Ask any butcher and they’ll tell you their favourite cut of pork is the cheeks (or plums). Slow cooked, they melt down into a pulled pork consistency but with a richer, more unctuous texture that gives a delicious, lip-smacking mouth feel. In this recipe we’ll give them a kiss of smoke first and then slowly braise them down in a mixture of Belgian beer and Mexican spices to make a ‘tinga’.

We’ve kept the toppings fairly simple here but these also work well with all kinds of different Mexican salsas such as pico de gallo or tomatillo salsa.

Makes 4-6

Ingredients

8-12 pigs cheeks
Tubby Tom’s Taco Dust
15cm/6inch corn masa tacos
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml/17 fl oz bottle of strong Belgian beer
1 tbsp shredded chipotle or 3 tbsp chipotle in adobo
1 tbsp shredded ancho chilli
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1 x 400g/14oz tin polpa tomatoes
1 tub sour cream
1 lime
½ head red cabbage, finely shredded
Coriander/cilantro and chilli to garnish
Salt & pepper to taste

Equipment needed - Dutch oven

Method

1. Place the cheeks in a bowl and lightly dust with Tubby Tom’s Taco Dust.

2. Set your BBQ up to cook indirectly at around 110°C/230°F, add a couple of wood chunks to the coals and place the pigs cheeks as far from the coals as you can.

3. Smoke the cheeks for around an hour until they take on a good colour then set aside.

4. Crank up the grill to a medium heat. 

5. Place the Dutch oven onto the grill, drizzle in some oil and saute the onions and garlic until soft.

6. Add the pigs cheeks and the herbs and spices and mix well.

7. Pour in the bottle of beer and bring to the boil.

8. Allow the liquid to reduce by half then add the tomatoes along with 400ml/14fl oz or so of water.

9. Place the lid on the grill and allow the cheeks to simmer away (adding more water as required) for 3-4 hours until completely soft and most of the liquid has disappeared. You should be able to break them apart easily with the back of a spoon.

10. Season to taste with salt and pepper and shred well.

11. To make the lime crema, mix together the sour cream with the juice and zest of 1 lime.

12. Toast your tacos for a few seconds each side then wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm and soft.

Building the Tacos

1. Grab your taco.

2. Add thinly sliced red cabbage.

3. Add shredded pork cheeks.

4. Add a drizzle of lime crema. 

5. Garnish with thinly sliced chilli and coriander/cilantro leaves.

More recipes from Jon Finch