I have had ox cheeks several times, and it is always a delicacy. The meat is fibrous and tough, but with good marbling. It has a lot of flavor, kind of like a hanger steak. That means it should be well suited to some proper bbq. When served in a restaurant, it is always braised for many hours.
I bought two cheeks, about 1 pound each. I dry brined them overnight.
The morning after I trimmed them, and applied the first rub which consisted of smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder.
After 4 hours I took the cheeks out of the fridge (from their plastic bags), and applied a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper. I figured this was the second flavor â€Âattackâ€Â.
Said and done, got the kamado fired up and dialed it in at 225 deg F. I threw in a couple of cherry wood chunks, I thought it would be a good match.
After internal temp hit deg 150 deg F (65 deg C) I wrapped them, mostly on account of the cheeks being thin. I waited until inner temp was 195 deg F (90 deg C), then wrapped them in foil and a bath towel, and let them rest for an hour.
I wanted a lighter plate, so I made some salad with camembert cheese and apples. I served it with a red wine sauce that I reduced to half, to concentrate the flavors. Also, just to top it up, I had some Sauce Bearnaise also (store bought). That is about the best sauce ever for a steak.
The red wine reduction in the making (before sifting)
Overall the flavor was really good, with a perfectly balanced cherry smoke flavor. The only thing I would do differently the next time was to perhaps wrap it a bit earlier, and leave it on the bbq until inner temp was 203 deg F (95 deg C). I think it would improve, I was a bit eager today.
​
The cheeks, sliced after resting:
The end result:
Has anyone else done ox cheeks?
I bought two cheeks, about 1 pound each. I dry brined them overnight.
The morning after I trimmed them, and applied the first rub which consisted of smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder.
After 4 hours I took the cheeks out of the fridge (from their plastic bags), and applied a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper. I figured this was the second flavor â€Âattackâ€Â.
Said and done, got the kamado fired up and dialed it in at 225 deg F. I threw in a couple of cherry wood chunks, I thought it would be a good match.
After internal temp hit deg 150 deg F (65 deg C) I wrapped them, mostly on account of the cheeks being thin. I waited until inner temp was 195 deg F (90 deg C), then wrapped them in foil and a bath towel, and let them rest for an hour.
I wanted a lighter plate, so I made some salad with camembert cheese and apples. I served it with a red wine sauce that I reduced to half, to concentrate the flavors. Also, just to top it up, I had some Sauce Bearnaise also (store bought). That is about the best sauce ever for a steak.
The red wine reduction in the making (before sifting)
Overall the flavor was really good, with a perfectly balanced cherry smoke flavor. The only thing I would do differently the next time was to perhaps wrap it a bit earlier, and leave it on the bbq until inner temp was 203 deg F (95 deg C). I think it would improve, I was a bit eager today.
​
The cheeks, sliced after resting:
The end result:
Has anyone else done ox cheeks?
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