Carrilleras

Carrilleras is the Spain Spanish term for beef cheeks. In Mexico, the word is cachetes. In either case, this is one of my favorite gifts from the bovine world. In the Basque country, carrilleras are often slow braised in a brothy red wine reduction until the results yield tenderly under modest fork pressure, while in the Americas, cheek provides one of the most succulent options for Mexico’s famed “tacos de cabeza” (head tacos).