Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks

This slow cooked beef cheeks is served with mashed potatoes, onion marmalade and semi-confit tomatoes (video coming next). Beef cheek muscles have a lot of connective tissue which is also why the cheeks require slow and gentle cooking; it becomes wonderfully rich and tender. Cooked weight of beef cheeks, reduced by about 40% from its raw weight.
Make a day or 2 ahead.

In order for the meat to absorb the full flavor of the wine, it is preferred to cook off alcohol prior to marinade meat. In fact, alcohol will, in effect, cook the surface, keeping the meat from absorbing the marinade.

Bring to a boil wine and port. Ignite and add veggies. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature (this can be made a day ahead and placed in the refrigerator). Place meat in a large pot or container. Cover with the marinade and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Separate veggies from the meat. Pat dry meat and set aside. Heat up a large dutch oven or pot, add a good drizzle of high smoke point oil and salt the bottom of the pot and meat. Sear meat each side down for about 5 minutes on medium high heat. Repeat until done. Keep seared meat in a separate container. Cook veggies and tomato paste in the pot and cook for 5 minutes stirring every so often and remove from the pot. Arrange meat in the pot first and top with the vegetables. Add wine from the marinade, stock and ground black pepper. Bring to boil, add the lid and place in the oven and cook for 4 hours at 300ºF/150ºC. Turn off oven and leave the pot inside to finish cooking slowly for 3 more hours or all night.

Remove cooked vegetables from the pot and discard. Drain meat and cooking liquid and set aside.
For better handling and storage, sandwich meat between 2 trays lined with parchment, top with weights and refrigerate overnight. Cut meat into desired portions. Save trimmings for Hachis Parmentier or next pasta pasta dish, sautéed veggies, eggs etc...
Vacuum seal portioned meat if desired and keep refrigerated for up to a week or freeze for later use.

Sieve cooking liquid and reduce on low heat for about an hour. Skim off unwanted fat that rises to the top as it cooks. Or, refrigerate the sauce and once chilled, the fat will rise to the surface – remove and discard. To thicken the sauce, use one tablespoon (15g) cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon of port or wine or water (aka slurry). Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and liquid together, then pour into your hot sauce and whisk. Readjust seasoning – add dash of port to the sauce if wanted.

If meat is vacuum-sealed, plunge bag in hot water and let simmer for 10 minutes or so. Remove the hot meat from the bag and glaze with the sauce.
Or, reheat meat in the oven or microwave it. Bon appétit!