Crumbed Slow-Cooked Beef Cheek with Jus

I made this dish for my sister’s 40th birthday last month. It was a great night and this recipe was so good to make because it was all done before everyone arrived and I really got to enjoy the night and make my sis feel really special. I slow-cooked the beef cheeks the day before then let them cool overnight before crumbing and frying them the next day. I kept the meat warm in the oven on low and the mashed potato in a big pot that I heated over a low heat just before serving. The beef cheeks are quite rich so having a refreshing salad dressed with a tangy vinaigrette is the perfect side. Everyone loved it, I even made mini ones for the kids.

What you’ll need:

1.5 litres salt-reduced beef stock
1 onion, peeled & quartered
1 leek, roughly sliced
1 carrot, roughly sliced
1 stick celery, roughly sliced
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
4 small beef cheeks, trimmed
1kg small beef bones
⅛ tsp xanthan gum
½ cup plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
100g panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
grapeseed oil, for frying
mashed potato & salad greens, to serve
sea salt & cracked black pepper

What to do:

Preheat oven to 140°C Fan  or 160°C Conventional

Place stock, onion, leek, carrot, celery, garlic and beef cheeks in a large casserole or ovenproof saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the beef is very tender. Cool the beef in the stock until it stops steaming, then transfer the cheeks to a small tray lined with baking paper. Place another sheet of baking paper on top, cover with another tray and place something from your fridge on top to weigh down a little and flatten so you get an even crust when you fry them later. Transfer to the fridge for 2 hours to cool.

To make the jus, strain stock through a fine sieve into another saucepan, discarding vegetables. Set stock aside.

Preheat oven to 220°C Fan  or 240°C Conventional

Place the beef bones in a tray and roast for 20 minutes until caramelised. Transfer bones to stock and place over a medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer then reduce to a very low heat for 1 hour.

Strain stock into another saucepan, discarding bones. Place over a medium heat and simmer until reduced to 250ml. Whisk in xanthan gum and allow to stand for 5 minutes to slightly thicken.

Remove beef from fridge and season all over with salt and pepper. Place flour and eggs in separate bowls. Place panko and thyme in another bowl and toss to combine. Coat each beef cheek in flour, shaking off excess, then into egg, allowing excess to drip off, then press firmly into the thyme panko crumbs to fully coat. Transfer to a plate.

Heat grapeseed oil in a large frypan over a medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes a side until golden. Serve with mashed potato, beef jus and dressed salad greens.

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