These slow-cooked beef cheeks are meltingly tender. Serve on creamy Parmesan Polenta. Any leftovers can be tossed through pasta or made into a pie.
Ingredients
For the beef cheeks in red wine
- 1.2–1.5kg beef cheeks
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Cooking oil, for frying
- 1 onion — diced
- 1 rib celery — diced
- 1 carrot — diced
- 1 cloves garlic — crushed
- 2 cups full-bodied red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary or thyme
- 3 bay leaves
Method
For the beef cheeks in red wine
- Prepare the beef cheeks by cutting off any fatty membrane. Pat them dry and season on both sides with garlic salt and pepper.
- Heat a little of the oil in a large pan over a high heat and, working in batches if necessary, brown the beef cheeks well. Place in a slow cooker.
- Add a little more oil to the same pan and sauté the onion over a low heat until soft. Add the celery, carrot and garlic. Sauté for a further 3 minutes.
- Add the red wine, stock, rosemary or thyme and bay leaves and season with garlic salt and pepper.
- Cook in the slow cooker on low for 10–12 hours or on high for 8 hours.
- Transfer the beef cheeks to a warm plate, cover with foil and leave to rest while you make the sauce.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves and the fresh rosemary, if using.
- Use a stick blender to purée the braising liquid into a smooth sauce.
- Transfer to a saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes or until you have a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Return the beef cheeks to the sauce and allow to heat through completely before serving.