Lacquered Beef Cheek Tamales

September 6, 2026

Authored by Jake Goza. Jake is a friend of BBQ Distro and Backyard BBQ Box member. Jake's from Alcoa, Tennessee and you can catch his backyard awesomeness anytime in Instagram: @dr_bbq2017

Total Time: 7 Hours

Note: This recipe yields about 30-34 tamales

Ingredients

3lbs Beef Cheeks
1 sweet onion
8-12 cloves of garlic
16 ounces beef stock
1/4 bottle Blood Bros SWAT Sauce
Blood Bros Beef Rub
Cotija Cheese

For the Tamales:

4 cups Masa Harina
3 cups of reserved and strained braising liquid
1 cup lard
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Corn Husks

Instructions

Trim the beef cheeks of excess fat (it’s hard and won’t render down). Season heavily with Blood Bros Beef Rub.
Put cheeks on the smoker at 250 degrees using a hardwood. I used a combination of oak and hickory. Smoke for 2 hours.
After two hours, place cheeks in an aluminum pan with sliced onion, whole garlic cloves and the braising liquid made with beef stock and Blood Bros SWAT Sauce. Cover and place on the smoker for another 3-4 hours until cheeks fall apart.
Once the meat is pull-apart tender, remove from the smoker and let rest. Strain the braising liquid and reserve 3 cups for the tamales.
Soak dried corn husks in hot water for 1 hour. Combine Masa, baking powder, salt, and cumin in one bowl. In a large bowl, whip the lard with 2 tablespoons of liquid using a hand mixer until fluffy (3-5 min). Add the masa mixture to the lard and mix, slowly adding the liquid. Turn to high and mix for several minutes. The final product should look like creamy peanut butter. Cover the dough.
Lay soaked husks out with the wide end away from you. Place 1/4 cup of masa toward the wide end and use plastic wrap to flatten. Add shredded cheek meat and top with cotija. Fold one side over, overlap with the other side, fold up the narrow end leaving the top open. Place in a steamer basket open-end up.
Steam tamales for 45 min to 1 hour until the dough is firm. Unwrap and enjoy.