Wine Braised Beef Cheeks

Wine Braised Beef Cheeks are a comforting dish featuring a flavourful yet often overlooked cut of meat. Slow cooking beef cheeks tenderizes the meat and infuses it with the robust flavours of red wine, herbs, and aromatic vegetables. This main dish recipe is easily doubled and can serve two, four, or eight people.

These slow cooked beef cheeks pair beautifully with buttery buttermilk mashed potatoes, polenta, or creamy risotto, making it perfect for a cozy dinner or an elegant meal for entertaining.

Braised Beef Cheeks

Friends, this beef cheeks recipe is the bees knees. What’s not to love about this recipe? Luscious, fork-tender, fall-apart beef in a rich red wine sauce over a bed of your favourite creamy carb?! I mean, come on!

Beef cheeks may not be high on your ‘to cook’ list because they are an unusual cut. However, I hope you’ll allow me the chance to change your mind. Beef cheeks are a muscle, similar to a brisket or short ribs and all three require a lot of cooking time to bring out all that beefy flavour!

In fact, this recipe is very similar to several other beef recipes on this blog including Beef Short Ribs and Osso Bucco. After several hours of cooking time in a wine-based braising liquid, the meat is fall apart tender and full of flavour.

Did I mention this recipe has a lengthy cooking time? The good news is that I have included instructions for three cooking methods. The stove top method is the most ‘hands on’ as it requires occasional stirring. However, both slow cooker and oven methods are entirely hands off (once the meat is seared and braising liquid is made).

What Are Beef Cheeks?

Beef cheeks are a circular shaped pockets of muscles from the cheek area of the animal. There are two per animal and they generally weigh 12 – 14 oz. each.

These masticating muscles work hard and this activity is reflected in their composition. They are very lean and contain a lot of connective tissue, including a large silver skin which does not break down during cooking. Be sure to follow the instructions below to remove it before cooking.

For this recipe, you can either leave the beef cheeks whole (and increase the braising time) or cut them in half to make four portions of 6 – 7 oz.

Ingredients for Braised Beef Cheeks

The ingredient list for this recipe is fairly straight forward. However, sourcing beef cheeks may require a visit to a butcher.

• Beef Cheeks
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Tomato Paste
• Garlic
• Red Wine
• Beef Broth
• Thyme
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Rosemary
• Bay Leaves
• Butter

If you cannot find beef cheeks, you can substitute with chuck roast, short ribs, or oxtail. However, beef cheeks have a unique texture that becomes incredibly tender when slow-cooked.

Always season meat with salt and freshly ground black pepper before searing it. The base of the braising liquid is a classic mirepoix of diced onion, celery, and carrot.

Other flavours featured in the braising liquid are tomato paste, red wine, and beef stock along with dried (or fresh) thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.

For a glossy finish on the smooth sauce use a pat of unsalted butter to finish it.

Best Red Wine for Braising Beef

In short, always use a wine that you enjoy drinking. A dry, full-bodied red wine works best. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Malbec are great choices as they add depth and richness to the sauce. Avoid using sweet wines.

How to Make Braised Beef Cheeks

There are several involved steps to making Braised Beef Cheeks. Once the beef cheeks are trimmed and seared, you’ll make the braising liquid. Add those beef cheeks back in, then kick back and relax with a glass of wine while the oven does the rest of the work.

Prepare the Beef Cheeks

Let’s start with using a sharp knife to remove the silver skin on the beef cheeks. Slide the knife between the meat and the silver skin. Then use your other hand to pull the silver skin away from the meat as you move the knife.

NOTE: A typical beef cheek weighs around 12 – 14 oz so you can leave them whole for two large portions or slice them in half to create four 6 – 7 oz servings. Cooking time will decrease slightly when the meat is halved.

Next, pat the beef cheeks dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To sear the beef cheeks, heat olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef cheeks in the hot pan until deeply browned on all sides (about three to four minutes per side). Transfer to a plate.

Make the Braising Liquid

To create the braising liquid in the same pan, add a bit more olive oil if needed. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery over medium heat until softened (about five minutes). Add garlic and tomato paste, cooking for another minute until fragrant.

Next, deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow liquid to simmer and reduce for five minutes.

Braise the Beef Cheeks

Add the beef cheeks back to the Dutch oven and add the beef broth and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle in the dried thyme and rosemary then add two bay leaves. Bring liquid to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook (see recipe card for stove top, oven, and slow cooker instructions).

Finish and Serve

Once the beef cheeks are fork-tender, remove them from the pot and discard bay leaves.

To create a velvety smooth sauce, use a strainer to remove the vegetable solids from the liquid gravy or (carefully) use an immersion blender to blend the vegetables into the sauce. If the sauce is too thin after cooking, remove the beef cheeks and simmer the sauce for ten to fifteen minutes until reduced.

Stir in butter for a glossy finish. Serve beef cheeks with gravy over mashed potatoes, polenta, creamy risotto, or crusty bread. A side of sautéed greens or roasted vegetables also pairs well.

Make Ahead Instructions and Leftover Storage

Can I make this in advance?

Absolutely! This dish tastes even better the next day as the flavours deepen. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, then reheat gently on the stovetop.

 Can I freeze leftovers?

Yes! Let the beef cheeks cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Wine Braised Beef Cheeks recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in a recipe rating. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!