Slow-Cooked Beef Cheeks

Print Add to Collection

Slow-cooking turns tough beef cheeks into a wonderfully melt-in-your-mouth, rich and flavorful meat.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 465kcal

Author Vered DeLeeuw

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
4 lb. beef cheeks (6-8 cheeks)
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground cumin.
Layer the cheeks in the slow cooker pan as shown in the video below, sprinkling each layer with part of the spice mixture. There’s no need to add liquids. The meat will release liquid as it cooks.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the meat becomes very tender (the smell will be amazing!).
Mix the cornstarch and water to create a cornstarch slurry. Gently mix the slurry into the cooking liquids at the bottom of the slow cooker pan. Cover again and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.
Divide the meat between plates, spoon the pan juices on top, and serve.

Video

Notes

Nutrition info is from this USDA entry. Sodium was adjusted to reflect the amount of salt that I use. Calories and carbs were adjusted to account for the cornstarch.

As you can see, I don't add any liquid to the slow cooker pan before cooking. The meat releases plenty of liquid as it cooks. However, there's no harm in adding a small amount of beef broth to the slow cooker pan - no more than ½ cup.

It's difficult to tell exactly how many beef cheeks this recipe will yield because their size varies. They can be as small as 8 oz (raw weight) or as large as 16 oz. Most are around 12 oz when raw and 6 oz when cooked. I consider a serving size as 1 cheek or 6 oz of cooked meat.

The amount of cornstarch I use slightly thickens the cooking liquids. If you want them thicker, double the amount of cornstarch and water.

Nutrition