These slow cooked Beef Cheeks are braised in a beautiful red wine sauce until they are so meltingly tender, you can eat it with a spoon! The braising liquid in this Beef Cheeks recipe is infused with incredible flavour and when pureed, transforms into a thick, luscious gravy-like sauce.
Perfectly accompanied with creamy mashed potatoes, this is a very easy dish that is suited to an elegant dinner party or a hearty midweek meal. Make this in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stove!
Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
This is a magnificent dish that takes a budget cut of beef and transforms it with little effort into a dish that you’ll find on the menu of fine dining restaurants.
Except it’s 80% cheaper. 🙂 I had lunch at an upscale bistro on the weekend where Beef Cheeks were on the menu for $35 a serving!
Little known fact: Beef cheeks are the KING of all slow cooking cuts of beef!
What are beef cheeks?
Beef Cheeks are the cheek muscle of cows and they are a very tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked long and slow to make it tender. It absorbs the flavours of braising liquid well and when you cut into it, it is stringy, almost like pulled pork.
But unlike beef chuck (used for Beef Stew and Pot Roast), Brisket and even Beef Short Ribs which have patches of really juicy sections and also some that can (sometimes) be a bit dry, not a single part of the beef cheek is dry. Every mouthful is juicy and luscious and even just typing up this post is making my mouth water!
And THAT is what makes them so special!!
What you need for this Beef Cheeks recipe
We’re making a fine dining quality dish here, but it just calls for a trip to your local grocery store! Here’s what you need:
Beef Cheeks
5 years ago, they were cheaper and weren’t always available in the large supermarkets here in Australia. But nowadays, thanks to shows like Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules, the price has been driven up but on the plus side, they are now regulars at mainstream stores like Coles and Woolies!
If you can’t find Beef Cheeks, other slow cooking beef cuts will work fine – Beef Short Ribs would be an ideal substitute. Cut them into 250g/8oz chunks so the same cooking times and liquid quantities in this recipe will apply.
This is a magnificent dish that takes a budget cut of beef and transforms it with little effort into a fine dining restaurant dish!
Red Wine for cooking
My Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks recipe is made with a classic Italian red wine braising liquid. The deep, warm, complex flavours of red wine are perfect for using as the stock base for slow cooked beef dishes.
Go to your local liquor outlet and look for end of bin specials and pick up a bottle of a full bodied red wine like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
A pet peeve of mine are recipes that tell you that you must use good quality drinking wine for slow cooking recipes. I do not believe that at all for slow cooked dishes – and the New York Times agrees.
For quick sauces, yes, absolutely. But not for a braising liquid. I bet not even the greatest food critic in the world would be able to tell if it was a discounted $5 end of bin special or a $40 reserve Cab Sav. (Seriously. Who would make a slow cooked beef recipe using a $40 bottle of wine??).
You won’t use the whole bottle. If the wine is not to your standard for drinking, measure out cups and pour them into ziplock bags and freeze them. Handy to have when you need wine for other recipes!
How to make this Beef Cheeks Recipe
Though it does take time to slow cook, it’s an incredibly straightforward recipe:
Brown beef cheeks aggressively – this is key for flavour!
Saute garlic, onion, carrots and celery – our soffrito, the flavour base for the sauce;
Add braising liquid ingredients;
Slow cook the beef cheeks until they are fall apart tender – stove 2.5 hrs, oven 3.5 hrs, slow cooker 8 hrs, pressure cooker / Instant Pot 1 hr;
Puree sauce to thicken into a gravy-like consistency;
Serve beef cheeks with sauce over creamy mashed potato (go all out with Paris Mash!) or for a low carb option, Mashed Cauliflower.
Don’t let the length of the recipe directions fool you, this really is a simple recipe. It’s just long because I’ve provided directions for 3 different cooking methods.
This Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks is a recipe that is elegant enough for a dinner party and if made using a slow cooker, easy enough for mid week.
The other great thing about these Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks is that the leftovers freeze 100% perfectly, OR can be transformed into two other incredible dishes that I’ve shared:
Beef Cheek Ragu Pasta – the rich braising liquid was made for tossing through pasta!
Cook once, eat thrice!! – Nagi x
Try these on the side
Paris Mash (ultimate creamy mashed potato!) or Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Crisp salad with tangy Balsamic Dressing or French Vinaigrette
Watch how to make it
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Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 1.5 kg/3lb beef cheeks , (4 large or 6 small beef cheeks)
- 1 onion (white, brown or yellow), roughly diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 celery stalk , roughly diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 carrot , roughly diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 6 stems of fresh thyme or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 4 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh bay leaves)
- 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock (broth)
- 2 cups (500 ml) red wine (full bodied eg. cabernet sauvignon or merlot)
- 2 – 3 tsp salt , separated
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the beef cheeks: cut off any large, fatty membrane. Pat dry then use 1 tsp of salt and black pepper to season the beef all over.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Sear half the beef cheeks on each side until nicely browned. Remove beef cheeks onto a plate, repeat with remaining cheeks.
- Turn down the heat to medium high and heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and onion. Sauté for 3 minutes until onion is becoming translucent.
- Add the celery and carrot,s sauté for a further 3 minutes.
- Follow directions for your chosen cooking method below.
Slow Cooker Directions
- Pour the onion mixture into the slow cooker and place the beef cheeks on top.
- Pour the wine into the pot and return to heat. Turn the heat up to high, bring to simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute (to cook out the wine a bit). Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan so it mixes in with the wine.
- Pour the wine into the slow cooker, then all the remaining ingredients, starting with a pinch of salt and pepper (add more to taste later).
- Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 8 hours or High for 6 hours for 250g/8oz size beef cheeks or Low for 10 – 12 hours or High for 8 hours for 350g/12oz beef cheeks.
- Open the slow cooker and remove the beef cheeks. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.
- Use a handheld stick blender to puree the braising liquid into a smooth Sauce – it will change from a dark brown to a lighter brown colour.
- Transfer liquid into saucepan, simmer on stove on medium high until the Sauce turns a darker brown colour and reduces by about 1/4 to 1/3, to a gravy consistency – about 10 minutes.
- Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) to your taste.
- Remove from heat, return beef cheeks to the Sauce, cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
Pressure Cooker Directions
- Follow the Slow Cooker directions but cook on high in your pressure cooker for 1 hour on high for small cheeks (around 250g/8oz each).
Stovetop and Oven Directions
- Pour the wine into the pot / casserole dish (with the onion mixture) and stir to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring wine to simmer for 1 minute.
- Add remaining ingredients, starting with a pinch of salt and pepper (add more to taste later), the place lid on.
- Stove: Simmer on medium low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the cheeks are very tender, turn at least once during cooking.
- Oven: 160C/320F for 3 to 3 1/2 hours .
- Remove the beef cheeks from sauce. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.
- Use a handheld stick blender to puree the braising liquid into a smooth Sauce – it will change from a dark brown to a lighter brown colour.
- Bring the Sauce to simmer over medium heat and simmer until it turns a darker brown colour and reduces by about 1/4 to 1/3, to a gravy consistency – about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) to your taste.
- Remove from heat, return beef cheeks to the Sauce, cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
To Serve
- Serve beef cheeks on Paris Mash (ultimate creamy mashed potato!) or Creamy Mashed Cauliflower, drizzled with a generous amount of Sauce. Garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2014. Updated August 2019 with new photos, new process photos, new video, new writing. No change to recipe. I wouldn’t dare touch it, readers love it as it is!
Life of Dozer
His bib was soaked by the time the beef cheeks were in the pot…..
Thank you so much for your beautiful recipe. I am making it at the moment for a dinner party tomorrow night. Do I purée the veg & liquid now or wait until I have heated it up tomorrow.
Colette
Hi Colette! Sorry for the delay responding 🙂 I puree when I make it 🙂 N x
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it today and hubby and I just polished it off (well almost). Rave reviews from hubby – he really really enjoyed it – so did I – it’s absolutely delicious. Very rich. Mine cooked for 10 hours on low in a small crockpot. I only cooked 2 beef cheeks but made the full sauce recipe. The leftover sauce will go in the freezer and I’ll add it to another beef casserole to enrich the flavour. Ten out of ten Nagi. Thankyou!
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Judith-Ann! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Some delightful variations:
* mix in some horseradish to the potatoes for a nice contrast to the richness of the dish
* add finely grated horseradish as a garnish
*saute some mushrooms and add to the sauce at the end. drizzle with some truffle oil for an over the top meal
* fortify the sauce with a little butter and brandy at the end, about 15 minutes before serving
This is a wonderful recipe! Weekday pleaser and elegant entree for when you wan to impress.
WOW I love those tips, thank you so much Zach!!! N xx
Made this for my family yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! I think it will become a regular meal in our house 😊
I am going to try this recipe tomorrow. I have never eaten beef cheeks but they were on sale at a local Mexican Market. I am looking forward to the taste. Thanks for the recipe. I did have to go to two stores to get the ingredients. I am stoked to have it tomorrow.
Oooh I hope you love it Leslee!
Wonderful recipe!
I also use it for other tough cuts of beef.
And the sauce really is to die for!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Jan! Thank you for sharing your feedback. 🙂 N x
PS From Petrus again: Hi Nagi. I totally agree with you about using basic stuff. It is so easy to make your dishes personal by adding slightly different ingredients. From my Dutch background I add nutmeg to green beans and cauliflower, cloves to red cabbage etc etc.
Just cooked ithe cheeks again tonight.
I confess two things: half the time I serve it without blending the ingredients into the sauce at the end – the casseroley mix is also quite nice. The other thing – I always play around wth recipes once I have mastered them – and I add a couple of Ottolenghi-type touches to this dish, like some star anise and dried figs cut in half. Hope you will forgive me! Perhaps you might try it too! Cheers and thanks.
Oh I love hearing about those extra touches. Never apologise! Recipes are a guide, always adjust to your taste! PS I love Ottolenghi, he is my foodie crush! 😂
Hello! I’ve been using your recipe for a year or two now. Soooooooooooooo gorgeous. Some of my friends are total food nuts and it gets them every time!
Wow what a compliment Petrus! But hey – YOU’RE the one who makes them, you’re the champ! 🙂 N x
Was looking for a recipe for beef cheeks, having not cooked them before, and found this. Loved it so much that I have subscribed to your blog. Fantastic recipes.
PS, I added a turnip to the beef cheeks. I love turnips in this sort of recipe.
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Jonathan! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Cooking this for dinner on the stove top (low and slow) but at wondering if it’ll be ok to add tomato purée or a can diced tomato ??? What are your thoughts?
Certainly! I would put in a can of tomato 🙂 In addition to everything else already in the recipe 🙂 N xx
When you say to purée the braising liquid this means with the vegetables inside right?
Hi Jeff! Yep that’s right, it’s what thickens the sauce – if that’s what you want 🙂 N xx
Just to let you know Beef Checks is now my husbands favorite meal. I followed recipe for slow cooker and WOW it was so YUM!!!! Having friends for dinner this week and cooking it again, I hope they like it as much as we do 🙂 Certainly no need to go to a 5* restaurant when you can cook food like this at home! Thank you
I’m SO HAPPY to hear that Angela! THANK YOU for letting me know! N xx
Hi Nagi
I made this Beef Cheeks recipe earlier this week and it was absolutely as wonderful as you described and very simple to make.
Hubby and I loved it.
Finally a recipe that is a bit of a different curve on other beef dishes.
Thankyou
Val
WHOOT! So pleased you enjoyed it Val, thanks for letting me know! N xx
I just bought two beef cheeks at halswell new world supermarket. first time i’ve noticed them for sale.
one of the nicest meals i have tasted was beef cheek in restaurant, the pedal pusher, lincoln road, christchurch.
remember cheeks had to be marinated before cooking.
any information appreciated.
here is to good eating.
thanks.
irish anna
woman of a certain age.
Then why only 1 star Val?
I wanted to let you know, we thought this recipe was FABULOUS! Never had beef cheeks before, but they are now high on our list of YUM factor, thanks to this recipe! I actually cooked it in the pressure cooker, due to time constraints. It was melt in the mouth delishousness! I can’t say enough! Thank you!
Great to hear Karen! So pleased you enjoyed it – N x
Hi I made this today in the slow cooker as per instructions, however half came out really dry and the other half is ok but not as easy to shred as I expected it would be. What could have gone wrong so you think? Bad meat or …..????
Wondering if I could put meat and sauce back in on pressure cook for 15 to get it softer or if this would just dry out even more?
Thanks
Woah, that’s extremely unusual to hear about beef cheeks. All I can think is that the cut was strange! Beef cheeks is one of the MOST juicy cuts of beef ever, it has so much gelatinous veins running through it, I dare to say it’s almost impossible to come out dry even over cooking it. If it was not easy to shred as expected, all I can think is that it was a bit undercooked, but to be dry is weird. Yes try cooking it longer and see how it goes. So strange!
Hi Nagi
Your recipe has me watering at the mouth and can’t wait to try it!
As I can’t have wine is there anything else I could substitute the red wine with?
Thanks, Jenny.
Hi Jenny! Just use more stock – N xx
Hi Nagi,
I will cook the wagyu beef cheek for Father’s day on 18 June 2017 in Hong Kong, this is my first time to cook Wagyu beef cheek, so I search a lot of recipe and finally see your amazing one, I think I will follow the way cooking in the oven but just want to ask can this cook with sous vide machine like Anova? if yes , how and what temperature and cooking time you will suggest? Thank you…
Wagyu! Wow! I’m sorry I haven’t tried sous vide for this! 🙂 N x
Best. Beef. Cheeks. Ever. Thank you for the divine recipe Nagi – I’ve made several times and shared your recipe with friends. Gorgeous mid-week slow cooked dish and also love your naughty Port Braised Lamb Shanks for weekend entertaining! Love your personable narrative and fab foodie recipes.
I’m so pleased to hear that Caroline! Thanks for sharing your feedback! And I love your description of the shanks – Naughty! Could you just rename ALL my recipes please? 😉 N xx
Five star rave. See: pie. Also see: ragu. While I didn’t eat the beef cheeks ‘as is’, they were absolutely perfect and I’m salivating at my keyboard just thinking about them. Total winner!
WHOOT!!! I am so SO HAPPY to hear you enjoyed this Beck! N xx
This was as beautiful and easy as you can get. Followed the recipe, easy peasy and we DID NOT NEED KNIVES! My daughter set the table with spoons because of the sauce but that’s all we could’ve used for the meat. Scrumptious. My husband said it tasted exactly the same as the Beef Cheeks we had at The Grill by Sean Connolly!!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! Thank you for letting me know Iris! N xx