Braised ox cheeks
- Anna Glover
Published: March 23, 2021 at 1:09 PM
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Serves 4-6
Easy
Total time: 6 hrs
A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratingsRate
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An easy, slow-cooked ox cheeks recipe with punchy soy and mirin flavours. Enjoy it spooned over rice, tossed with noodles, stuffed into steamed buns or even wrapped in Chinese pancakes
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Make this recipe for braised ox cheeks, then check out our slow-cooker beef stew, slow-cooker chicken curry, slow-cooker pulled pork and more slow-cooker recipes. This recipe uses mirin, a sweetened rice wine. Read our guide on what is mirin and where to buy it for more advice on purchasing this ingredient.
This is a great freezer-filler staple to have on hand for reheating during the week. Brisket, chuck or shin will work well, but ox cheeks lend a depth of flavour, richness and thickness to the sauce that you won't get with any other cut.
What are ox cheeks?
Ox cheek is a cut of beef that comes from the strong cheek muscles of a cow. It's a slow-cooker favourite, because the meat develops a wonderfully rich flavour and tender texture when cooked slowly at a low temperature. Ox cheeks work really well in casseroles and other one pots. Or try them as an alternative to pulled pork or brisket for a bao bun filling, like in the below recipe.
Ingredients
Nutrition
-
4 (about 1kg in total) ox cheeks
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2 tbsp vegetable oil
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a small bunch spring onions
cut into chunks
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a thumb-sized piece ginger
sliced (no need to peel)
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4 cloves garlic
bashed
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2 red chillies
split
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150ml mirin
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100ml light soy sauce
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50g soft light brown sugar
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2 star anise
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½ cinnamon stick
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1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
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3 cloves
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2 tsp fennel seeds
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500-700ml beef stock
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1-2 tsp (optional) rice vinegar
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal370
- fat15.1g
- saturates4.7g
- carbs23.7g
- sugars18.7g
- fibre1g
- protein34.4g
- salt3g
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Method
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step 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Pat dry the ox cheeks with kitchen paper, trim away any sinew or fat and season with salt. Heat the oil in a casserole and sear the ox cheeks in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned and seared. Set aside.
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step 2
Add the spring onions, ginger, garlic and chilli to the casserole (or, to use a slow cooker, see cook’s notes, below), stir for 1-2 minutes until they take on some colour, then stir in the mirin, soy, sugar and whole spices. Bring to a simmer, and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Nestle the seared ox cheeks back into the pan and top up with just enough beef stock to cover the meat. Cover with foil, put on the lid, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 5 hours until the beef is meltingly tender.
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step 3
Remove the meat from the braise, and strain the remaining liquid into another pan to remove the whole spices and aromatics. Set over a low flame and bubble until thickened to a sauce. Shred the meat and stir back into the sauce. Check for seasoning, and add a pinch of extra sugar or a dash of rice vinegar to balance, if needed. Stir into wide noodles, spoon into steamed buns or simply serve over steamed rice with some pickles.
Check out more ox cheek recipes
Authors
Anna GloverSenior food editor
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A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratings
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