Smoked Beef Cheeks - confit finish?

[dotcodotuk]

Could well be the YT algorithm at play, but I have seen a bunch of recipes for smoked beef cheeks in recent weeks where they finish them off in tallow as a confit - really interesting technique and I'm assuming the desire here is to try and get even more beefy flavour in the finished product by using beef fat.

I have cooked many things confit, but that has always been from a raw/cured state and like others who do this stuff for a living, have come to realise that the stronger the fat tastes of something the more that flavour will impart upon the meat you confit. Want chicken to taste like duck? Use duck fat on your chicken legs/thighs!

Now, onto the bit I can't quite wrap my head around... is the tallow actually doing anything after all that smoking? I wonder if it is more texture and aroma doing the heavy-lifting here, rather than any flavour actually penetrating the bark on the beef cheeks and enhancing the flavour that way.

I'm also wondering if this is a hand-me-down recipe that is riffing on the work done in Modernist Cuisine where they found a fine layer of fat added to meat that wasn't cooked confit would fool most of the people, most of the time that what they were eating was confit - but only when served immediately after cooked and having had the fat coating added.

Or is it more to do with adding flavour and texture but also aiming to prevent the cheeks from over-cooking in the smoker?

[Richard Chrz]

JCBBQ is a great source on beef cheeks and confit. Hopefully he’ll pop in,

[JCBBQ]

So I’ve copied LeRoy and Lewis’ YouTube video about 3 or 4 times. Smoked and confited beef cheeks is hands down the best bbq I’ve ever made. In my opinion it’s better than brisket and way waaay easier. Here’s what I did. Heavy salt and pepper rub. Then smoke at 250-275 for 4 hrs. Then into the confit tightly wrapped with plastic and foil to trap the steam. Cook for 4 more hours. Then rest over night at 160. It’s the beefiest, most tender meat I’ve ever cooked. I also copied L&L and served with beet bbq sauce and kimchi. That’s an amazing combination btw. I’ll try to find some pics.

[Manxman]

Oddly enough I have just bought a load of beef cheeks, perfect timing!

[dotcodotuk]

Ohhh, it's an L&L recipe - that makes sense. I think I vaguely heard that mentioned in passing on the first video and then the algorithm has clearly done its weird thing.

Is the recipe in their book and even if not, do you know if the book is worth buying?

[JCBBQ]

dotcodotuk I don’t have their book so I can’t help on this front.

[JCBBQ]

Here you go

[dotcodotuk]

Absolutely ridiculous. I want it.

[JCBBQ]

Is the tallow doing anything after all that smoking?

yes, bc I’m not smoking for that long. Beef cheeks are small so 4hrs of smoke and the smoke ring is the entire inside of the cheek. After 4 hrs it’s not that tender. So the confit tenderizes the meat. And, as you suspected, gives it an even beefier taste.

That’s all I’ve got. Highly recommend you try it.

[dotcodotuk]

I shall definitely be trying this out ASAP! Beef cheeks are one of the last cheaper cuts I can get my hands on readily, so I tend to use them and pork cheek wherever possible.

I have cooked cheeks as a full-confit, half-confit and then as just your standard braise in liquid and I couldn't really pick out any massive differences in taste or texture between the three, but the confit does add some unctuousness which I guess is mostly a trick of the fat hitting your tongue.

[58limited]

I've had the beef cheeks at LeRoy & Lewis, they are awesome! I haven't smoked any yet but I will be doing their technique when I do.

[JCBBQ]

Ooh. Lucky you. I haven’t made it to Austin yet.

[58limited]

JCBBQ My only complaint (which was a common complaint I had at a lot of places) is that they were a bit too salty. But that might just be me, I tend to go easy on the salt when cooking at home.

[texastweeter]

Love me some cheeks (pun intended). Lots of ways to do them. I think they are rich enough that confit would not be necessary. I think Bradley Robinson did some beef cheeks on his channel not too long ago.

[JCBBQ]

Yeah I braised them in wine over Christmas and though they were good, I thought the smoked and confit ones were considerably better. 🤷♂️

[Oak Smoke]

My son and I smoked 6 beef cheeks then he did the confit in 5 quarts of tallow. They were so rich and absolutely incredible. After the cook I filtered the tallow and refrigerated it. I’ve used it quite a bit cooking.

[dotcodotuk]

What do you use to filter the tallow? And any insight on how long it lasts and how to store it properly between uses?

I keep meaning to look for a paper cone that will filter the fat I use for carnitas, but I tend to go with the gelatine approach as I've got a massive tub of the stuff I got from a catering supply place.

[Oak Smoke]

dotcodotuk There are both strainers and filters on the Walmart website. I use the filters. I wait until the tallow is still warm enough to be a liquid but not uncomfortable to work with. I have not had any problems with keeping several quarts in the garage fridge for months. So far I see no signs of it degrading at all.

[dotcodotuk]

Can confirm that the LeRoy & Lewis cookbook is fantastic and well worth picking up. I have read and re-read the confit recipe and the accompanying advice about the cheek butchery enough times to recite it from memory.

Everything in the book is really great and filled with clear but thorough explanations, superb recipes, wonderful photographs and a really good balance of storytelling and information - plus everything is in freedom units AND metric!

[58limited]

SheilaAnn you have to get it, if for no other reason than the cheddar cheesecake recipe

[SheilaAnn]

Is this it……

New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling from Austin's LeRoy and Lewis https://a.co/d/0cqjpsqX

[dotcodotuk]

That's the one, SheilaAnn - I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the contents, I haven't enjoyed reading a new cookbook this much since I bought Sean Brock's Heritage.