I would prefer a beef cheek over a beef fillet any day. Slowly simmered on the cooker top, or braised in the oven at a low temperature, their texture and flavour is unequal in terms of any of the other choice cuts.
The key ingredient in cooking beef cheeks to perfection is time. You cannot rush them. If you take them off too early, they tend to be tough and unpalatable.
Often they are hard to source, so ask your butcher in advance. He or she can put them aside for you when they are breaking down the animal. A large cheek will serve two people.
I will usually put on more than I need as I can use the leftovers for sandwiches: a beef cheek sandwich with a fried egg on rye bread is truly divine.
To prepare the beef cheeks, trim away any excess fat or tough sinew from the top of the cheek. Season the cheeks with sea salt and brown in a large pot with some rapeseed oil and butter.
When the cheeks are nicely coloured, transfer them into an ovenproof dish (discarding the cooking fat).
Place a carrot, an onion, a head of garlic, some celery and some flat leaf parsley in beside them. You can cut the vegetables any way you like. Furthermore, you can also brown them before popping them in beside the cheeks.
Pour an adequate amount of stout (I use Galway Hooker, but Guinness is fine) over the cheeks.
Seal and place in a 140 degree oven for five hours. Check them during the final hour. If a knife passes cleanly through the cheeks without effort, then they’re ready. Remove them from the oven.
Strain your braising liquid into small pot and reduce by half on a low heat. This will produce a beautiful gravy.
To accompany the cheeks, make some mashed potato, and serve with a glass of shiraz.
JP McMahon
