Dish of Braised Beef Cheeks
(click to enlarge)

Beef Cheeks, Braised


Italy   -   Guanciale de Manzo
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 main
***
4-3/4 hrs
Yes		 Beef Cheeks are tender, moist and delicious cooked this way. This recipe is my compilation from from several similar Italian recipes. See also Serving.




3
6
6
2
2
28 oz
ar
ar
2
2
2
1
#
oz
oz
oz
oz
can


T
T
c

Beef Cheeks (1)
Onion
Turnip
Carrot
Celery
Tomatoes
Salt, Kosher (2)
Pepper
Olive Oil
Olive Oil, ExtV
Red Wine, dry (3)  
Star anise
Prep   -   (25 min)
  1. Trim BEEF CHEEKS as needed (weight given is after trimming)
  2. Chop ONIONS small. Dice TURNIP into 1/2 inch cubes. Chop CELERY small. Chop CARROT small. Mix all.
  3. Chop TOMATOES medium and return to their Juice.
Run   -   (4 Hours)
  1. Pat Beef Cheeks dry with paper towels. Rub them lightly with salt and pepper.
  2. In heavy skillet heat 2 T Olive Oil and fry Beef Cheeks in batches until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a heavy bottomed non-reactive pot or Dutch oven that will hold at least 4 quarts.
  3. After all the Beef Cheeks are done, pour remaining oil out of the skillet. Replace with 2 T ExtV Olive Oil and fry Onion mix until onions are translucent. Pour vegetables and oil into the pot with the Beef Cheeks.
  4. Pour 1/2 cup Wine into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Scrape up any fond adhering to the pan and pour into the pot along with the rest of the Wine, the Tomatoes (including juice) and Star Anise.
  5. Bring pot to a boil, then cover tightly and simmer very slowly for about 3-1/4 hours or until Beef Cheeks are tender.
  6. Fish out the Beef Cheeks and set aside.
  7. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer. Discard the solids.
  8. Defat the sauce using your gravy separator, then simmer it down to the amount you will need. If you feel the need, you can thicken the sauce a little with a blonde roux (the sauce in the photo was thickened for better behavior during photography). Keep hot.
  9. Cut Beef Cheeks as desired. Reheat and serve hot with sauce.
NOTES:

  1. Beef Cheeks:

      Weight is after trimming excess fat. Do not over-trim connective tissue. To get 3 pounds trimmed, you'll need to buy about 5 pounds untrimmed. For details see our Beef Cheeks page.

  2. Kosher Salt:

      In most cases there is no purpose to using kosher salt - if you don't want iodine, there's plenty of regular no-iodine salt. For coating meat though, that's what kosher salt was invented for. Diamond Crystal brand is best because it is fluffier.

  3. Red Wine:

      An Italian red such as Chianti or Lambrusco is in order.

  4. Method:

      The pattern recipe set up the meats and liquids as above, but cooked in a 325°F/165°C oven for 3+ hours. I simmered this on the stove top where I could monitor it closely, and that worked just as well.

  5. Serving:

      The serving style in the photo above is clearly American. In Italy the pasta would be lightly sauced, using sauce from the meat, and served as a Pasta course. This would be followed by the meat course. Here in California, we minimize the number of courses.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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