Best Way Yo Cook Beef Cheek

These slow cooked Beef Cheeks are braised in a cute ruddy wine sauce until they are so meltingly tender, yous tin eat it with a spoon! The braising liquid in this Beef Cheeks recipe is infused with incredible season and when pureed, transforms into a thick, luscious gravy-like sauce.

Perfectly accompanied with creamy mashed potatoes, this is a very like shooting fish in a barrel dish that is suited to an elegant dinner political party or a hearty wednesday meal. Brand this in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stove!

Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks

This is a magnificent dish that takes a budget cut of beef and transforms it with little attempt into a dish that you'll discover on the card of fine dining restaurants.

Except it's lxxx% cheaper. 🙂 I had lunch at an upscale chophouse on the weekend where Beef Cheeks were on the menu for $35 a serving!

Little known fact: Beef cheeks are the KING of all ho-hum cooking cuts of beefiness!

What are beef cheeks?

Beef Cheeks are the cheek muscle of cows and they are a very tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked long and slow to get in tender. It absorbs the flavours of braising liquid well and when you cut into information technology, it is stringy, about like pulled pork.

But unlike beef chuck (used for Beef Stew and Pot Roast), Brisket and even Beefiness Short Ribs which have patches of actually juicy sections and also some that can (sometimes) be a fleck dry, not a single function of the beef cheek is dry. Every mouthful is juicy and luscious and fifty-fifty simply typing upward this post is making my mouth water!

And THAT is what makes them and so special!!

What you need for this Beef Cheeks recipe

We're making a fine dining quality dish here, but it but calls for a trip to your local grocery store! Hither's what you need:

Beefiness Cheeks

5 years ago, they were cheaper and weren't e'er bachelor in the big supermarkets here in Australia. But nowadays, thanks to shows like Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules, the price has been driven upwards just on the plus side, they are now regulars at mainstream stores similar Coles and Woolies!

If you can't find Beef Cheeks, other slow cooking beef cuts volition piece of work fine – Beefiness Brusk Ribs would be an platonic substitute. Cutting them into 250g/8oz chunks so the aforementioned cooking times and liquid quantities in this recipe will apply.

This is a magnificent dish that takes a budget cut of beef and transforms it with piddling endeavour into a fine dining eating place dish!

Crimson Vino for cooking

My Slow Cooked Beefiness Cheeks recipe is made with a classic Italian red wine braising liquid. The deep, warm, complex flavours of red wine are perfect for using equally the stock base for wearisome cooked beef dishes.

Go to your local liquor outlet and look for terminate of bin specials and choice up a canteen of a full bodied red vino like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.

A pet peeve of mine are recipes that tell you that you must use good quality drinking vino for tiresome cooking recipes. I do non believe that at all for slow cooked dishes – and the New York Times agrees.

For quick sauces, aye, admittedly. But not for a braising liquid. I bet not fifty-fifty the greatest food critic in the world would be able to tell if it was a discounted $5 terminate of bin special or a $40 reserve Cab Sav. (Seriously. Who would make a irksome cooked beef recipe using a $40 canteen of vino??).

You won't use the whole bottle. If the wine is non to your standard for drinking, measure out out cups and pour them into ziplock bags and freeze them. Handy to have when yous need wine for other recipes!

How to make this Beef Cheeks Recipe

Though it does take time to tedious melt, it'due south an incredibly straightforward recipe:

Brown beefiness cheeks aggressively – this is key for flavour!
Saute garlic, onion, carrots and celery – oursoffrito, the flavour base for the sauce;
Add together braising liquid ingredients;
Slow cook the beef cheeks until they are fall apart tender – stove ii.5 hrs, oven 3.v hrs, deadening cooker viii hrs, pressure level cooker / Instant Pot 1 hr;
Puree sauce to thicken into a gravy-similar consistency;
Serve beef cheeks with sauce over flossy mashed potato (go all out with Paris Mash!) or for a low carb option, Mashed Cauliflower.

Don't let the length of the recipe directions fool you, this really is a simple recipe. Information technology'southward simply long because I've provided directions for 3 different cooking methods.

This Deadening Cooked Beef Cheeks is a recipe that is elegant plenty for a dinner party and if made using a slow cooker, easy plenty for mid calendar week.

The other swell thing nigh these Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks is that the leftovers freeze 100% perfectly, OR can be transformed into 2 other incredible dishes that I've shared:

Beef Cheek Ragu Pasta – the rich braising liquid wasmade for tossing through pasta!
Beef, Mushroom and Vegetable Pie

Cook one time, eat thrice!! – Nagi ten

Try these on the side

Paris Mash (ultimate creamy mashed potato!) or Flossy Mashed Cauliflower
Crisp salad with tangy Balsamic Dressing or French Vinaigrette
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Garlic Sautéed Spinach
Magic Roasted Broccoli
Sautéd Brussels Sprouts in Flossy Parmesan Sauce

Spotter how to make it

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Servings six

Recipe video above. These irksome cooked beef cheeks are so meltingly tender that you can eat them with a spoon. And the sauce is and then flavourful yous'll want to drink it out of a cup! This recipe makes plenty to serve 6 people, fabricated with half-dozen small beef cheeks (or share iv large ones). Leftovers are bright to freeze, or turn into a quick Ragu to toss through pasta or making a Pie!

▢ 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
▢ ane.five kg/3lb beef cheeks , (4 large or 6 pocket-sized beef cheeks)
▢ ane onion (white, brown or yellow), roughly diced (nigh 1 cup)
▢ 1 celery stalk , roughly diced (about 1 loving cup)
▢ 1 carrot , roughly diced (almost 3/4 cup)
▢ 4 garlic cloves , minced
▢ 6 stems of fresh thyme or 1 ane/2 tsp stale thyme leaves
▢ iv stale bay leaves (or 3 fresh bay leaves)
▢ 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock (broth)
▢ 2 cups (500 ml) ruby-red vino (full bodied eg. cabernet sauvignon or merlot)
▢ 2 - 3 tsp common salt , separated
▢ Black pepper

Prepare the beef cheeks: cutting off any large, fat membrane. Pat dry and so employ 1 tsp of salt and black pepper to flavor the beef all over.
Rut 2 tbsp olive oil in a big heavy based pot over high heat. Sear half the beefiness cheeks on each side until nicely browned. Remove beefiness cheeks onto a plate, repeat with remaining cheeks.
Decline the heat to medium high and heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and onion. Sauté for 3 minutes until onion is becoming translucent.
Add the celery and carrot,south sauté for a farther 3 minutes.
Follow directions for your chosen cooking method below.

Slow Cooker Directions

Pour the onion mixture into the slow cooker and place the beefiness cheeks on top.
Cascade the wine into the pot and return to heat. Turn the heat upward to loftier, bring to simmer and let information technology simmer for 1 minute (to cook out the wine a bit). Scrape the chocolate-brown bits off the lesser of the pan so it mixes in with the vino.
Pour the vino into the slow cooker, then all the remaining ingredients, starting with a pinch of salt and pepper (add more to taste after).
Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 8 hours or Loftier for half-dozen hours for 250g/8oz size beef cheeks or Low for 10 - 12 hours or High for 8 hours for 350g/12oz beef cheeks.
Open the slow cooker and remove the beefiness cheeks. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.
Use a handheld stick blender to puree the braising liquid into a smooth Sauce - it volition change from a night brown to a lighter brown colour.
Transfer liquid into saucepan, simmer on stove on medium high until the Sauce turns a darker brown colour and reduces by almost 1/4 to 1/3, to a gravy consistency - about 10 minutes.
Practise a taste test and arrange the seasoning (salt and pepper) to your sense of taste.
Remove from heat, render beef cheeks to the Sauce, cover and go on warm until ready to serve.

Pressure Cooker Directions

Follow the Tiresome Cooker directions but cook on loftier in your pressure cooker for 1 hour on high for small cheeks (around 250g/8oz each).

Stovetop and Oven Directions

Pour the wine into the pot / casserole dish (with the onion mixture) and stir to scrape the dark-brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring vino to simmer for ane infinitesimal.
Add remaining ingredients, starting with a pinch of table salt and pepper (add more than to taste afterwards), the place lid on.
Stove: Simmer on medium low for 2 to ii ane/2 hours until the cheeks are very tender, plough at least once during cooking.
Oven: 160C/320F for three to 3 i/2 hours .
Remove the beef cheeks from sauce. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.
Employ a handheld stick blender to puree the braising liquid into a polish Sauce - it will change from a night chocolate-brown to a lighter dark-brown colour.
Bring the Sauce to simmer over medium estrus and simmer until information technology turns a darker brown colour and reduces by about i/4 to i/three, to a gravy consistency - near three to 5 minutes.
Practise a gustation test and adjust the seasoning (common salt and pepper) to your taste.
Remove from heat, render beef cheeks to the Sauce, comprehend and continue warm until ready to serve.

To Serve

Serve beef cheeks on Paris Mash (ultimate creamy mashed potato!) or Creamy Mashed Cauliflower, drizzled with a generous corporeality of Sauce. Garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired.

i. Size - The beef cheeks I got were unusually big, around 350g/12oz each. Great man size portions. Usually beef cheeks are around 250g/8oz each and I become six.

2. Beefiness Cheeks - If you can't discover beef cheeks, substitute with whatsoever other cut of beef suitable for slow cooking. Boneless beef short ribs is ideal! Cut them into 250g/8oz pieces.

3. Leftover beefiness cheeks and sauce tin can exist kept in the freezer for three months.

4. Nutrition per serving, excluding mashed potato.

Serving: 389 m Calories: 586 cal (29%) Carbohydrates: six thousand (two%) Poly peptide: 49 g (98%) Fat: 33 chiliad (51%) Saturated Fat: 12 chiliad (75%) Cholesterol: 148 mg (49%) Sodium: 2195 mg (95%) Potassium: 1143 mg (33%) Fiber: 1 g (four%) Carbohydrate: 2 yard (2%) Vitamin A: 1698 IU (34%) Vitamin C: 3 mg (four%) Calcium: 41 mg (four%) Iron: vi mg (33%)

Keywords: beef cheeks, beef cheeks recipe, slow cooked beef cheeks

Originally published August 2014. Updated August 2019 with new photos, new process photos, new video, new writing. No change to recipe. I wouldn't dare impact it, readers beloved information technology as it is!

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His bib was soaked by the time the beef cheeks were in the pot…..

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Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-red-wine-beef-cheeks/