Beef Family friendly Main Mexican

Mexican beef-cheek tortillas

Name: Mexican beef-cheek tortillas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 185 min
Total time: 205 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: /mexican
Ingredients: 1 dried ancho chilli*; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon peanut butter; 1 tablespoon honey; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton); 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil; 4 beef cheeks , trimmed*; 2 cups (500ml) beef stock; Juice of 2 limes; 18 small corn tortillas, lightly grilled; 1 avocado, chopped; 2 butter lettuces, outer leaves discarded; Sour cream, to serve; Pickled red onion, to serve

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20m

3h 05m

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For a beef tortilla recipe like this, opt for the cheaper cuts of meat that take longer to cook, but reward you with succulent results.

1 dried ancho chilli*
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
4 beef cheeks , trimmed*
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
Juice of 2 limes
18 small corn tortillas, lightly grilled
1 avocado, chopped
2 butter lettuces, outer leaves discarded
Sour cream, to serve
Pickled red onion, to serve

Method

1.

Place the ancho chilli in a bowl and cover with 1/2 cup (125ml) boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes or until softened. Place the chilli and soaking water in a small food processor with the garlic, tomato paste, peanut butter, honey, cumin, paprika, 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt and whiz until a paste. Transfer to a bowl, toss the beef cheeks in the marinade, cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
2.

The next day, preheat the oven to 180°C.
3.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Remove the beef from the marinade (reserving marinade) and brown. Add stock, lime juice and reserved marinade to the casserole, then cover and cook in the oven for 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Remove beef from the braising stock and shred, using 2 forks.
4.

Serve the beef with the tortillas avocado, lettuce, sour cream and pickled red onion.