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 know, right! Thing is, my GP said I need to try to lower my cholesterol tentatively shakes fist at genetics. She doesn’t want to put me on pills yet and is giving me time to try to sort it out myself, so finding healthier cuts of meats that have the same characteristics as deliciously fatty cuts is an adventure (like slow cooked pork or lamb shoulder). Online shows varying levels of saturated fats for beef cheeks, so I’m on the fence about having this regularly. :(
Sometimes I get the plating right, sometimes it’s just my camera skills. Mostly missing out on both.