CarneAtlas

Beef cheek

Beef · Chuck
Braise
Also called
🇲🇽Carrillada de res🇦🇷Carrillera🇫🇷Joue de bœuf🇪🇸Carrillada de ternera🇵🇹Bochecha de vaca🇧🇷Bochecha de boi🇮🇹Guancia di manzo🇩🇪Rinderbäckchen
Raw Beef cheek — Beef Chuck cut

Marecheth Ho'eElohuth, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — Beef cheeks with price tag.JPG

The beef cheek is the masseter muscle of the cow's jaw, an intensely worked muscle with abundant collagen. It is very tough raw but transforms after several hours of braising into extraordinarily silky, gelatinous, deeply flavored meat. It is a staple of French bistro cooking and is gaining popularity in upscale restaurants worldwide.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesBeef cheek
🇬🇧United KingdomBeef cheekprimary
🇲🇽MexicoCarrillada de res
🇦🇷ArgentinaCarrillera
🇫🇷FranceJoue de bœufA classic French bistro cut, typically braised in red wine
🇪🇸SpainCarrillada de terneraCarrilladas de ternera en salsa is a beloved Spanish tapa
🇵🇹PortugalBochecha de vaca
🇧🇷BrazilBochecha de boi
🇮🇹ItalyGuancia di manzo
🇩🇪GermanyRinderbäckchen
What to ask for
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Amazon · The cut itself

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Beef cheek

Similar cuts

→ See all Beef cheek substitutes by country
TenderloinRoundBottom SirloinRibPlateChuckShort LoinBrisketFlankSirloinShankShank

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Classic recipe

Beef Cheeks Braised in Red Wine4 hr

Beef cheeks are extraordinarily gelatinous — richer and more intensely beefy than oxtail. Braised low and slow in red wi…

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Beef braise in an unbranded Dutch oven

$$ · braised beef, lamb neck, pot roasts, and stews

Braise cheeks until the collagen turns to silk

Browning meat on the stovetop, then braising it slowly in the oven.

Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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Sources