker and every cut runs a little different, so cook to temperature and feel, not the clock.
