Slow-Cooked Ox Cheek Tacos
An often-overlooked cut of beef, ox cheek is one of the most flavourful and tender options out there—pull-apart delicious with minimal effort! This one-tray, slow-cooked recipe is rich, smoky, and citrusy, perfect for a relaxed taco night.
Using quality beef from Provenance Butcher (who also stock Saucy), this dish is all about big flavours with little fuss. Just pop it in the oven, let the magic happen, and load up your tacos with all the toppings.
Serves: 8-10 tacos
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 4 hrs | Total Time: 4 hrs 10 mins
Ingredients:
For the Ox Cheek:
550g ox cheek
8 garlic cloves, smashed (skins left on)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
Juice of 3 tangerines (keep skins from 1)
3 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
½ dried ancho chilli or 1 tsp chipotle paste
1 lime, juiced
Salt & pepper
Hot vegetable stock (enough to cover the meat)
For the Tacos:
8-10 taco shells, warmed
2 avocados, sliced
Handful of fresh coriander
2 limes, cut into wedges
Grated cheddar cheese
A few spoonfuls of Chilli Sambal
Method:
Step 1: Slow-Cook the Ox Cheek
Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 150°C, Gas Mark 3).
Place the ox cheek in a large baking tray. Add the garlic, onion, cumin, cinnamon, ancho chilli (or chipotle paste), tangerine juice, and 2 of the tangerine skins.
Pour in the juice of 1 lime, season with salt & pepper, and cover with hot vegetable stock until the meat is just submerged.
Seal the tray with two layers of foil and place in the oven for 4 hours, until the meat is fall-apart tender.
Step 2: Shred & Serve
Remove the ox cheek from the stock and season with salt & pepper.
Use two forks to shred the meat and load it into the warm taco shells with all your favourite toppings.
Step 3 (Optional): Make a Sauce
For extra flavour, remove the tangerine skins from the stock and reduce the liquid on the hob until slightly thickened. Drizzle over the tacos for an extra hit of richness.
These tacos are made for sharing, so grab a plate, load them up, and dig in! Let us know how you get on.