Chipotle and Beer-braised Beef Cheeks
Photography by Josh Griggs.
I’ve served this over soft, garlicky polenta but it’s equally delicious with pasta, creamy mashed potatoes or kūmara.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 kilogram beef cheeks (about 4)
sea salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 onions, thickly sliced
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and smoked paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the peppers
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon each red wine vinegar and brown sugar
½ -1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 cup barbecue sauce
355ml-can pale ale
2 cups good beef stock
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Season the beef cheeks with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and brown the beef cheeks on both sides. Place in a large ovenproof baking dish.
Add the onions, garlic, oregano, cumin and paprika to the pan with a splash of water. Add a good pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, mustard, vinegar, sugar and chilli flakes and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the barbecue sauce then the ale and stock and bring to the boil.
Pour the contents of the pan over the beef cheeks.
Cover the dish tightly with tinfoil or a lid and braise for 3 hours or until very tender. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes before serving.

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