Beef Cheeks: How to Braise Them So the Meat Melts and the Sauce Thickens Itself

01Why you can't just sear cheeks

The cheek is a chewing muscle that works all the animal's life. It has dense fibres and a lot of collagen, the connective tissue. Five minutes in a pan and the cheek stays as tough as rubber.

But after a few hours in liquid, collagen turns into gelatine. That is what thickens the sauce without flour and keeps the meat juicy even after reheating.

02Thawing and trimming

Thaw cheeks slowly in the fridge, not in water or on the counter. The meat loses less juice, and the surface doesn't dry out.

Then comes trimming, a step people often skip, and they shouldn't. There is a tough silverskin on top of the cheek. Cut it off with a thin flexible knife, running the blade under the membrane, not into the meat. Leave the thin fat between the muscles; it will melt into the sauce. Trimming takes about 10-15 % of the weight, which is normal.

How to thaw beef without losing juice and weight.Read →

03How to braise: step by step

The method is the same for two kilograms or a full gastronorm tray.

1. 01

   Step 1. Sear to a dark crust

   Pat the cheeks dry, salt them and sear on high heat on all sides. Don't crowd the pan, otherwise the meat stews in its own juice and the sauce comes out pale.

2. 02

   Step 2. Sauté the vegetables

   In the same pot, brown the carrot, onion and celery. If you like, add a spoon of tomato paste and let it darken.

3. 03

   Step 3. Pour in the wine

   Red wine; scrape everything stuck to the bottom and reduce by about two-thirds.

4. 04

   Step 4. Return the meat and add stock

   The liquid should cover two-thirds of the cheeks. Add a bay leaf, thyme and a few garlic cloves.

5. 05

   Step 5. Into the oven for 3-4 hours

   Covered, at 140-160 °C. After the third hour, check every half hour.

6. 06

   Step 6. Reduce the sauce

   Take the meat out, strain the sauce and reduce it separately until it coats a spoon. Return the cheeks to the sauce.

Sous vide instead of the oven

If the kitchen has an immersion circulator, cheeks can be cooked in a bag: typically 72 °C for 24-36 hours. Sear the meat before or after, bag it with a little reduced sauce and seal. The result is more predictable, losses are lower and bags can be prepared ahead.

04How to tell it's done

• A fork goes in without resistance; the meat separates but the piece still holds its shape.
• Under a finger the cheek gives softly instead of bouncing back like rubber.
• The sauce is glossy and slightly sticky on the lips: that's the gelatine.
• A thermometer won't tell you much: the centre has long passed 90 °C. Wait for softness, not degrees.

A tough cheek is simply underdone, so give it another 30-40 minutes. An overcooked one falls apart into dry fibres, so after the third hour don't leave the oven unattended.

05Storing and reheating

After braising, cool the meat quickly together with the sauce and keep it in the fridge in the sauce: it protects the surface from drying out and from picking up other smells.

Reheat in portions in a sauté pan on the stove or in a combi oven on steam, without letting it boil: strong heat tears the already soft fibres. Sous vide bags are usually warmed in water at about 60-65 °C and then glazed in hot sauce.

06What to serve them with

• Buttery mashed potatoes, the classic.
• Polenta for banquets, it holds heat well.
• Pappardelle with the pulled meat in the sauce.
• Tacos, bao or a sandwich: a quick bar dish from the same prep.
• Roasted root vegetables, when the side needs to be lighter.

07How many portions from a kilogram

The numbers below are a guide. Your own kitchen will give the exact figures: losses depend on trimming, temperature and how far you reduce the sauce.

• Trimming loss

  Approximately

  10-15 %

• Braising loss

  Approximately

  30-35 %

• Cooked meat from 1 kg raw

  Approximately

  550-600 g

• Portion

  Approximately

  150 g

• Portions from 1 kg

  Approximately

  3.5-4

To get the meat cost per portion, divide the price per kilogram by 3.5-4. For a banquet what matters more is this: the dish is fully cooked a day or two ahead, and it is just as good for 20 guests as for 200.

Frigon beef cheeks: today's price, minimum order 20 kg. Made to order, so plan ahead.View in catalogue →