Smoked beef cheek & garlic prawn tacos

The cook

1. 01

   Step 1RUB THE CHEEKS

   Pat the trimmed beef cheeks dry. Mix the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic powder, then coat the cheeks evenly on every side. Press the rub onto the surface so it sticks.

2. 02

   Step 2SORT THE FIRE

   Set up the Kamado Joe for indirect cooking with lumpwood charcoal and the heat deflectors fitted. Add one oak chunk and stabilise the temperature at 120°C. Let the thick start-up smoke clear before putting the beef on.

3. 03

   Step 3BUILD THE BARK

   Put the cheeks on the grate with space between them, then close the lid. Smoke until deeply coloured with a firm bark, checking from 4 hours onwards; this can take 6–7 hours for larger cheeks. Keep the cooker steady at 120°C. If the bark is set earlier, wrap earlier rather than drying out the edges.

4. 04

   Step 4WRAP AND FINISH

   Wrap each cheek tightly in a double layer of foil, keeping any juices inside. Return to the indirect heat and cook for another 1–2 hours, allowing longer if needed. Start checking around 93°C internally: roughly 95°C is a useful guide, but the real test is a probe sliding into the thickest part with almost no resistance. Allow roughly 7–9 hours for the beef overall, with some wiggle room.

5. 05

   Step 5MAKE THE MAYO

   While the beef cooks, stir together the mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, chopped dill and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Drain the pickled onions and get the lime wedges and dill sprigs ready.

6. 06

   Step 6REST AND RESET

   Rest the cooked cheeks in their foil parcels in a tray for 30 minutes, keeping all those juices. Wearing proper heatproof gloves, carefully remove the deflectors according to your cooker’s instructions and fit a plancha for direct cooking. Bring it to a medium heat, roughly 180–200°C at the cooking surface. You want sizzling butter, not black garlic.

7. 07

   Step 7GARLIC BUTTER PRAWNS

   Pat the prawns dry. Melt the butter on the plancha, add the garlic and stir for about 20 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add the prawns and cook for 1–2 minutes per side, until pink, opaque throughout and just firm. Finish with the lemon juice and lift onto a warm plate with the garlic butter. Cook in batches if needed rather than crowding the surface.

8. 08

   Step 8WARM AND SHRED

   Warm the tortillas briefly on a clean section of the grill or plancha, turning until soft with a few toasted spots. Stack inside a clean tea towel to keep them pliable. Unwrap the rested cheeks and shred, folding the meat through the collected juices. Taste before adding any extra seasoning.

9. 09

   Step 9BUILD THE TACOS

   Spread each warm tortilla with horseradish-dill mayo. Add a generous pile of beef and one garlic prawn, then spoon over a little garlic butter. Finish with pickled onions, dill sprigs, a small drizzle of dill oil and a squeeze of lime. Serve straight away. These wait for nobody.