In the early days of the restaurant I found that people were put off by the word “cheek” on the menu. They are utterly delicious, no gristle or fat and full of flavour. I buy my cheeks from Farmison who deliver or ask your local butcher.
I have suggested the smoked mash recipe to accompany this dish but you can always just make plain mash as long as you use lots of butter – it’s essential!
You can braise the cheeks in a pan or in one third of the time if you use a pressure cooker. Shredding the beef makes it go further so this quantity will feed 6 people.
Make ahead advice: Read the recipe through from start to finish. Everything can be made the day before and simply reheated. If you are cooking the cheeks the day before (which i usually do as they get better flavour), after you have reduced the sauce, pour it back over the cheeks, leave to cool, cover and put in the fridge. This stops them drying out
1.5kg ox cheek (2-3 cheeks), each cheek cut in half
(Ask for these from my favourite butcher Farmison
1 tbsp vegetable oil
50g butter
1 onion, diced
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
300ml red wine
500ml chicken or beef stock
sprout petals
200g brussels sprouts
to finish
prepared smoked mash (see recipe)
parsnip crisps (see recipe)
cooking the cheeks
Generously season the beef with salt on both sides. Preheat the oven to 160C fan if not using a pressure cooker.
In a casserole dish or a pressure cooker, heat the vegetable oil over a high heat and brown the cheeks all over. Remove from the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add the butter, let it melt then add the onion, celery and carrot. Let it cook for around 7 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme and star anise and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Turn the heat back up to high and pour in the red wine and while it bubbles, scrape the the sticky bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half, add the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, add the cheeks back to the pan along with any collected juices. If cooking in the oven, cover and cook for two and a half to three hours or until tender.
If using a pressure cooker, lock on the lid, over a high heat bring up to full pressure (this will take about 10 mins), when it starts to hiss and swirl, reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally (this will take 10-20 minutes).
Remove the cheeks from the pan into a bowl. Strain the sauce into a large jug, discard the vegetables and herbs. Pour the sauce back into the and reduce over a medium heat to a glossy consistency. At this point, if you want to store the cheeks overnight, pour the sauce back over the cheeks, leave to cool, cover and put in the fridge over night. When ready to cook, simply reheat in a pan.
sprout petals
While the cheeks are cooking you can prepare the sprout petals. Have a bowl of iced water ready. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the sprouts for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sprouts and plunge into the ice bath. When cool, drain and cut a few millimetres off the bottom of each sprout. Gently tease the individual petals of the sprouts. When ready to serve, melt a little butter in a pan, toss the leaves through the butter, season with salt.
To serve
Reheat the mash either in a microwave or with a knob of smoked butter in a pan. Using a couple of forks, shred the cheeks. Place a chef’s ring on warm dinner plates, fill each ring with the shredded beef, put some smoked mash on the each plate. Top the beef with a few parsnip crisps, sprinkle sprout petals around the plate and serve with the sauce on the side.
Ideal with:
Shredded beef with smoked mash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg ox cheeks (2-3 cheeks) cut in half
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 50 g butter
- 1 onion diced
- 1 celery stick roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 star anise
- 300 ml red wine
- 500 ml chicken or beef stock
Sprout petals
- 200 g brussels sprouts kept whole and damaged outer leaves removed
To finish
- prepared smoked mash (see recipe)
- parsnip crisps (see recipe)
Instructions
cooking the cheeks
- Generously season the beef with salt on both sides. Preheat the oven to 160C fan if not using a pressure cooker.
- In a casserole dish or a pressure cooker, heat the vegetable oil over a high heat and brown the cheeks all over. Remove from the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add the butter, let it melt then add the onion, celery and carrot. Let it cook for around 7 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme and star anise and cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Turn the heat back up to high and pour in the red wine and while it bubbles, scrape the the sticky bits stuck to the bottom. Reduce by half, add the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, add the cheeks back to the pan along with any collected juices. If cooking in the oven, cover and cook for two and a half to three hours or until tender.
- If using a pressure cooker, lock on the lid, over a high heat bring up to full pressure (this will take around 10 minutes). When it starts to hiss and swirl, reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally (this will take 10-20 minutes).
- Remove the cheeks from the pan into a bowl. Strain the sauce into a large jug, discard the vegetables and herbs. Pour the sauce back into the pan and reduce over a medium heat to a glossy consistency. At this point, if you want to store the cheeks overnight, pour the sauce back over the cheeks, leave to cool, cover and put in the fridge over night. When ready to cook, simply reheat in a pan.
sprout petals
- While the cheeks are cooking you can prepare the sprout petals. Have a bowl of iced water ready. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the sprouts for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sprouts and plunge into the ice bath. When cool, drain and cut a few millimetres off the bottom of each sprout. Gently tease the individual petals of the sprouts. When ready to serve, melt a little butter in a pan, toss the leaves through the butter, season with salt.
To serve
- Reheat the mash either in a microwave or with a knob of smoked butter in a pan. Using a couple of forks, shred the cheeks. Place a chef's ring on warm dinner plates, fill each ring with the shredded beef, put some smoked mash on the each plate. Tope the beef with a few parsnip crisps, sprinkle sprout petals around the plate and serve with the sauce on the side.
Video
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