Twice-cooked beef cheek and citrus carnitas

Name: Twice-cooked beef cheek and citrus carnitas
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 500 g Beef cheeks, roughly chopped, fat retained. (Main); 1 Orange, halved; 2 Limes, halved; 1 Onions, halved; 2 Tbsp Cooking oil; 1 tsp Salt, to taste; 2 Tbsp Dried oregano; 2 tsp Ground cumin; 2 tsp Ground coriander; ½ tsp Smoked paprika; 1 tsp Dried chilli, Pounded, add more or less to taste; ½ Red cabbages, thinnly sliced, julliene.; 3 Tomatoes, Diced; 1 tin Black beans, Rinsed and drained; 1 bunch Fresh coriander, Roughly chopped; 8 Flour tortillas, Store bought or home made.; 2 Tbsp Sour cream; 1 Lime, wedges

Makes: 4

Reader Recipes

By Tim McSweeney

A juicy and intense dish, inspired by Mexican street food classic!

Ingredients

500 g	Beef cheeks, roughly chopped, fat retained. (Main)
1	Orange, halved
2	Limes, halved
1	Onions, halved
2 Tbsp	Cooking oil
1 tsp	Salt, to taste
2 Tbsp	Dried oregano
2 tsp	Ground cumin
2 tsp	Ground coriander
½ tsp	Smoked paprika
1 tsp	Dried chilli, Pounded, add more or less to taste

Vegetables

½	Red cabbages, thinnly sliced, julliene.
3	Tomatoes, Diced
1 tin	Black beans, Rinsed and drained
1 bunch	Fresh coriander, Roughly chopped

To Serve

8	Flour tortillas, Store bought or home made.
2 Tbsp	Sour cream
1	Lime, wedges

Directions

Place the beef in a large braising dish. Juice the limes and the orange, then add both the juice and the fruit halves to the beef. Season with salt and add some cooking oil, if you beef doesn't have much fat.
Add the dried herbs and spices, as well as the onion to the beef, then cover with enough water to leave around an inch above the meat.
Braise at 150 degrees C, for around 90 minutes, until the beef is soft but still has some texture.
Drain the beef and retain the liquid.
Reduce the liquid on the stove top until it is thick as jam or runny custard. You will need to stir, to stop it sticking.
Heat up the grill as hot as it will go.
While the grill is heating up, prepare the vegetables. You can flexible, but my favorites are anything that is seasonal and crunchy. I like to use finely sliced red cabbage (softened with a little vinegar), diced home grown tomatoes, Mexican black beans and fresh coriander.
Now that the grill is hot, place the beef in a metal roasting dish and mix with the reduced broth. Grill under a high heat, with the oven door open, close to the grill so that the beef becomes crunchy. i You will need to watch the beef very closely, as there is a fine line between crispy and burnt! It shouldn't take longer than a few minutes, if your grill is extra hot.
Make the Carnitas, with flour tortillas, the beef and the vegetables. Serve with sour cream, lime wedges and your favorite Mexican hot sauce!