Tender Beef Cheeks Recipe - Easy Slow Cooker Meal (2024)

FAQs

How do you soften beef cheeks? ›

Place your pot on the stovetop and put it on high flame. Once the pot starts boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the meat simmer until it is fall-apart tender. Cook time is about three hours, but depends on the size of your cheek meat.

Beef cheeks frequently feature on restaurant menus and are prized for their rich and full flavour and meltingly tender texture but they're not a cut that home cooks often use. If you would like to add something new to your cooking repertoire then they are definitely worth trying.

If the cheeks seem tough, they may be undercooked or overcooked; take the temperature of the meat to check for doneness. If undercooked (the internal temperature is less than 210 degrees Fahrenheit), allow the cheeks to continue cooking in the smoker.

Take the stress out of cooking a joint of beef by using your slow cooker. The meat will be beautifully tender and full of flavour. It's a game changer!

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Can you overcook beef cheeks? Because beef cheeks are a tough secondary cut with a lot of muscle, they are perfectly suited to slow-cooking, and it would be very hard to overcook them!

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.

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.

How do you make beef not chewy and tender? ›

For some people, the flavour of beef cheeks can be a bit heady, especially if they're not cooked long enough. If this true for you, then its a good idea to brine the meat first in a salt solution to help reduce the richness. This also has the advantage of seasoning the meat before cooking.

Chuck roast and top round roast are good choices for the slow cooker, which allows them to tenderize over time.

If you overcook meat, it becomes dry and tough. Often people using a slow cooker and don't check when the food is actually done. If a recipe says cook for 8 hours on low, people may not check the food for 8 hours.

Yes, it is possible to overcook a roast or other dishes in a crockpot, even when using the low heat setting for an extended period.

In addition to acid-based foods, plant enzymes in fruits like pineapple and kiwi can tenderize meat. Like with lemon juice or vinegar, you don't want to leave these foods on beef for too long—it will make the meat soft. You can blend fruit to create a marinade.

Simmer in liquid. Just like for burnt meat, if your meat gets tough and dry then you can simmer it in a little bit of broth for a couple minutes. Don't allow it to overcook again but just allow the liquid to penetrate the meat.

Slow cooking methods, such as braising or stewing, are ideal for cooking beef cubes tender. These methods allow the connective tissues in the beef to break down slowly, resulting in a tender and flavorful dish. You can use a slow cooker, Dutch oven, or pressure cooker for these cooking techniques.

Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.