Beef Cheeks in Red Wine

Beef cheeks are one of the great undiscovered cuts — slow-braised in red wine, they turn unbelievably tender and silky. This recipe makes the most of grass-fed Hunter Natural beef cheeks, a hard-working muscle that rewards a long, low cook with deep, glossy flavour. It looks impressive but is genuinely easy, and even better made a day ahead. Serve over creamy mash to soak up every drop of that rich sauce.

Cut: Beef Cheeks

Ingredients

• 4-6 beef cheeks (trimmed)
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 carrots, chunked
• 4 cloves garlic
• Tomato paste
• Fresh thyme, bay leaves

Method

1. Season and brown cheeks well on all sides
2. Remove, sauté onions and carrots
3. Add tomato paste and garlic, cook 2 minutes
4. Add wine, reduce by half
5. Add stock, herbs, return cheeks to pot
6. Cover, cook low (oven 150°C) for 4-5 hours until meltingly tender

Why we love this cut: Cheeks are pure working muscle—tonnes of flavour, zero waste, and special to get a hold of - one one of the benefits to ordering nose to tail. Cooked right, they're restaurant-quality.