Braised Beef Cheeks

Step 1

Bring the marinade to a boil, let it cool to at least room temperature, then submerge the beef cheeks in it at least 6 hours, and up to several days. I prefer a solid 24 hours.

Step 2

When you're ready to make the dish, remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry. Salt it well. Strain the marinade, keeping the liquid and bay leaves.

Step 3

Heat the beef fat or whatever fat or oil you're using in a Dutch oven or similar heavy, lidded pot set over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cheeks well. Don't crowd the pan, and do this in batches if you need to. Remove the meat as it browns and set it aside.

Step 4

When the meat has browned, add the chopped onions and celery and brown these as well. Turn the oven to 325°F.

Step 5

Add some of the reserved marinade to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits. Return the meat to the pot, along with any juices that collected where they were sitting. Add the carrots, rosemary and the rest of the marinade as well as the bay leaves. If the meat isn't totally covered, add enough beef, game, or vegetable stock (or water) to just barely cover them. Bring to a simmer and add salt to taste. Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Let this cook at least 2 hours, and it could take more than that. Start checking at 2 hours.

Step 6

When the meat is tender, carefully remove it to a pan or plate. Fish out the rosemary and bay leaves and discard. Puree the braising liquid with the tomato paste and add salt if needed.

Step 7

Coat the meat with the sauce, serve it over mashed potatoes (see above for options) and pour some more sauce over it all.