Therefore, they are only ever good to eat if cooked low n slow for a long time, or braised while slow cooking, to break down the tough tissues. Cows spend a tremendous amount of time chewing, and this makes their cheeks a very tough, sinewy muscle. They are a very tough muscle because they do a ton of work.

They also lose about 30% weight during a long slow cook, so for portion sizes, I recommend 1 to 1.5 cheeks per person. There are two from each animal, and each weighs between 350g to 450g / 0.75 to 1 pound once trimmed. Sometimes also sold as ‘ ox cheeks,’ they are exactly as the name suggests, the facial cheeks of a cow. Every person I’ve ever fed these to has loved them. If you enjoy incredibly moist, melt-in-your-mouth, low n slow-cooked meats such as brisket and ribs, where connective tissues and collagens melt down into gelatinous juices over hours of cooking, you will LOVE beef cheeks.īut the texture isn’t for everybody, and you might turn your nose up if you don’t like somewhat gluey and jelly-like gelatinous meats.įor sure, I think you should at least give them a go once - hopefully by following my method below. And when cooked correctly, they are very rich and beefy, the most gelatinous and unctuous part of a cow I’ve ever eaten, and I think would be enjoyed by many if they gave them a chance. This is a shame because they are just another muscle like many other parts of the cow we happily eat. I think they’re rarely seen because the fact they come from the face of a cow is very off-putting for a lot of people. I’d certainly never seen or eaten them until a couple of years ago myself, when a friend of mine did them braised and then added to a chili. Beef cheeks are a little-used or seen product in many parts of the world.

Cardsmith breaks beef