Last month we checked out Double DD Meats, a butcher shop in nearby Mountlake Terrace. This place is a hoot. Not only do they have regular beef, pork, and lamb, but they have game and unusual cuts that you won’t find in the neighborhood Safeway. Double DD Meats also has aisles and aisles of hot sauces, barbecue sauces, and rubs. As an experiment, I found some beef cheeks in the frozen section and decided to try them.
Beef cheeks are as advertised, from the head of the steer/cow. Since cattle are ruminants and chew cud when they’re not eating, beef cheeks are quite tough and require braising. I found the basic method and timing for cooking on epicurious.com, from an old Gourmet magazine. (Obviously this was posted before the site managers decided not to include any more beef recipes.)
I browned the cheek (there was only one in the package) with some onion, garlic, carrots, and parsnips. I added some fresh thyme and rosemary, a bay leaf, and glugged in some red wine. When the wine came to a boil, I covered the pan and set it in a 325° oven for three hours.
The result was underwhelming. The beef could have benefitted from additional cooking time to get more tender. The wine had evaporated down to a thick purple syrup. The vegetables were good, though. The parsnip cores were very tender. In the future I’ll stick to chuck, brisket, or rump roast.
Recent Comments