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–+ servings

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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Scotty Boxa

Slow-Cooked Beef Cheeks in Red Wine

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Slow-cooked beef cheeks in red wine. Three hours, falls apart at the touch, served on creamy mash. The Aussie winter dinner-party showstopper.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg beef cheeks, trimmed of silverskin
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large brown onion, diced
  • 3 shallots, halved
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 carrots, thick chunks
  • 2 sticks celery, sliced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 500 ml dry red wine shiraz or cabernet
  • 500 ml beef stock
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Method
 

Method
  1. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Toss beef cheeks in flour with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Brown the cheeks 4-5 minutes per side, working in batches if needed. Set aside.
  3. Add remaining oil. Cook onions, shallots, carrots, and celery 8 minutes until softened and lightly caramelised. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
  4. Stir in tomato paste, cook 2 minutes. Pour in red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot. Reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
  5. Return beef cheeks to the pot. Add stock, thyme, and bay leaves. The liquid should come about three-quarters up the cheeks.
  6. Cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven. Cook 2.5 to 3 hours, until the meat falls apart at a fork's touch.
  7. Remove cheeks carefully (they're delicate by now). Reduce the braising liquid on the stove over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until glossy and thick. Strain if you want a smoother sauce.
  8. Serve cheeks over creamy mashed potato, generously spooned with the sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Nutrition

Calories: 580kcal

Notes

Beef cheeks. Most butchers carry them, ask if you don't see them. They're cheap, dense with collagen, and turn into pure savoury silk after a long cook. Don't substitute brisket or chuck; cheeks are the right cut.
Wine choice. A sturdy dry red. Shiraz, cabernet, malbec. Don't use a sweet red or the sauce goes cloying. If you don't drink wine, replace with extra beef stock plus 1 tbsp Worcestershire and 2 tsp red wine vinegar.
Make ahead. This dish is even better the next day. Cook completely, cool, refrigerate, reheat gently in the sauce.

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