Braised Beef Cheeks

Slow Braised Beef Cheeks in red wine is a flavourful, rich, and comforting dish that is elegant enough to serve for a dinner party and easy enough for a mid-week meal.

This melt-in-the-mouth stew is best when served with Creamy Mashed Potatoes or buttery Turkish Rice (Sehriyeli Pilav) and sautéed green vegetables.

Beef Cheeks (also known as ox cheeks) are highly valued by professional chefs in top-class restaurants/hotels for their full-bodied flavor and unique texture.

Similar to my Chuck Roast in Oven dish, this fantastic recipe takes an affordable cut of beef and transforms it into an elegant dish that you would expect to enjoy at a fine dining restaurant."

What are Beef Cheeks?

A beef cheek is a small pocket of facial muscle meat taken from the cheek of the cow.

They are hard-working muscles and are often tougher cuts of meat that you need to braise slowly in liquid, usually stock or water.

Beef cheeks are an inexpensive cut of meat and are often overlooked at the grocery store or butcher.

They contain a fair amount of connective tissue known as collagen.

When you braise them down slowly, this collagen breaks down and becomes slightly gelatinous, producing a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture full of flavor.

Why This Recipe Works?

• Beef Cheeks are a budget cut that can deliver a fine dining experience, extremely rich to eat, and very soft once slow-cooked.

• You can prepare Braised Beef Cheeks a couple of days ahead, it tastes even better when reheated.

• The leftover beef cheek meat will keep refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to three months in an airtight container.

• Or turn your leftover beef cheek meat into a delicious pasta dish.

• The list of ingredients to make this slow-cooked beef cheek recipe is surprisingly short.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Beef Cheeks

Each cheek weighs around 350g to 400g.

However, there's going to be a little bit of shrinkage which will bring it back to around 250g or 300g which is enough as a portion.

Beef cheeks should be completely trimmed, with every bit of sinew removed.

You can buy beef cheek meat from some of the butchers but generally, they don't stock them in-store. 

You might need to give a few days of notice before buying them.

Alternatively, you can use beef short ribs for this recipe.

• Stock - I prefer using Homemade Beef Stock for braising. However, Chicken Stock works great as well. You can use store-bought stock or stock cubes if you don't have any stock in hand. Make sure you don't add too much salt as ready-made stocks and stock cubes contain salt already.

• Red wine - Use a good quality wine that you would be happy to drink. Skip it if you are cooking for kids and add extra stock.

• Onions - I use button onions or small shallots for this dish but you can use any onions you have in hand.

• Aromatics - Bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and celery work great with this dish.

• Tomato paste - It adds an umami flavor to the dishes as well as a bright red color. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. You can also buy it online from Amazon.

Step-by-Step Instructions

How to Cook Beef Cheeks?

Although it takes time to slowly braise these incredibly delicious Beef Cheeks, it’s a very easy recipe to follow:

How to Cook Beef Cheeks in a Dutch Oven?

Preheat the oven to 170° C (340° F).

Heat a large heavy-based pan or Dutch oven on the hob with medium to high heat, and then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

When the pan is hot enough, add the beef cheeks and brown them on both sides.

Do it in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. 

Remove the beef cheeks on a plate and then set them aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the rest of the olive oil, and sauté the shallots or onions along with the celery for a few minutes.

Add the carrots to the pan and cook them for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste, flour, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, and then give them a good stir.

Stir in the red wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock along with the beef cheeks, bring the pan to a boil, close the lid, and put it in a preheated oven.

Cook the beef cheeks for 3 hours, or until they are tender and fall apart easily when touched with a fork.

Make sure you check the stew every 40 to 50 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the beef cheeks.

Remove the bay leaves, check the seasoning, and add some salt if necessary before serving.

How to Cook Beef Cheeks in a Slow Cooker?

This Beef Cheek dish is much simpler to cook in a slow cooker if you have one.

Sear the beef cheeks and sauté the vegetables as it is stated in the recipe card (stages 1,2,3,4 and 5).

Place the beef cheek meat in your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients and turn the slow cooker on low.

Cook the beef cheeks until they are tender, for about seven hours.

Remove the bay leaves, check the seasoning, and add some salt if necessary before serving.

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

Top Tips From the Chef

• When browning beef cheek meat, use a very hot pan and do it in 2 batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan. 

• Make sure you check the stew every 40 to 50 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the beef cheeks.

• Add the salt to the stew at the very last stage of cooking. Ready-made stock or stock cubes contain some salt and you might end up with a very salty dish after the stock has reduced and formed a gravy.

What to Serve with Beef Cheeks?

We love our slow braised beef cheeks along with Pomme Purée (Creamy Mashed Potatoes) and some steamed greens or Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts.

Other side dishes that would complement this hearty dish are Pumpkin Risotto (Risotto Alla Zucca), Swede and Carrot Mash, Cauliflower Cheese, Beetroot and Feta Salad, and Bulgur Pilavi (Turkish Bulgur Pilaf).

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious and comforting stew recipes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making these melt-in-the-mouth slow Braised Beef Cheeks as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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