WINTER WARMER: SLOW-COOKED OX CHEEKS
Some years ago ox (beef) and pork cheeks were marketed by a certain supermarket favoured by middle class people as "forgotten cuts", along with pork shin and other less fashionable cuts of meat - and quickly became fashionable again. It reminded me of the time when Delia Smith first introduced us to lamb shanks and suddenly this humble cut from the leg suddenly became very trendy and therefore much more expensive.
Ox cheeks lend themselves to slow cooking. This is muscle with very little fat - think of all that chewing that goes on day after day! - and it needs long, slow cooking to soften it. Cooked well, it is melt-in-the-mouth tender, comforting and perfect for an autumn or winter evening. It needs only a dollop of fluffy mashed potato to soak up the aromatic sauce.
I don't have a set recipe for slow-cooked ox cheeks, but tend to use the following basic ingredients to create a richly-flavoured sauce, reduced down from the cooking broth. To enhance the meaty flavour of a broth for red meat, I add a couple of star anise to the liquor, a tip I believe comes from chef Heston Blumenthal. To the pot I also add some roughly chopped leek and onion, a carrot, a couple of bay leaves, crushed garlic gloves, a squeeze of tomato puree, some orange zest strips, and a few Sichuan peppercorns. Worcestershire Sauce is a must, together with a dash of Liquid Smoke The ox cheeks need to be trimmed of the thick white fat and then browned in a frying pan before adding to the pot. Deglaze the pan with red wine, ale or stout and add this to the pot with beef stock. Ensure the meat is covered with liquid and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven and cook at c150 C for several hours, checking regularly to ensure the liquid does not dry up. Add more wine/beer/stock if necessary. The cheeks are done when the meat falls away easily when prodded with a fork.
Remove the cheeks from the cooking liquor and set aside. Strain the liquor into a small saucepan and reduce further to create a rich, silky sauce.
I like to serve slow-cooked ox cheeks with pearl barley (soak it in water for a few hours to soften it - this reduces the cooking time considerably) and braised hispi cabbage, but mashed potato, or mashed sweet potato, or a mixture of mashed root veg (celeric, sweede, parsnips etc) also works well. A 500g ox cheek will serve two greedy people or three quite easily - divide the meat into portions before browning.
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I buy ox cheeks from The Dorset Meat Company
Ox cheeks lend themselves to slow cooking. This is muscle with very little fat - think of all that chewing that goes on day after day! - and it needs long, slow cooking to soften it. Cooked well, it is melt-in-the-mouth tender, comforting and perfect for an autumn or winter evening. It needs only a dollop of fluffy mashed potato to soak up the aromatic sauce.
I don't have a set recipe for slow-cooked ox cheeks, but tend to use the following basic ingredients to create a richly-flavoured sauce, reduced down from the cooking broth. To enhance the meaty flavour of a broth for red meat, I add a couple of star anise to the liquor, a tip I believe comes from chef Heston Blumenthal. To the pot I also add some roughly chopped leek and onion, a carrot, a couple of bay leaves, crushed garlic gloves, a squeeze of tomato puree, some orange zest strips, and a few Sichuan peppercorns. Worcestershire Sauce is a must, together with a dash of Liquid Smoke The ox cheeks need to be trimmed of the thick white fat and then browned in a frying pan before adding to the pot. Deglaze the pan with red wine, ale or stout and add this to the pot with beef stock. Ensure the meat is covered with liquid and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven and cook at c150 C for several hours, checking regularly to ensure the liquid does not dry up. Add more wine/beer/stock if necessary. The cheeks are done when the meat falls away easily when prodded with a fork.
Remove the cheeks from the cooking liquor and set aside. Strain the liquor into a small saucepan and reduce further to create a rich, silky sauce.
I like to serve slow-cooked ox cheeks with pearl barley (soak it in water for a few hours to soften it - this reduces the cooking time considerably) and braised hispi cabbage, but mashed potato, or mashed sweet potato, or a mixture of mashed root veg (celeric, sweede, parsnips etc) also works well. A 500g ox cheek will serve two greedy people or three quite easily - divide the meat into portions before browning.
***
I buy ox cheeks from The Dorset Meat Company
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