Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
HB-8279 · Hand-built original · Italian
Beef cheeks seared and slow cooked in red wine and beef stock with carrot, celery, thyme and bay until they can be eaten with a spoon. The braising liquid is blended smooth and reduced to a gravy that coats the cheeks.
ItalianSlow Cooker3 hr 45 minServes 695 kcalGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeDiabeticLow-SodiumLow Fat / Low CholesterolRenal
Main ingredient: beef
Pairs well with: mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, red wine sauce, yorkshire pudding, green beans
Servings:6quantities adjust to match
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil (, separated)
- 3lb beef cheeks (, (4 large or 6 small beef cheeks))
- 1 onion ((white, brown or yellow), roughly diced (about 1 cup))
- 1 celery stalk (, roughly diced (about 1 cup))
- 1 carrot (, roughly diced (about 3/4 cup))
- 4 garlic cloves (, minced)
- 6 stems of fresh thyme ( or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
- 4 dried bay leaves ((or 3 fresh bay leaves))
- 1 cup beef stock ((broth))
- 2 cups red wine ((full bodied eg. cabernet sauvignon or merlot))
- 2 - 3 tsp salt (, separated)
- Black pepper
Method
- Trim any large fatty membrane from the beef cheeks, pat them dry and season them all over with 1 teaspoon of the salt and some black pepper.
- Sear half the cheeks in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy pot over high heat until well browned on both sides, then repeat with the second batch and hold all the meat on a plate.
- Soften the minced garlic and diced onion in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, then add the celery and carrot for a further 3 minutes.
- Tip the vegetable mixture into the slow cooker and arrange the seared cheeks on top of it.
- Bring the red wine to a simmer in the emptied pot for 1 minute, scraping the browned bits from the base, then pour it into the slow cooker with the beef stock, thyme stems, bay leaves and the remaining salt and pepper.
- Cook the cheeks on Low for 8 hours, or 10 to 12 hours for larger 12¼ oz cheeks, until they yield completely to a fork.
- Lift the cheeks out, discard the thyme stems and bay leaves, and blend the braising liquid with a stick blender until it turns into a smooth, lighter-brown sauce.
- Simmer the blended sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until it reduces by roughly a quarter to a third and reaches gravy consistency, adjust its salt and pepper, then return the cheeks to the sauce and keep them covered and warm until serving.
Prep: 15 min · Cook: 210 min · Total: 225 min
Nutrition (per serving, where published)
95 kcalCalories
1.2 gProtein
3.9 gCarbs
6.9 gFat
0.9 gSaturates
0.6 gFibre
0.2 gSugars
101 mgSodium
0 mgCholesterol
177 mgPotassium
18 mgCalcium
0.5 mgIron
1 servingServing
Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data