Uh....I dont' eat animal's faces....knowingly.
I suspect that's a lot of the sort of thing in hot dogs...
I know....don't be prejudiced about what you have not tried...
But.....
Linda C

I had beef cheeks in a very nice restaurant in Scottsdale once. I agree, they seemed very rich and tender. Good flavor, though. I wish I could tell you how these were cooked, I simply don't recall. But I'm guessing they were also braised.

Why not grind them with some other beef and use them that way?

I have a recipe which is very similar to osso bucco, but using beef cheeks. We loved it. It would be fairly similar to the recipe you've tried, though, with the addition of tomatoes. If you didn't like the texture I think grinding would be the way to go.

Yeah, I don't know just why, but the texture really put me off. Of course, I'm not wild about filet mignon for the same reason. Maybe I'll grind it up and make spaghetti sauce, that should disguise it.

I have found some favorite foods just buying and trying this way, but this was not one of them.

rachelellen, I agree on the texture of beef cheeks. Somehow it reminds me of the texture of liver, kind of mushy, almost.

Although it seems a waste to grind such a nice tender piece of beef, that's probably what I'd do with them. I'm one of those people that texture can be extremely off-putting, which is why I'll never eat jello or bananas!

Annie

Ditto on the texture issue! I had them once, in a 5* restaurant in La Jolla. I couldn't get past the texture. They also left a greasyish feeling after I finished. I can't tell you much about the meal except the food (other than the cheeks) was amazing, but the texture definitely stayed with me.
Never again, I'd toss 'em!

Beef cheeks make a great ragu, which can also be used as a ravioli stuffing. This is from the SF Chron, and I've made it to general success:

* 1 ounce pancetta or 2 slices smoked bacon
* 2 trimmed beef cheeks, about 2-2 1/2 pounds total (see note)
* -- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* -- Extra virgin olive oil as needed
* 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
* 3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
* 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 2 cups dry red wine
* 2 cups low- or no-salt chicken or beef broth or stock + more as needed
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 sprig thyme
* 2 parsley stems
* 1/2 teaspoon grated tangerine zest 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, covered in hot water to rehydrate
* 1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick
* 1 cup finely chopped San Marzano tomatoes and juice
* 1 teaspoon fish sauce
* 1 pound pappardelle pasta, cooked according to package directions
* -- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to garnish
* -- Chopped parsley (optional garnish)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 300. Cut pancetta crosswise into thin lardons. In a Dutch oven cook pancetta, rendering the fat, until brown and crispy; remove crisped bits and reserve for another use. Leave fat in pan.

Trim fat, veins and any remaining glands from the cheeks but retain the connective tissue. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off any excess. Brown cheeks in the pan with the rendered fat over medium to medium-high; add olive oil as needed to help brown. Remove meat from the pan and set aside. Drain excess fat from pan, leaving behind the brown bits.

Return the pan to the medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and sweat until the vegetables are limp, about 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, adding more olive oil as needed. The moisture released from the vegetables should help deglaze the pan. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic. Remove the vegetables; set aside.

Add the wine to the pan; simmer until reduced by about half. Return beef cheeks to the pan along with the broth, bay leaf, thyme, parsley and tangerine zest. Remove porcinis from their soaking liquid and chop finely. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter. Add the chopped porcinis and soaking liquid to the pan. The liquid in the pot should almost cover the beef. If not, add more stock. Spoon the vegetables on top of the meat. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Braise for 2 1/2- 3 hours, turning the cheeks every hour or so, until the meat is fork-tender.

Move to a platter or cutting board; shred meat and reserve. Add cinnamon stick, tomatoes and fish sauce to the pan. Simmer uncovered on the stovetop until the sauce reaches desired consistency; skim and discard any fat. Remove and discard the thyme, bay leaf, parsley and cinnamon stick.

Return shredded beef to the pot; taste and adjust seasoning. Rewarm and serve over pasta. Garnish with cheese (with more passed the table) and chopped parsley if desired.

Trimming them is vital to the success of the dish. If you like oxtail, beef cheeks aren't all that different.

LOL!!! You all are making beef cheeks sound so appetizing:) I can't wait to try them!!!

Sorry, in all seriousness I have never seen them or tried them so I am of little help, but I just couldn't resist posting.

Wouldn't it be funny if readers of this thread started a country-wide run on beef cheeks? Sort of like a run on the banks, but on meat counters. I can imagine the federal government having to step in to avert panic in the meat industry.

Jim

I've had them a couple of times - they taste like tender oxtail meat to me (big help for those of you who've never had oxtail, LOL.) Maybe it was the preparation - they seem always to be braised.

when I was growing up ... if it was part of the head, it went into headcheese, which I think is also called souse meat...
anyhoo ... glad to finally know what beef cheeks are. Thought it might be an euphenism -- like mountain oysters.
Kay

I'll pass. 'nuff said.

Duane

Well, I made the spaghetti sauce. Actually, more of a tomato-ey meat sauce, very thick. It was fine, with a stronger beef flavor than one gets with hamburger.

I probably won't buy them again as there are other beef cuts I enjoy much more for the same price. If I went to someone's house for dinner and they served them, I'd eat it of course...I mean they weren't disgusting or anything. I just didn't care for the texture.

Gina, funny that you should make the comparison to oxtails, because that came to my mind as well. However, I love oxtails...maybe the bone and the end gristle keeps the texture from bothering me? I used to make oxtail stew quite a bit, and would always include at least a few when I made a regular beef stew, for the flavor the bones added. But with the heavy influx of Hispanics and the relatively high population of Chinese, (both groups favor oxtails) in California, they are no longer inexpensive by any means.

It's funny, how so many of the "end of the month foods" of my childhood have become expensive enough to be treats rather than budget stretchers! My mother used to buy beef tongue when she was hard put to find affordable protein for the table...now it isn't inexpensive at all!

I've eaten most parts of a "cow" but never the cheeks..LOL
Something I must try if and when I ever see them at the meat market.

Linda

Just wondering, what end of the cow are the cheeks from? Lol.
Kim

I wish I could find interesting things like this in my city. I am pretty adventurous cook/eater as well and will try almost anything once. I researched a little and found a tip that says these are best prepared 2 days in advanced, refrigerated and de-fatted.

Kim wrote: Just wondering, what end of the cow are the cheeks from?

:D

I have a local Discount/Salvage market that I use for canned and dry goods and peruse for the unusual and some times downright baffeling.

Well... I found myself in the freezer section eyeballing several vacuum packs of frozen beef cheeks nestled in amongst the beef kidneys.
I have had kidneys and never quite got past the taste. Plus I always have to cook the pi$$ outta them. (Sorry couldn't hold back on the pun)

Thanks for the info on the cheeks! I can't wait to try them! I make a mean chuck pot roast and a pretty darn good pot of lamb shanks so braising is not foreign to me.

I am curious though if there is (like many other variety cuts) a specific technique to trimming/cleaning them before cooking. Anybody trimmed these out before?

Thanks for the informative thread!

Here's Carol in "French Laundry at Home" cooking a beef cheek recipe:

Tongue in Cheek

Here on the Cape, we can buy cod cheeks from the fishmonger. I use them for chowder.

I thought this thread might have mention of the Chippendales.

seagrass

I've never heard of them either so I figured it was a euphemism also. You make them sound very lean and I though only fatty stuff ever went into headcheese.

No recipe, but I had braised cheeks last week in for the first time (that I can remember) while visiting Paris... and I considered them "yum!" The texture was different, but the sauce and meat were sublime. I considered the texture "supple." The accompanying sauce was rich in a delightful and satisfying way. Send me your cheeks: I ain't afraid!

A few years ago, I was in a cooking class taught by a local gourmet chef & we made braised veal cheeks. They were delicious (maybe it was because of the veal stock we also made) but I don't remember anything different about the texture. I've never seen them for sale.

Never had or even seen beef cheeks. However, grouper cheeks are sought after in my area.

A new mexican grocery (absolutely huge!) just opened a few blocks from our house and we went to check it out this last weekend. The array of meats, seafood and cheeses was stunning. I stocked up on meat because their prices were great. They also had beef cheeks, which I have never seen before. I don't recall the price, but it sounds interesting. I think I'm going to have to give cheeks a chance.

I've heard of beef cheeks; but have never tried them. Grew up eating beef heart and tongue.
If I see them at the market (probably Butcher Boy's) I'll have to try them. I'm sure the butcher will know how to cook them; or at least have a recipe.

Linda

Donna, thanks for the tip on Mexican grocery stores for beef cheeks. We have a ton of Spanish and Mexican super markets. That's where I found the chicken feet for broth.

Speaking of cheeks--we lucked out last weekend driving home from the east coast. Of all places, we stopped in the very middle of Florida and found Grouper Cheeks! They are hard to come by so we took advantage and bought 5 pounds at $5.49 @ pound. That's cheap for grouper never mind cheeks.

Still giggling over seagrass and the Chippendales...
I'll bet we have all eaten beef cheeks in a hot dog or some other sort of lunch meat....

I fixed the beef cheeks tonight. I marinated them overnight in some white wine, bay leaf, garlic and onion. Then cooked them in the pressure cooker for an hour and we made burritos with the meat. YUMMY! We will definitely be doing this again.

LindaC, I think you're right, we've all eaten beef cheeks in hot dogs or sausage, we just didn't know it.

Last night I saw some cook on Iron Chef serve pork cheeks. ROFL. We always called that "hog jowls", now they've gone upscale and become "pork cheeks". I guess I'll stop having them made into jowl bacon and just get packages of "pork cheeks". (snicker)

Annie