Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks in a Red Wine Sauce

Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks in a Red Wine Sauce


INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil rated
  • 1.5 kg beef cheeks , (4 large or 6 small beef cheeks)
  • 1 onion (white, brown or yellow), roughly diced
  • 1 celery stalk , roughly diced
  • 1 carrot , roughly diced
  • 4 garlic cloves , minced
  • 6 stems of fresh thyme or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 4 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh bay leaves)
  • 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock (broth)
  • 2 cups (500 ml) red wine (cabernet sauvignon or merlot)
  • 2 – 3 tsp salt , separated
  • Black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare The Beef Cheeks:

    • Cut off any large, fatty membrane.
    • Pat dry then use 1 tsp of salt and black pepper to season the beef all over.

2. Cook the Beef Cheeks:

    • Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat.
    • Sear half the beef cheeks on each side until nicely browned.
    • Take them off and put to the side and repeat

3. Cook the Onion and Garlic:

    • Turn down the heat to medium high and heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil.
    • Add garlic and onion. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent.

4. Add the celery and carrots:

    • Sauté for a further 3 minutes.

5. Add Into the Slow Cooker:

    • Pour the onion mixture into the slow cooker and place the beef cheeks on top.

6. Heat the Wine:

    • Pour the wine into the pot and return to heat. Turn the heat up to high, bring to simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute (to cook out the wine a bit).
    • Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan so it mixes in with the wine.

7. Add Remaining Items into Slow Cooker:

    • Pour the wine into the slow cooker, then all the remaining ingredients, starting with a pinch of salt and pepper (add more to taste later).

8. Let it Cook:

    • Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 10 – 12 hours or High for 8 hours for 350g beef cheeks.

9. Remove the Beef Cheeks:

    • Remove the beef cheeks and discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.

10. Blend the Sauce:

    • Use a handheld stick blender to puree the braising liquid into a smooth Sauce – it will change from a dark brown to a lighter brown colour.

11. Simmer the Sauce:

    • Transfer liquid into saucepan, simmer on stove on medium high until the Sauce turns a darker brown colour and reduces by about 1/4 to 1/3, to a gravy consistency – about 10 minutes.

12. Remove from heat:

    • Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
    • Remove from the heat, return the beef cheeks to the Sauce, cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

13. To Serve:

    • Serve beef cheeks on Mash Potato and drizzle with a generous amount of Sauce.
    • Garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired.

 

Serves 6 serves

 

Prep time 15 minutes

 

Cook time 8 hours 30 minutes

 

Ready in 8 hours 45 minutes
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