Tacos De Barbacoa De Cachete

Featuring:
Rumba Meats® Beef Cheek Meat

6 Servings

Original Blog & Recipe by
Mely Martinez

I’m Mely Martinez, passionate home cook and former teacher, born and raised in Mexico. Growing up, I was constantly thinking about food and watching how the women in my family cooked and prepared meals. Today, I enjoy teaching people how to cook Mexican food through my blog. Cooking my recipes with the best quality products is very important to me and Rumba Meats offers quality cuts of meat that are conveniently packaged and readily available.

See more of my recipes

Beef Cheek Tacos

Beef barbacoa cooked in a dried pepper sauce can either be made with one type of meat or with a combination of several cuts of meat. However, using only beef cheek for this barbacoa recipe makes an absolutely scrumptious dish. The preparation is easy and the results are marvelous. You can prepare it the night before in your slow cooker if you want, but I prefer to use my pressure cooker for quicker results.

For these tacos, I’m using a recipe from one of my aunts, except I’m serving the meat in corn tortilla tacos bathed with the cooking broth, just the way they’re served in a popular taqueria in my hometown. My aunt used to make them with homemade flour tortillas. They are also popular for breakfast and lunch in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas.

SERVES ABOUT 6

INGREDIENTS

4 Guajillo Peppers, cleaned, seeded & deveined
1 Ancho pepper, cleaned, seeded & deveined
2 ½ pounds Rumba beef cheek meat*
¼ of a medium white onion
2 bay leaves
3 medium-size garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

TO MAKE THE TACOS:

Corn tortillas
Pickled slices of jalapeños and onions
Serrano pepper salsa
Beef Check Tacos Ingredients

NOTES:
- You can also use a combination of beef cuts, like beef shank or short ribs, besides the beef cheek meat.

Directions

Beef Check Tacos Preparation

1. Place the peppers in a medium sized saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until they have softened.

2. Once the peppers are soft, place into a blender with the garlic, oregano and cumin. Process with a cup of the cooking water until you have a smooth paste.

3. Next, remove the excess fat off the meat and cut into 2 or three pieces, and place in a pot with the onion and the bay leaves. Pour the sauce using a sieve and add 3 1/3 cups of water.

Beef Check Tacos Preparation Step 4

4.Cook for 2 ½ hours or until meat is tender and easy to shred. I you cook it in a slow cooker, cook for 6 hours in the slow setting, or in a pressure cooker for 50 minutes. Once the meat is cooked,

remove from pot and shred using two forks. Place meat back in the pot, and season the delicious broth with salt and pepper.

Beef Check Tacos Plated

5. To make the tacos, place meat in the center of the tortilla, roll up, and when ready to serve, spoon some of the broth over the tacos. Top with the jalapeño and onion slices and Serrano salsa.

Provecho!

Mely,

What are your favorite tacos?

Ingredients

Rumba Meats® Beef Cheek Meat (2 1/2 pounds)
4 Guajillo Peppers, cleaned, seeded & deveined
1 Ancho pepper, cleaned, seeded & deveined
2 ½ pounds Rumba beef cheek meat*
¼ of a medium white onion
2 bay leaves
3 medium-size garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the tacos

Corn tortillas
Pickled slices of jalapeños and onions
Serrano pepper salsa
Note: You can also use a combination of beef cuts, like beef shank or short ribs, besides the beef cheek meat.

Instructions

Place the peppers in a medium sized saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until they have softened.
Once the peppers are soft, place into a blender with the garlic, oregano and cumin. Process with a cup of the cooking water until you have a smooth paste.
Next, remove the excess fat off the meat and cut into 2 or three pieces, and place in a pot with the onion and the bay leaves. Pour the sauce using a sieve and add 3 1/3 cups of water.
Cook for 2 ½ hours or until meat is tender and easy to shred. I you cook it in a slow cooker, cook for 6 hours in the slow setting, or in a pressure cooker for 50 minutes. Once the meat is cooked, remove from pot and shred using two forks. Place meat back in the pot, and season the delicious broth with salt and pepper.
To make the tacos, place meat in the center of the tortilla, roll up, and when ready to serve, spoon some of the broth over the tacos. Top with the jalapeño and onion slices and Serrano salsa.