This is the first time ever making beef cheeks. I don’t even remember if I’ve had it before, but it was amaaaaazing. Just falls apart and so melty. You’d think it was marbled with fat to make it that way, but I think it’s all of the connective tissues (collagen?) in the cheeks that just melt when you cook it for hours.
At hour 7, I rolled the cheeks over in the juice, and the fork was like a hot knife to butter 🤤
I don’t know how my butcher got such big cheeks (lol…) but they were over 450g raw… So I slow cooked them on high for 9 hours. Worth it.
My plating was no bueno, but you can zoom in and see how luscious the meat is. My stick blender also carked it part way through, so I ended up with bits of unblended carrot, onion, and celery in the gravy. Mashed red potatoes and green beans on the side.
Going to bed happy tonight.
https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-red-wine-beef-cheeks/
I’ve got some hanger and skirt I pulled out of the last few animals we butchered for friends and family, since those don’t do well in the hanging process.
I was planning something similar, I love those type of muscles for slow cooking. I’ve never pulled the cheeks though, the head just goes out to the coyotes, have to save those next time. Looks great!
I’ve decided that cheeks are one of my favourite cuts! I also love the tail, but the prices here have really gone up for those. What used to be a “poor man’s” cut is now right up there in cost. :(
Like what FauxPseudo said (I don’t know how to tag people :( ), I feel like so many things can be slow cooked and turn out amazing. It’s just finding the right flavours to suit your tastes!
And thank you. :)
Yah, if I didn’t raise them, I wouldn’t be enjoying steak very often. I just about fell down when I saw the price in the store. We’re doing well on price for live shipped cattle these days, but I can see why we had a lot of “family” looking for butchered halves this year. But not a lot of people want to chew off $3500 for a full half in one purchase.
Wow, that’s a lot of money. I’ve never purchased even a quarter - I just don’t have the space for it. I’ve been making friends with beans lately. Body doesn’t enjoy it so much sometimes, but it’s gotta be done. If I lived alone, I’d definitely not be indulging in as much meat as I do now (still not much). It’s a treat now.