Braised Beef Cheeks

Trim the beef cheeks of any connective tissue and any large pieces of fat.  Portion the cheeks to your desired sizes and set aside.

Roughly chop the white onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  Place the bay leaves and thyme in a sachet and secure it with butcher's twine.

In a dutch oven over medium heat drizzle plenty olive oil and heat until almost smoke point. While that is heating  up, season the beef cheeks on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. When the oil is hot, place the cheeks in the pot and sear them on each side for a couple of minutes until brown. Remove the cheeks onto a plate and let them rest. While the pot is still hot, pour in the chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic and saute for a few minutes.  Add allspice and tomato paste and allow it to cook through.  Season the vegetables with kosher salt and black pepper. Deglaze the pan with red wine and let it reduce a by about 50%. Add beef stock and sachet; add the beef cheeks back in, cover the dutch oven with a lid and place it in a 225°F oven for 5 to 6 hours.

When the cheeks are done, carefully remove them with a spatula and spread them out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Once all the pieces are on the sheet pan, place another parchment paper on top and another sheet pan on top of that.  Place a 10 to 12 lb weight on top to compress the cheeks for a few hours in the fridge.  This will give a uniform appearance to the cheeks.  Remove sachet and blend everything else smooth using a stick blender. strain the through a medium-fine mesh sieve.  refrigerate, allowing fat to form a disk at the top.  Remove cold disc of fat, if desired.

When ready to serve, gently heat the cooking liquid on medium-low and submerge the compressed beef cheeks.  Meanwhile, scoop some of the cooking liquid into a separate sauce pan to make the sauce for the plate.  Allow it to reduce 25-50% to thicken and concentrate the flavor.  Whisk in the butter and check seasoning, adjusting as necessary.  The sauce should look silky smooth and shiny.

Every beef braise loves a nice potato puree (use the recipe on our steak dinner" video!!).  Place a scoop of mashed potatoes on the center of a plate. Gently place a beef cheek on top and spoon the sauce all around the cheeks and potatoes. *Optional, spoon chili oil on the cheeks and and a little on the sauce as well. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. bon appetit!