Barbacoa Styled Cabeza Tacos
Braised Cabeza Tacos
Difficulty: Medium
Cooking time: 3 ½ Hours
Serves 4-5
For those who might not know (but didn’t ask anyway) we at Itadakimasu are actually stationed in SoCal. So, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you that we, like many others, love Mexican food and have taco trucks and Mexican restaurants we swear by. I personally stand by a certain small Taco truck parked indefinitely in front of a small mission church in San Gabriel that my dad used to take me to on lazy weekends to get an order of the best tacos served on a paper plate way too small, diced onions and cilantro, fresh limes, and Sangria Señorial soda all inexplicably with a roasted Jalapeño wrapped in tinfoil on top. Some of my fondest memories and still my favorite place to go, but as I’ve come to discover, everybody’s loyal to that one special place regardless of who or where they are.
Now the tacos were good, but what really stood out to me was their meat choices. Carne asada, pollo, and al pastor are all common but the best cuts to me were the tripa, lengua, buche, and my favorite, the cabeza, or the head of the animal. I love it, but if it sounds odd you might not have tried it cause it makes for some of the best tacos in your life, I promise. It’s unctuous, flavorful, tender, and much safer than you might expect. Its only flaw is that it’s harder to recreate at home than carne asada or pollo but it gives great results, I promise. Cabeza can use any part of the head, including the eyes, ears, or tongue but for this recipe, we’ll just be putting some beef cheeks in a slow braise and frying them to give us that juicy, crispy sensation that makes a great taco.
Food Dictionary:
Cabeza: The head of the animal, the meat of which can be tough if unprepared but after a long braise comes out sticky and beautiful.
Sangria Señorial: Mexican soda brand (not sponsored but I wish we were), essentially a prerequisite for tacos to me but you have whatever you want with it.
Accouterments: Culinary accompaniment to serve with the dish. Onions and cilantro are a must here but guacamole, pickled onions, and roasted peppers are all great toppings too.
The Recipe:
Ingredients:
3-4 Ibs whole beef cheeks
You can find these at butcher shops or specialty grocery stores, but I got mine at Costco
2 whole large oranges
2 Heads of garlic, peeled and crushed slightly
2 Large lemons
6 Limes + to serve
2 Small sticks of cinnamon
3 Tbsp powdered cumin
2 Tsp salt + to taste
1 Medium onion
1 Bunch cilantro
1 Jalapeno
1 stack of corn tortillas, about 3-4 a person or as wanted
The Process:
The Tacos:
Preheat your oven to 325 and get out a cutting board and a clean knife and cut your beef cheeks into rough chunks about 2-3 inch cubes, just uniform enough to ensure all pieces cook about evenly
Peel and slightly crush all the cloves garlic and using a fruit peeler or sharp knife, peel one of the oranges, trying to get as much of the peel and as little of the white material as possible
Peel one of the lemons in the same way
Juice 3 limes, the oranges, and all the lemons into a large pot along with the garlic, cumin, and cinnamon
Place your beef cheeks into the liquid, adding water until the meat is mostly submerged
Place the whole pot into the oven with the lid tilted so it’s partially open and allow to braise for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until soft and tender
You want to get it to the point where it’s soft but not really falling apart, you don’t wanna dry this out
Ever 45 minutes or so, flip the meat over so different pieces and sides are exposed above the water
Once tender, remove from liquid to a cutting board and once cool, cut into smaller bite-sized pieces and cut away excess fat if desired
Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet or steel pot with a small drizzle of oil and batch by batch, pan fry the pieces of meat
This may get a bit messy so this step is actually optional, but I find that it adds a lot of good texture and develops the flavors of the meat
This is also a good time to start toasting the tortillas in another pan
Remove from the skillet or pan and then serve into warm tortillas topped with your toppings of choice, of which some classics are listed below
Various accouterments:
Finely dice the whole onion, making sure to remove the outermost papery layer before cutting
Halve and squeeze the remaining limes into the onions along with a generous pinch of salt
Finely mince the jalapeño and chop up your cilantro (get plenty, it makes it way better) into the same bowl
Serve over top of your cabeza tacos with additional lime, your favorite green salsa, and a bottle of Sangria
