Or, yummy unctuous guest post (the food, not the writer)
Photo credit ©.mushi_king
Tracy’s recent blog on chicken in a can revealed a surprisingly high level of food squeamishness among her readers. It seems that you are not fans of the shiny gristly alien bits that hang off untrimmed meat. Not me, I reserve my distaste for cream of can casseroles, gravy from a box, and powdered Italian seasoning. Those shiny gristly alien bits are what give sauces and stews body and flavour without resorting to powders and cans. So you can imagine my delight when my butcher offered me four beef cheeks last week. Unlike fish cheeks, which are incredibly tender and sweet, beef cheeks are a serious hunk of muscle. I’ve spent a reasonable amount of time watching cattle cow about their daily routine and 98% of that routine is chewing. Which is why you never see rare grilled beef cheek or ox cheek carpaccio. But it does make the cheek perfect for long slow cooking into an unctuous sauce, tender enough to cut with a spoon. Admittedly it’s not something you’d want to cook in the middle of summer but as a winter warmer it can’t be bettered. The following recipe is more of a guide than a recipe, substitute ingredients at will, my only stipulation is that you stick with fresh ingredients – no jars, packets or cans.
Start preparing the meat three days before you plan on eating it.
Raw Beef Cheeks
So take your beef cheeks and trim off the excess fat. Leave some fat.
Slash through the top of the cheek so the meat doesn’t curl during searing. Rub the cheeks with salt and sugar, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours… Pour off any blood.
Salted Beef Cheeks
Add your flavourings – thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, juniper berries, orange rind and cover the meat with red wine (or dark beer). Leave overnight.
Heat a heavy based fry pan and add a little oil. Remove cheeks from marinade and sear one at a time until well browned on both sides. Place in a heavy casserole large enough to hold the cheeks snugly. Sprinkle with flour, about a tbsp per cheek. Brown a couple of roughly chopped onions (halved is fine) and a few halved carrots in the fry pan with the herbs from the marinade. Add to the beef. Pour the wine from the marinade into the fry pan to deglaze, bring to boil and pour over the meat. Add extra wine, water or stock to cover the meat. Simmer uncovered for one hour. Add more wine or water if necessary, cover, and place in a slow oven to cook for three hours… By this stage the meat should be tender enough to break apart with a spoon. Leave overnight.
The next day remove the fat from top of pan. Don’t be alarmed to find your chilled casserole is the consistency of rubber. This is a good thing and what makes the sauce so satisfying when heated. Reheat slowly until sauce is flowing freely. Take meat and carrots from pan, then strain out the onions and herbs and discard. Return sauce to pan, taste for seasoning (you may need extra salt and pepper), add chopped parsley and return meat and carrots to sauce to warm. Roughly break up the meat, you don’t want to pulverise it.
Serve with mashed potatoes or over pasta…
Beef Daube
If you don’t have three days to cook skip the salting, and marinating, and don’t leave overnight… It will still taste great.
Left overs are delicious as a beef pie.
Gaby is a former public servant, haphazard housekeeper, devoted wife, and slightly distracted mother. She will cook anything and eat almost anything. She has no blog for me to link to, I wish she did, it would be a foodie’s dream come true.
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That looks great, and I love hearing from someone else who loves the tough, slow-cooked pieces of meat.
Also, I’ll bet your housekeeping is better than mine.
OK. the final outcome looks good but the original picture was not to my liking.
That sounds good! I even have a beef butcher next door at work where I can get the cheeks. Now I need some recipes that use less common cuts of pork…
I’ve never heard of beef cheeks, and they actually doesn’t look too bad. The finished product, served with rice and vegetables looks quite appetizing.
I think I’ll go see what I can find to eat.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog post..Teaching The Art Of Persuasion
I agree with the others: the finished meal looks pretty good!
Vered – MomGrind´s last blog post..A Rose Garden
I much prefer to see my non vegetable food long after someone has done something to it to render it into something that does not resemble the original animal host. That second photo almost made me hurl, but I will continue to eat beef. I just won’t butcher it or spend much time ruminating (pun intended) on which part of the cow it came from. Or steer. Whatever. I’m not sure if my meat comes from a girl or a boy and that’s the way I like it.
Alisa Bowman´s last blog post..What is love anyway?
By the way, I love your new logo.
Alisa Bowman´s last blog post..What is love anyway?
MOOOOOOOOOve over Im hungry now
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Okay, I am a carnivore and I have hunted and dressed my own game before. I wasn’t totally disgusted by the pictures in the beginning, but not ready to pull out a nice bottle of red wine, either!
Then I saw the final product and am actually considering giving it a try! Maybe even beef tongue after that!
Thanks for giving me some possibilities for adding a few more unusual (and hopefully delicious) things to add some spice to my life with!
Just the kind of recipe I expect you’d love Gaby
When we went out for our wedding anniversary last December, my husband chose slow-roasted beef cheeks for his main course. It was superb (so was my salmon, and rather more suited to the weather conditions for that time of year!). I’m hoping to try a beef cheek recipe sometime this winter. I’m pretty sure my butcher will assist!
Tracy did you not read that I spent three days cooking one meal for my family – where would I find the time to write a blog?
GG the tough bits are the best. That’s the main failure of modern chicken – no tough bits to tenderise.
Titmouse I made a goulash using a whole piece of pork shoulder earlier this week. Leave the fat on top and brown first then stew for 3 hours in a slow oven. Much nice than goulash made with cubed pork shoulder.
Barbara I’m glad you found the finished photo appealing but am concerned you have been looking at zombie cattle to never notice they have cheeks. Seriously, cattle are some of the jowliest animals around.
Thanks Vered
Alisa you are my target audience. If you want to get the most out of your meat (especially the cheaper cuts, hello recession) it pays to know what that hunk of meat has spent its life doing. The fillet just hangs out getting a free ride, so it’s tender but not much flavour. Whereas the shoulder has to hold up those huge heads and gets almost as good a work out as the cheek. Ignoring that your meat comes from an animal won’t help your cooking.
Affiliate4free – Ha!
Mr Nuggets I recommend a Cab Sav/Shiraz blend. A bit of spice with the tannins.
Full Cream your husband has good taste! I hope you manage to get hold of some beef cheeks, they are fun to cook.
I am now very hungry for beef cheeks and that is something I never thought I would say.
Gaby, it was a great piece and the best part was that it actually made me feel like I could successfully prepare it. I would love to read more of your recipe ideas!
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I have to admit – the finished plate looks pretty pleasing. I never would’ve guessed.
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Sadly, no time for three-day meals. And growing up around my grandparent’s farm keeps me from getting too grossed out by different cuts of meat. Yes, I have helped to butcher chickens, in my past – and there is a huge difference between family farm-raised cattle and the stuff you find in the grocery store.
It does look wonderful in the end!
RC – Rambling Along…´s last blog post..Memorial Day Memory
I once helped cook up a whole pig’s head to make brawn, so this is not bothering me. It looks quite tasty – I love slow cooked meat. Thanks for the recipe!
Putting a whole chicken in a can – bothers me.
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I do not eat beef or much meat, but this reminds me of my mothers incredible meat pies when I was a child and I thinks she used beef cheeks for mincemeat too…I was not so fond of her jellied meat meals…
but when prepared well and with some style food is very good.
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This sounds and looks yummy to me! I’ve always liked meats that are ‘close to the bone’. They have the most flavor especially when cooked long and low like this dish.
The final dish looks great but I think its one thing seeing the ingredients (beef cheek) before it goes in the pan and another, having the final dish placed in front of you. If I had to prepare it myself I just wouldn’t have the stomach to eat it afterwards as nice as it may smell. Are Raw Beef Cheeks something you can buy at a local supermarket or do you have to go to a butchers and request them?
I’ve never eaten beef check before, but now i know more about it, I might be tempted to give it a go, thanks.
sorry, spelling – *beef cheek
Yum Yum, thanks for the good idea.
I just finished making this tonight. It was my first time cooking or eating beef cheek, and this was absolutely delicious. I used rosemary, juniper berries, tarragon and a pinot noir for the marinade, and bought some beef bones and roasted them for stock to top up the gravy. The gravy was so rich and flavorful, it barely needed more seasoning than a little salt, this is definitely something I’ll make again when I’ve got the time to do it over the three days.
Had a go a making this tonight and it was great. Definitely recommend that you try it.
You know, I still haven't tried it! Must do so, beef cheeks are wonderfully cheap at the Asian grocer.
What a lovely lovely blog you have, full of delicious recipes and photo’s. I have had a good look through your post’s and it’s like you have catered your recipes exactly to my tastes!!! I have only just started my own food blog this month and its a work in progress but i am going to keep at it! I will most defiantly be visiting again!
It look like delicious beef cheek casserole..
I want to taste it ..
Thanks
I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs, and I believe this will be a trend. I often come this forum , rom here I learn much and know the newest tide!
friednoodle
the content here constantly update and I love it! Another I know some websites which often update their contents, you guys should browse if you are free.
I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs, and I believe this will be a trend. I often come this forum , rom here I learn much and know the newest tide!
friednoodle
the content here constantly update and I love it! Another I know some websites which often update their contents, you guys should browse if you are free.
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