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Beer Braised Beef Cheeks

Slow cooked for 4 hours, or sooner in a pressure cooker, beef cheeks become wonderfully soft and tender with a rich, meaty flavour.

Here they're braised with stout, beef stock, vegetables, garlic and thyme. Perfect comfort food served over buttery mashed potatoes with a side of greens.

Course Main Course
Cuisine British
Keyword instant pot, slow cooked, pressure cooker
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 5 hours
Servings 4
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

  • 4 beef cheeks approximately a kilogram in total
  • salt and black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or beef fat if you have it
  • 15 g butter
  • 2 med-large onions roughly chopped
  • 2 med-large carrots roughly chopped
  • 2 sticks celery roughly chopped
  • 1 head garlic roughly chopped
  • 6 sprigs thyme tied together with string
  • 500 ml stout or other dark beer
  • 300 - 500 ml beef stock low salt if possible
  • 1 - 2 tsp cornflour optional

Instructions

  1. If you are going to braise the beef cheeks in the oven, preheat it and a large, lidded casserole dish to 140° C / 120° Fan / Gas 1.

  2. Using a sharp knife, remove any excess fat, sinew or gristle from the beef cheeks then season lightly with salt and pepper.

    Put 1 tbsp of the olive oil or fat in a large sauté or frying pan over high heat. When hot, brown the beef cheeks on both sides. Do this in batches so as not to crowd the pan, adding more olive oil if needed. Transfer the cheeks to a plate when well-browned.

  3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan.

    Tip in the prepared onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, seasoned with a little salt and pepper.

    Stir well, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until browned and starting to soften: 10 - 12 minutes.

  4. Stir in the beer and turn the heat up to high. Bring to a boil and bubble for 5 - 8 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about a third. Take off the heat.

  5. To braise in the oven

    Carefully transfer the contents of the pan to the preheated casserole dish.

    Put the browned beef cheeks in the casserole along with the bunch of thyme, a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Stir.

    Pour in enough beef stock to cover the meat and vegetables then put on the lid.

    Transfer the dish to the oven and cook until the beef cheeks are very soft: they should easily come apart when done (approximately 3 - 4 hours). During the cooking, check regularly and add more stock if necessary.

    To braise in an Instant Pot (IP) pressure cooker

    Switch on the IP and carefully transfer the contents of the pan to the inner.

    Add the browned beef cheeks along with the bunch of thyme, a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Stir.

    Pour in enough beef stock to just cover the meat and vegetables then lock on the lid.

    Set the valve to 'Sealing' then press the 'Manual' button. Use the +/- buttons to set the time to 80 minutes (60 minutes for small cheeks 250g or less).

    When the time is up, leave for 15 minutes, press 'Keep Warm/Cancel', then release the pressure manually by switching the valve to 'Venting' (or leave pressure to release naturally if preferred).

    Unlock the lid and check that the beef cheeks are very soft: they should easily come apart when done. If not ready, lock the lid back on, switch the valve back to 'Sealing' then press 'Manual'. Use the +/- buttons to set the time to either 10 or 15 minutes, depending on doneness. When the time is up, repeat the process above for checking the meat and cook for longer if necessary.

  6. When done, carefully remove the cooked beef cheeks from the liquor, set aside, cover, and keep warm.

    Strain the liquor through a sieve and discard the vegetables and herbs.

    To reduce and concentrate the sauce, bubble on top of the stove or use the Sauté button on the IP. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

    Tip: for a slightly thicker sauce, cool 2 tbsp of the sauce. Put 1 - 2 tsp of cornflour in a small bowl and whisk in the cold sauce. Stir the mixture into the hot sauce and bubble for 2 - 3 minutes.

  7. Put the beef cheeks back in the sauce and gently simmer for a few minutes before serving.