$$ · roasts, smokers, and long cooks
Hold a head braise at temperature for the whole cook
Monitoring large cuts where opening the smoker or oven would cost heat.
ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Meat Thermometer
Cabeza de res — whole beef head wrapped in agave leaves and slow-cooked in an underground pit — is one of the most ancient preparations in Mexican cuisine, with pre-Columbian roots.
Serves 8–10 peoplePrep 30 minCook 8 hr
What to ask for
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Ingredients & method
Ingredients
- Half beef head (or 1.5 kg cheeks, tongue, and jowl combined)
- 4 dried guajillo chillies, seeded and soaked
- 3 dried ancho chillies, seeded and soaked
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- Juice of 2 limes
- Corn tortillas, white onion, coriander, lime, salsa roja to serve
Method
- 1Blend soaked chillies with garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper, salt, and lime juice to a smooth paste.
- 2Rub the paste all over the beef. Wrap tightly in several layers of foil or banana leaves.
- 3Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Add 300 ml water to the pan. Cover the pan tightly with two layers of heavy foil.
- 4Cook at 140 °C for 7–8 hours until the meat pulls effortlessly from the bones.
- 5Shred the meat including the cheeks, tongue (peeled), and any soft bits. Season. Serve in warm tortillas with onion, coriander, lime, and salsa roja.
Cook this well
$$ · everyday prep, trimming, and carving
Separate cheek, tongue, and trim cleanly
Slicing steak, trimming small amounts of fat, chopping aromatics, and general kitchen work.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef's Knife
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Chef's tip
The consomé (cooking liquid) is the bonus — strain it, skim the fat, and serve as a soup alongside the tacos with diced onion and lime.
Cook this later?Save the recipe, then keep notes on what worked and what you'd change next time.