Beef Cheeks

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A sadly mishandled and underappreciated cut of meat; beef cheeks can actually be an incredibly delicious meal. Easy to make, these quick braising beef cheeks make for a truly fantastic weeknight meal.

Why not learn more about Worcestershire Sauce for this recipe? Or maybe learn How To Cook a Top Sirloin Roast (and Sirloin Tip) instead?

Beef Cheeks

Beef cheeks are one of those cuts of meat that most people don’t really consider buying. Somehow the idea of cheeks just seems really weird and unappetizing.

However, despite how it might sound, beef cheeks can actually be one of the very best braising cuts there is. If cooked in a really flavorful broth and given time to cook down for a long time, they become super succulent and delicious.

Plus, you can even cook them in a slow cooker or instant pot, allowing you to prepare your dinner well in advance and not have to worry about cooking for yourself at the end of the day!               

Beef Cheeks Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Beef cheeks

• Flour

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil

• White or yellow onion

• Garlic

Sauce

• Beef broth

• Red wine

• Worcestershire sauce

• Tomato paste

• Dried rosemary

• Dried thyme

• Bay leaf

Vegetables

• Carrots

• Celery

• White mushrooms

• Fresh parsley

How To Make Beef Cheeks

Stove Top

• Remove any tough membranes from the outside of the beef cheeks

• Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper

• Place the beef in the flour mixture and toss until the beef is coated, shaking off the excess

• In a large braising pan, sauté the beef cheeks in oil over medium heat until browned

• Remove and place the beef on a plate

• Add in the onions and sauté until they are softened, and then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant

• Whisk together the sauce ingredients, and then pour them into the pan, deglazing the bottom by scraping the browned bits off with a wooden spoon

• Add in the vegetables, and then place the beef cheeks into the pan, nestling between the vegetables

• Place the lid on top of the pan and simmer on medium-low for 2 hours, turning the beef cheeks once during the cooking time or until the cheeks are tender and fall apart

Oven Cooking

• Follow all steps for stove top, and then cook at 350°F for 2-3 hours, until the beef cheeks are tender.

Slow Cooker

• Remove any tough membranes from the outside of the beef cheek

• Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper

• Place the beef in the flour mixture and toss until the beef is coated, shaking off the excess

• In a large braising pan, sauté the beef cheeks in oil over medium heat until browned. Remove and place the cheeks into your slow cooker

• Add the vegetables into the slow cooker, followed by the onions, and then sauté until they are softened; then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant

• Whisk together the sauce ingredients, then pour into the pan, deglazing the bottom by scraping the browned bits off with a wooden spoon

• Pour it all over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker

• Place the lid on top and cook for 8 hours on low until the beef is tender and falls apart

Instant Pot

• Follow all slow cooker directions, but place into your Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 75 minutes.

How To Trim & Prepare Your Beef Cheeks

Beef cheeks are a really simple cut to cook at home, but the one thing that they need besides a long cooking time is a little bit of attention when it comes to trimming and preparing it.

While they have plenty of flavor and fat, beef cheeks can also have a little bit too much sinew and other things left on the meat, which means you need to trim it a little bit.

Luckily, however, it is super easy to trim them so that they are ready for their braise.

You just need to look all over the meat and see if there are any bits that are sort of “hanging” off the meat and can be easily pulled away from the flesh with your fingers. If you find any, just peel them off or slice them off with your knife.

You will also want to remove any solid bits of fat that are sticking off the sides of the beef cheek, as these will be pretty chewy and unpleasant.

Other than that, you just need to cut it into an evenly proportioned shape, and it is ready to be cooked!

What To Substitute Beef Cheeks With If You Can’t Find Them

This recipe is definitely designed around using beef cheeks, as they have an absolute ton of flavor.

However, not every butcher has them on hand, so you might end up needing to find an alternative.

If you struggle to find beef cheeks, you can try replacing them with some short ribs.

Make sure, though, that you get short ribs that have the bone in them and not just the hunks of meat that supermarkets label as short ribs. You want all of that delicious collagen and flavor that the bones provide!

Also, if you use short ribs, try and get them really browned well before you braise them in the cooking liquid – short ribs can brown up really well and contribute a ton of tasty browned flavor, so long as you don’t burn them!

Looking for more delicious Beef recipes? Try these out:

• Herb and Garlic Stuffed Eye of Round Roast Recipe

• Classic 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pot Roast

• Corned Beef and Cabbage

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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