Braised smoked pig cheeks with a rich red wine sauce

Stormbringer

Apparently, winter is coming. It might not have quite arrived here in the UK, however the current, dismal autumnal weather calls for some hearty meals to be prepared. I found a butcher selling pig cheeks, and decided to braise them in a sauce made from old world tempranillo ... aka Spanish Rioja. Turned out very well, will be doing this again. Full details in the link below:

https://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk/2018/11/09/braised-pig-cheeks/

Veg cut up and ready:


Searing the pig cheeks:


Smoking in the Egg before adding the lid:


Ready to eat:


Thanks for looking!

lkapigian

Yessssssss! You had me @ Pig Cheeks!

Stormbringer

lkapigian said:

Yessssssss! You had me @ Pig Cheeks!

Cheers. First time I'd cooked with them, but won't be the last. Very tasty indeed.

smokingal

I don't eat pork but they look tasty, so I'll take your word for it.  Nice work.

Botch

Have never had pig cheeks (only walleye), they look delicious.  I don't think I've even seen them here.
 
Also didn't know tempranillo (which I've been told was one of the best "Thanksgiving" wines) was the same grape as rioja; that will simplify shopping this year, thanks!  

Wolfpack

Wow- one of the best looking meals I have seen lately. Always the first piece of meat I grab during a pig pickin- cheeks are awesome. 

SciAggie

I’ve not had pig cheeks - but beef cheeks are da bomb! Nice cook. I wish I had some...

buzd504

That looks amazing

Stormbringer

SciAggie said:

I’ve not had pig cheeks - but beef cheeks are da bomb! Nice cook. I wish I had some...

@SciAggie I've done beef cheeks in the past, and agree they are "da bomb". Richer flavour, so calls for a rich Cabernet or Merlot in the sauce. Someone on a different forum suggested giving grouper cheeks a try ... which I will. Have you tried this?

pgprescott

Beautiful 

SciAggie

@Stormbringer I have not cooked anything but beef cheeks - and I have only done them once. I chose them because I couldn’t find a beef shank or short ribs that looked good. I really liked the beef cheeks and will do them again. I will definitely try pig cheeks if I ever run across any. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I think i have some mangalitsa cheeks from our last pig(s). Looks like i'm freezer diving today. 

BTW- for you beef cheek guys, I did a class with Meat Church with Evan Leroy from Leroy and Lewis here in Austin as a guest. They only do Brisket on Saturdays but they do smoked/confit beef cheek every day. He made these at the class and they were better than any moist brisket you will ever have.

He smokes them for 4 hours then puts them in a pan full of beef tallow in the smoker for another 4. He said any oil is fine but he has a ton of beef fat from the restaurant. if you don't want to make a whole brisket, this is a great alternative

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Stormbringer said:

SciAggie said:

I’ve not had pig cheeks - but beef cheeks are da bomb! Nice cook. I wish I had some...

@SciAggie I've done beef cheeks in the past, and agree they are "da bomb". Richer flavour, so calls for a rich Cabernet or Merlot in the sauce. Someone on a different forum suggested giving grouper cheeks a try ... which I will. Have you tried this?

I have done Halibut and grouper cheeks. They are the best bite on the fish. Like a little scallop or something similar. 

Stormbringer

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I think i have some mangalitsa cheeks from our last pig(s). Looks like i'm freezer diving today. 

BTW- for you beef cheek guys, I did a class with Meat Church with Evan Leroy from Leroy and Lewis here in Austin as a guest. They only do Brisket on Saturdays but they do smoked/confit beef cheek every day. He made these at the class and they were better than any moist brisket you will ever have.

He smokes them for 4 hours then puts them in a pan full of beef tallow in the smoker for another 4. He said any oil is fine but he has a ton of beef fat from the restaurant. if you don't want to make a whole brisket, this is a great alternative

Blimey, those look amazing!

GATraveller

Holy smokes that looks near perfect. Well done Sir!

mEGG_My_Day

Stormbringer said:

Apparently, winter is coming. It might not have quite arrived here in the UK, however the current, dismal autumnal weather calls for some hearty meals to be prepared. I found a butcher selling pig cheeks, and decided to braise them in a sauce made from old world tempranillo ... aka Spanish Rioja. Turned out very well, will be doing this again. Full details in the link below:

https://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk/2018/11/09/braised-pig-cheeks/

Veg cut up and ready:


Searing the pig cheeks:


Smoking in the Egg before adding the lid:


Ready to eat:


Thanks for looking!

That looks amazing - well done my friend!! (I don’t know how you keep that platesetter so white) 

dmchicago

Beautiful cook and documentation.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Stormbringer said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I think i have some mangalitsa cheeks from our last pig(s). Looks like i'm freezer diving today. 

BTW- for you beef cheek guys, I did a class with Meat Church with Evan Leroy from Leroy and Lewis here in Austin as a guest. They only do Brisket on Saturdays but they do smoked/confit beef cheek every day. He made these at the class and they were better than any moist brisket you will ever have.

He smokes them for 4 hours then puts them in a pan full of beef tallow in the smoker for another 4. He said any oil is fine but he has a ton of beef fat from the restaurant. if you don't want to make a whole brisket, this is a great alternative

Blimey, those look amazing!

They were fantastic. 2 parts pepper/1 part salt smoke/confit. Pretty simple cook but so good. 

He does the same thing with all the trim and sears that on a plancha for Barbacoa tacos. Those were very good too. There is a ton of trim on cheeks and he is a “no waste”  kind of restauranteur. he works magic with all the trim and nasty bits 

Stormbringer

mEGG_My_Day said:

Stormbringer said:

Apparently, winter is coming. It might not have quite arrived here in the UK, however the current, dismal autumnal weather calls for some hearty meals to be prepared. I found a butcher selling pig cheeks, and decided to braise them in a sauce made from old world tempranillo ... aka Spanish Rioja. Turned out very well, will be doing this again. Full details in the link below:

https://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk/2018/11/09/braised-pig-cheeks/

Veg cut up and ready:


Searing the pig cheeks:


Smoking in the Egg before adding the lid:


Ready to eat:


Thanks for looking!

That looks amazing - well done my friend!! (I don’t know how you keep that platesetter so white) 

Thanks. The platesetter goes white after cooking pizza at 400C, burns everything off.  

Killit_and_Grillit

Home run. Looks awesome. 

Sea2Ski

I am not hungry, but I want some of that now.

Right now!

johnmitchell

Great cook and post !!!

caliking

That would be a fine plate to eat any day, especially in what is now winter here. (Hey, it's <60F and that's cold for us). 

Stormbringer

caliking said:

That would be a fine plate to eat any day, especially in what is now winter here. (Hey, it's <60F and that's cold for us). 

@caliking sorry couldn’t resist ...