Slow-cooked Beef Cheeks are steamed in a stunning red wine-based sauce till they’re so soft that you can take a bite! The braising liquid in this Beef Cheeks recipe is filled with incredible flavor, and when puréed, it transforms into a rich, delicious gravy-like sauce.
It is delicious and served with creamy mashed potatoes. This simple recipe is perfect for elegant dinner parties or a tasty midweek dinner. You can make this using your slow cooker or pressure cooker. You can also cook it in the oven!
Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
It’s a fantastic recipe that takes a low-cost cut of meat and turns it into a dish that requires little effort into a meal in exquisite dining establishments.
However, it’s about 80% less expensive. I enjoyed lunch at a posh restaurant during the weekend. Beef Cheeks were on the menu for just $35!
A little-known information: Beef cheeks are the most popular slow-cooked cut of meat!
What are beef cheeks?
Beef Cheeks are the cheek muscles of cows. They are a tough beef cut that requires lengthy and slow cooking to render it soft. It sucks up the flavors of the braising liquid, and when you cut it, it’s stiff, almost like pulled pork.
However, unlike beef Chuck (used to make Beef Stew and Pot Roast), Brisket, and even Beef Short Ribs, which have portions of meat that are incredibly juicy as well as some that may (sometimes) seem a little dry, there isn’t a single bit of the cheek of beef is dry. Every bite is juicy and delicious; even writing this article makes my mouth watery!
Watch How To Make It
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Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
RecipeTinEats Prep 15 minutes Cook 3 hrs 30 minutes Total time: 3 hours 45 minutes slow cooker Italian4.95 From 227 votesServings 6 Click or hover your finger to adjust Print
The recipe video is above. Slow-cooked meat cheeks will be so melty tender that you could eat them with a spoon. The Sauce is so tasty you’ll want to sip it from a cup! This recipe is enough to provide six people with the recipe, which uses sinuses six small cheeks of beef and four prominent cheeks). Leftovers are fantastic to store in the freezer or transform into a delicious Ragu to stir through pasta, toss through pasta, or make Pie!
Instructions
Prepare the cheeks of the beef by cutting off any large, fatty membrane. Dry the cheeks and apply one teaspoon of black pepper and salt to rub the meat throughout.
Cook 2 tbsp olive oil inside a pan over high temperature. Sear the cheeks of half the beef on both sides until well brown. Transfer the cheeks of meat onto the plate and repeat with the remaining cheeks.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook one tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and garlic—Saute for 3 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.
Add the celery and carrots, and saute for an additional 3 minutes.
Follow the directions for your preferred cooking method in the following article.
Slow cooker directions
Pour the onion mix into the slow cooker, and put the cheeks of beef on top.
Add the wine to the saucepan and then return to the heat. Increase the heat to high, bring it to a simmer, and then let it simmer for about one minute (to let the wine cook a little). Scrape off the brown bits from the bottom of the pan to ensure it is incorporated into the wine.
Add the wine to the slow cooker, and then all the other ingredients, beginning with one pinch of salt, pepper, and (add more to the taste later).
The slow cooker can cook the food on low to 8 hours or high for six hours to cook 250g/8oz of beef cheeks. You can also cook them on the low setting for 10 to 12 days or on High for 8 hours to cook 350g/12oz cheeks of beef.
Open the slow cooker and take out the cheeks of the beef. Take out the thyme leaves and bay leaves.
Use a stick blender handheld to blend the braising liquid to a smooth Sauce that changes from dark brown to a light brown color.
Pour the liquid into a saucepan, and simmer over a stove at medium-high until the Sauce becomes darker brown and decreases by around 1/4 to 1/3, forming the consistency of gravy – approximately 10 minutes.
Take a taste test and adjust your seasoning (salt and black pepper) to suit your preferences.
Remove from the heat, add cheeks of beef back to the Sauce Cover, and allow to warm up until you are ready to serve.
A stovetop and oven directions
Put the wine in the pan or casserole dish (with the onion mixture) and stir it to scrape off the brown bits from the dish’s surface. The wine should be simmering for one minute.
Incorporate the rest of the ingredients, starting with the teaspoon of salt or pepper (add more according to your preference later), and then put the lid on.
StoveSimmer at a medium-low setting for about 2 hours, or until the cheeks are incredibly soft, turning at least once throughout the cooking.
Take the cheeks of beef out of the Sauce. Get rid of the thyme leaves and bay leaves.
Please make use of a stick blender handheld to blend the braising liquid to a smooth Sauce, and it changes from a dark brown color to lighter brown.
The Sauce is to a simmer on moderate heat. Cook until it changes to a dark brown color and then reduce by 1/4- 1/3 to form an almost gravy-like consistency, which takes about three to five minutes.
Test the taste and adjust your seasoning (salt and pepper) to suit your preferences.
Remove from the heat, add cheeks of beef to the Sauce Cover with a lid, and allow to warm up until the time to serve.