Excellent. After getting my new Lodge dutch oven I knew this was the first thing I was going to cook in it. This was my first experience cooking cow cheeks and was a little put off when I first saw what it looked like. But once the butcher told me it the same as barbacoa I was okay with it. Barbacoa is very popular in Texas and what I always order with my Chipotle burritos when it's available. Make sure you trim the meat up nicely since there is lots of fat and silver skin. I probably tossed about 1/3 of it away (wouldn't even go down the disposal, it's that tough). Don't skip the marinade, it really makes a difference. My wife says it reminded her of the smell of sauerbraten. The only real downside of this recipe is steaming the vegetables. I did them separately since each is done at a different time. This is somewhat time consuming as you can imagine. The result is perfect however. I'm thinking you could toss them in the pot toward the end to make it more convenient. I left out the calf leg and substituted turnips instead of the pasta. This dish was delicious and there were no leftovers. Goes great with a rustic bread to soak up the great juices. I'll be making this again.
Joues de Boeuf Confites (Braised Beef Cheeks)
At Le Bistrot Paul Bert, chef Thierry Laurent transforms beef cheeks, a humble, relatively tough cut, into a meltingly tender entrée by first marinating the beef in a heady mixture of red wine and aromatic herbs and then braising it for four hours in the marinade until the meat becomes supple and fork-tender.
Enlarge Image
Credit: Landon Nordeman
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 whole clove
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups beef or veal stock
1 calf's foot (about 1 1⁄2 lbs.)
8 oz. button mushrooms, stemmed,
halved, and steamed
5 oz. bacon, cut into 1⁄4" cubes and
cooked until crispy
4 oz. large pasta, preferably conchiglioni
or large shells, cooked al dente
20 pearl onions, steamed and peeled
6 small carrots, steamed
2 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
1. Put beef cheeks, garlic, thyme, wine, bay leaf, onion, celery, and clove into a bowl; cover and refrigerate 1–2 days. Transfer beef cheeks to a plate, reserving marinade. Pat beef cheeks dry and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef cheeks and cook,
turning, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer beef cheeks to a plate.
2. Heat oven to 325˚. Add reserved marinade to pot along with beef stock and calf's foot; boil for 5 minutes. Nestle beef cheeks in liquid and cover them with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit the inside of the pot.
Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook, turning beef cheeks every hour, until tender, about 4 hours.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef cheeks to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Skim fat from surface of
cooking liquid. Set a fine strainer over a 2-qt. saucepan and strain cooking liquid, discarding solids. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce until liquid has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes.
4. Transfer beef cheeks to a clean dutch oven. Pour sauce over beef cheeks and add mushrooms, bacon, pasta, onions, and carrots. Cover pot and bake until vegetables and beef are warmed through, about 10 minutes. Serve hot and garnished with parsley.
SERVES 6
Pairing note: a hearty dish such as this calls for a dark, well concentrated wine like the P. Amadieu Romane Machotte Gigondas 2007 ($24), with its nose of plum, cherry, and spice. —M.P.
Ratings & Reviews (1)
Joues de Boeuf Confites (Braised Beef Cheeks)
Reviewed by JEFFINTEX on
.
Excellent. After getting my new Lodge dutch oven I knew this was the first thing I was going to cook in it. This was my first experience cooking cow cheeks and was a little put off when I first saw what it looked like. But once the butcher told me it the same as barbacoa I was okay with it. Barbacoa is very popular in Texas and what I always order with my Chipotle burritos when it's available. Make sure you trim the meat up nicely since there is lots of fat and silver skin. I probably tossed about 1/3 of it away (wouldn't even go down the disposal, it's that tough). Don't skip the marinade, it really makes a difference. My wife says it reminded her of the smell of sauerbraten. The only real downside of this recipe is steaming the vegetables. I did them separately since each is done at a different time. This is somewhat time consuming as you can imagine. The result is perfect however. I'm thinking you could toss them in the pot toward the end to make it more convenient. I left out the calf leg and substituted turnips instead of the pasta. This dish was delicious and there were no leftovers. Goes great with a rustic bread to soak up the great juices. I'll be making this again.
Rating: 5
 Recipe - Saveur.com){kind=link}