Ox cheeks are an incredibly flavorful and affordable cut of meat that can be transformed into a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy with the right preparation. This article will guide you through the process of creating a mouthwatering braised ox cheeks dish infused with the rich and complex flavors of port and balsamic vinegar. We'll explore the key steps involved in braising, offering tips on selecting the ideal ox cheeks, the perfect balance of ingredients, and the optimal cooking time to achieve fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey that will elevate your palate and leave you craving more.
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BRAISED OX CHEEKS
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 11h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Place the ox cheeks in a large stainless steel container and cover with the stout, wine, rosemary, thyme, garlic, celery, bay leaves, carrots, leeks and onions. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 330 degrees F. Drain the meat in a colander, reserving the marinade and vegetables.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and gently fry the the marinated vegetables for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir over a low heat for 1 minute. Slowly add the marinade, stirring constantly to incorporate. Bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Add the stock and the meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bring back to a boil. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, then transfer to the oven and roast until the meat is tender, 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours.
- Once the meat is cooked the sauce should be sufficiently thick. If it is not, remove the meat and simmer the liquid on the stovetop until it thickens up in consistency, a few minutes. Place the meat back into the finished sauce to serve.
- Serve the braised ox cheeks with smoked cauliflower mash and crispy bone marrow, or with buttery mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
CIDER-BRAISED PORK CHEEKS
You'll probably need to order pork cheeks from your butcher, but the resulting slow-cooked meaty goodness is so worth it. This is delicious served over buttery mashed potatoes with lots of the gravy.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Season both sides of pork cheeks with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and press it into the meat to coat thoroughly.
- Heat clarified butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear meat on both sides until richly browned, adjusting heat lower if necessary. When cheeks are browned, reduce heat to medium. Transfer cheeks to a plate to rest.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add onions, carrots, and celery to skillet. Cook and stir until softened and sweet, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Add vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour in the cider and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add sage and rosemary. Reduce heat to low and transfer cheeks back to pan. Cover. Cook until fork tender but not falling apart, 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the pork cheeks. Transfer to a plate.
- Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, skimming off fat as it rises to the surface. Reduce volume of liquid by about 60 to 70%. Sauce will start to thicken up. Taste for salt and season as needed. Transfer cheeks back to liquid. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until cheeks are heated through and tender and sauce is thick enough to coat cheeks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1619 calories, Carbohydrate 23.5 g, Cholesterol 193.3 mg, Fat 153.3 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 19.7 g, SaturatedFat 58 g, Sodium 296.7 mg, Sugar 9.8 g
BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS
This has been a hit with everyone that has tried it.
Provided by Robert Smith
Categories 100+ Everyday Cooking Recipes
Time 5h50m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Add onion and carrot; cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Pour beef stock and wine into the Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Stir in porcini mushrooms, bouillon cubes, thyme, and bay leaves. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the surface. Cover with a tight lid.
- Bake in the preheated oven until beef is very tender, 5 to 6 hours.
- Transfer beef to a plate. Discard bay leaves. Blend cooking liquid with an immersion blender to make a smooth sauce. Serve beef with sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 684.8 calories, Carbohydrate 6.3 g, Cholesterol 160 mg, Fat 53.3 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 39.1 g, SaturatedFat 20.5 g, Sodium 365.9 mg, Sugar 2.5 g
BRAISED OX CHEEKS WITH PORT AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
I bought some ox cheeks on my last trip to the UK. I first tried these a couple of years ago and loved how tasty and succulent they were, so when I saw them on sale, I didn't hesitate. The cheeks I had were massive, so although I've marked this recipe as being for two people, it will depend on the size of your cheeks; I could have fed four with mine.
Provided by Snowbunny Andorra
Categories Meat
Time 2h45m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Place an oven-proof pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the cheeks and cook until nicely coloured on all sides.
- Remove the cheeks and set aside; without cleaning the pan, add the vegetables and cook for 6 minutes.
- Add the port to the pan to deglaze it (scrape up any bits which are stuck to the sides because these will have great flavour).
- Once the liquid has almost all evaporated, add the stock, vinegar and rosemary and return the cheeks to the pan.
- Bring to the boil then cover and transfer to the oven.
- Cook for 2 1/2 hours.
- If the liquid appears runny, place the pan back on the hop, remove the lid and reduce the sauce until it is smooth.
- Serve with plenty of mashed potatoes.
BRAISED OX CHEEKS & MUSTARD BUTTER
This recipe for braised ox cheeks delivers maximum flavour for minimum prep. Marinating the meat for 24 hours makes the meat extra tender and flavourful
Provided by Tom Kerridge
Categories Dinner, Main course, Supper
Time 4h45m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Two-and-a-half days before you plan to eat, put the cheeks in a bowl and pour over the ale. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24 hrs.
- Up to two days ahead, make the mustard butter by beating the ingredients, together with 3/4 tsp salt, using a wooden spoon in a bowl. Tip onto a sheet of baking parchment or cling film, wrap and roll up to form a sausage shape, then chill in the fridge until needed.
- Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Remove the cheeks from the beer, pat dry on kitchen paper and season, reserving the beer. Heat the oil in a wide flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pan. Sear the cheeks on all sides, then set aside. Add the vegetables and garlic to the hot dish and cook for 10 mins until browned.
- Return the cheeks to the dish with the ale, stock and herbs. Gently bring to the boil, skimming off any impurities as you go. Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or foil) and braise in the oven for 4 hrs until the meat is very tender.
- Once cooked, leave the beef to rest in the cooking liquid until cool - this will give you a much fuller flavour. Then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
- The following day, remove the cheeks from the fridge. Put the casserole dish over a medium heat to warm though before lifting the cheeks into a bowl and passing the liquor through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Bubble on the hob for 15-20 mins until reduced to a rich sauce. Season and return the cheeks to the sauce to warm through. Remove the cheeks again, slice and divide between plates, spooning over some of the sauce. Put a slice of the mustard butter on top of each cheek to melt and serve with pearl barley and steamed greens.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 546 calories, Fat 29 grams fat, SaturatedFat 13 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 17 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 11 grams sugar, Fiber 5 grams fiber, Protein 47 grams protein, Sodium 2.2 milligram of sodium
PORK BRAISED IN PORT AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
One of my favorite dinner entrees: You can substitute red wine (and any red you can bear cooking with will do) for the port if you can't find any, however: It's miles better with the slightly sweet red. Note: If you have a CostPlus nearby, their chocolate port or hazelnut sherry go beautifully with this dish.
Provided by Bansidhe
Categories Pork
Time 50m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Rinse and season the pork with salt and pepper: Add a little rosemary to the initial rub for more flavor.
- Heat the oil over high heat in a heavy skillet large enough to hold all the pork.
- Put the pork in and sear it for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side.
- Remove the meat and set aside while preparing the sauce: keep warm.
- After removing the meat from the pan, pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Saute for about 5 min.
- Deglaze the pan with the stock, wine, and vinegar, stirring well.
- Bring to a boil and re-add the pork; reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook 4-5 minutes, turn, and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, for a total cook time between 11-15 minutes.
- (If the pieces you're using are thicker than that, double the second cook time.) Keep warm again.
- Degrease the pan and reduce until its contents are just syrupy.
- Serve as sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 560.6, Fat 28.7, SaturatedFat 9.7, Cholesterol 151.5, Sodium 143.5, Carbohydrate 11, Fiber 1, Sugar 6, Protein 53.5
Tips:
- Choose the right cut of meat. Ox cheeks are a tough cut of meat, so it's important to braise them slowly and gently to tenderize them. You can also use other tough cuts of meat, such as beef shank or short ribs.
- Sear the meat before braising it. This will help to develop flavor and color.
- Use a good quality braising liquid. The braising liquid is what will flavor the meat, so it's important to use a good quality stock or broth. You can also add wine, beer, or vinegar to the braising liquid for extra flavor.
- Braise the meat for at least 2 hours. This will give the meat time to become tender and flavorful.
- Serve the meat with a simple accompaniment, such as mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.
Conclusion:
Braised ox cheeks are a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for a special occasion. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make this dish at home. So next time you're looking for a special meal to impress your friends or family, give braised ox cheeks a try. You won't be disappointed.
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