So Much On My Plate – Beef Cheeks

When I read an article about beef cheeks in the Toronto Star food section a few weeks ago, I couldn’t resist tracking down a source of them on Vancouver Island and checking them out.  I simply called my nearest butcher shop, Cowichan Valley Meats in Duncan and put in an order.  When I found out they would only cost $2 a pound, I said put me down for 10 pounds!  When the order arrived last week, there were almost 13 pounds in the bag.  Of course I said I would take them all, much to the amusement of both the woman at the meat counter and at the till, who both asked me what my intentions were with the cheeks!

I explained that I had never cooked them before, but I intended to braise them for a while, since they need to be tenderized. The only snag in preparation is that you need to trim the silverskin off the cheeks, but if you paid the butcher a little more per pound they would probably do it for you. I adapted two recipes for beef short ribs, one that braises them in a wine and vegetable reduction, resulting in a thick sauce finished with chocolate, rosemary and chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. 

The other recipe is easier, as you simple simmer the cheeks in a soya sauce/water/star anise/garlic mixture, then grill the cheeks after they’ve been tenderized to give them a nice caramelized finish.

We had four friends over for dinner and put both recipes to the test.  While the grilled cheeks were received favourably, the most praise was reserved for those that had stewed in the rich wine sauce…and I still have about 5 pounds of cheeks left in the freezer for future experimentation!

Here are the recipes, which could be used with beef short ribs as well.  I found that the beef cheeks in general had less fat than short ribs, which is why the grilled versions turned out a little dry.  Let me know how these turn out if you try them!

Braised and Grilled Beef Cheeks

Adapted from a beef short rib recipe by Mark Bittman, columnist for the New York Times

Yield: 4 servings
Total time: At least 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:
3 pounds beef cheeks, trimmed of fat and silverskin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
5 thin slices of ginger
5 whole star anise
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon rice or white wine vinegar

1. Combine the beef cheeks, soy sauce water, ginger, star anise and garlic in a heavy-bottomed pot. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil; cover and turn the heat so that the mixture simmers gently. Cook, turning the cheeks about every 30 minutes, until the cheeks are tender, about 2 hours.

2. Remove the cheeks from the pot and strain the sauce. If time allows, refrigerate both, separately; skim the fat from the top of the sauce. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill or the broiler; the rack should be 4 to 6 inches from the heat source, and the fire hot.

3. Grill or broil the cheeks until nicely browned all over, sprinkling them with salt and pepper and turning as necessary; total cooking time will be about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce gently; season it with salt and pepper, then add the vinegar.

Braised Beef Cheeks with Chocolate, Rosemary and Chipotle Pepper

This recipe was adapted from a January 2006 Bon Appetit recipe for beef short ribs. 

1/4 cup diced pancetta (Italian bacon) or regular bacon
4 pounds cleaned beef cheeks
olive oil as needed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups low-salt chicken broth or beef broth
2 cups chopped drained canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 very large fresh thyme sprig
1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 (or more to taste) chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped (these are available in most Latin American grocery shops.  You could substitute Chipotle Tabasco sauce to taste)

Heat heavy large pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and bacon and sauté until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle  with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs in drippings in pot over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. (if the pancetta and cheeks don’t release enough fat, add some olive oil to the pot to brown the remaining cheeks) Transfer to a plate. Add onions and next 4 ingredients to pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add wine. Boil uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta. Return ribs to pot, cover partially, and simmer 1  hour. Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about another hour longer.

Transfer cheeks to plate; discard bay leaf. Spoon fat from surface of sauce. At this point you may want to puree the sauce; I used my portable wand to do it. Add chocolate, cocoa powder, rosemary and chipotle pepper or Tabasco; stir until chocolate melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot. Simmer to rewarm, about 5 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.