Braised ox cheeks & mustard butter
This recipe for braised ox cheeks delivers maximum flavour for minimum prep. Marinating the meat for 24 hours makes the meat extra tender and flavourful
- 4 ox cheeks(about 250g each), trimmed of excess fat and sinew
- 500ml bottle dark ale
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 carrotsroughly chopped
- 1 large onionroughly chopped
- 2 celery sticksroughly chopped
- 1 garlic bulbbroken into cloves, peeled
- a few thymesprigs and rosemary sprigs
- 1l chicken stock
For the mustard butter
- 80g buttersoftened at room temperature
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 2 shallotsvery finely diced
To serve
- cooked pearl barley
- steamed greens
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal546
- fat29g
- saturates13g
- carbs17g
- sugars11g
- fibre5g
- protein47g
- salt2.2g
Method
step 1
Two-and-a-half days before you plan to eat, put the cheeks in a bowl and pour over the ale. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24 hrs.
step 2
Up to two days ahead, make the mustard butter by beating the ingredients, together with 3/4 tsp salt, using a wooden spoon in a bowl. Tip onto a sheet of baking parchment or cling film, wrap and roll up to form a sausage shape, then chill in the fridge until needed.
step 3
Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Remove the cheeks from the beer, pat dry on kitchen paper and season, reserving the beer. Heat the oil in a wide flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pan. Sear the cheeks on all sides, then set aside. Add the vegetables and garlic to the hot dish and cook for 10 mins until browned.
step 4
Return the cheeks to the dish with the ale, stock and herbs. Gently bring to the boil, skimming off any impurities as you go. Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or foil) and braise in the oven for 4 hrs until the meat is very tender.
step 5
Once cooked, leave the beef to rest in the cooking liquid until cool – this will give you a much fuller flavour. Then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
step 6
The following day, remove the cheeks from the fridge. Put the casserole dish over a medium heat to warm though before lifting the cheeks into a bowl and passing the liquor through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Bubble on the hob for 15-20 mins until reduced to a rich sauce. Season and return the cheeks to the sauce to warm through. Remove the cheeks again, slice and divide between plates, spooning over some of the sauce. Put a slice of the mustard butter on top of each cheek to melt and serve with pearl barley and steamed greens.