Best Pork Cheeks Recipes

CIDER-BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Season both sides of pork cheeks with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and press it into the meat to coat thoroughly.
• Heat clarified butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear meat on both sides until richly browned, adjusting heat lower if necessary. When cheeks are browned, reduce heat to medium. Transfer cheeks to a plate to rest.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add onions, carrots, and celery to skillet. Cook and stir until softened and sweet, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Add vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour in the cider and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add sage and rosemary. Reduce heat to low and transfer cheeks back to pan. Cover. Cook until fork tender but not falling apart, 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the pork cheeks. Transfer to a plate.
• Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, skimming off fat as it rises to the surface. Reduce volume of liquid by about 60 to 70%. Sauce will start to thicken up. Taste for salt and season as needed. Transfer cheeks back to liquid. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until cheeks are heated through and tender and sauce is thick enough to coat cheeks.

SHERRY-BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Heat 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan then add the onion. Cook gently for 10 - 15 minutes until softened and lighty coloured. Remove and set aside.
• Toss the cheeks in the seasoned flour. Add a little more oil to the pan and turn up the heat. Brown the pork cheeks all over in batches. Turn the heat down to medium.
• Return all the pork and the reserved onions to the pan. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and cook for a minute, then pour in the sherry. Use your spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan and mix in all the flavours.
• Pour in the beef stock then bring the pan to a simmer. Simmer gently for 2 hours or until the cheeks are tender.
• Scatter with parsley leaves and flaked almonds. Serve with rice or buttery mashed potato.

BRAISED PORK CHEEKS WITH BABY BOK CHOY AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Season the trotters with salt and pepper, place in a roasting pan and roast until the edges are slightly crispy, about 1 hour.
• Add the roasted trotters, wine, mushrooms, onion, turnip, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir leaves, ginger, star anise and 2 gallons of cold water to a stock pot. Bring to a decent simmer and cook on medium-low heat, skimming occasionally, until reduced by a third, about 2 hours. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, discard the solids and stir in the sweet soy. You will want to drink this straight. Do not do this. Fight the urge. You just made pretty awesome pork stock.
• Preheat the oven again to 350 degrees F. Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
• Season the pork cheeks with salt and pepper and sear until they begin to get color and crust, about 4 minutes per side.
• Place the cheeks in a single layer in a large oven-safe pan or a casserole dish. Cover the cheeks about 3/4 of the way with the pork stock and cover with foil. Cook in the oven until the meat just pulls apart with a fork, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cooking time will differ depending on the size of the cheeks, so check them at the 1 1/2-hour mark. Reserve about a cup of the braising liquid. You just braised pork cheeks! Excellent work. We are close to the eating part.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a splash of canola oil and the carrots and saute until they begin to crisp on the outside, about 5 minutes. Add the bok choy and cook just until it wilts, about 4 minutes. Add the cheeks and a splash of the braising liquid, then gently heat through until the cheeks are hot to the touch. Add the cabbage.
• Serve the pork cheeks and vegetables over jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro and scallions. Eat the great food you just made. Share it with a friend, or don't. Well done.

BRAISED PORK CHEEKS WITH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Preheat an All-Clad 12" fry pan to medium high. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olivie oil, then the pork cheeks. Brown the meat well, turning to cook all sides. Remove to the All-Clad Slow Cooker insert. In the same fry pan add vegetables and sauté for about 5 minutes or until browned. Add thyme, peppercorns, and the red wine. Bring to a boil scraping up any browned its on the bottom of the pan. Transfer contents to the insert and combine with pork cheeks. Set the slow cooker to high setting and cook for five hours, or until meat shreds easily and is completely tender. After five hours, remove pork cheeks to a plate. Pour liquid remaining through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a large bowl. Pour remaining liquid into a 6 or 8 quart All-Clad stock pot. Shred pork cheeks with a fork and add to stock pot. Bring mixture to a bubbling simmer and add gnocchi. Cook over medium until liquid is reduced and syrupy and gnocchi are tender. Just before serving, pick leaves off oregano and add to gnocchi. Toss.

PORK CHEEKS WITH CELERIAC PURÉE

Steps:

• Marinate the pork cheeks in the onions, carrots, garlic cloves, thyme, bay leaf, pepper corns, red wine and red wine vinegar. Leave it for 24 hours in the fridge. Then pull them out and let them drain. In a casserole, melt 100g of butter with a teaspoon of the olive oil. Fry the pork cheeks till they get a bit of colour on all sides, for about 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and herbs from the marinade - and fry these till they also get a bit of colour. Pour in the marinade. Bring it to the boil, and let it simmer gently for 50 minutes, until the meat is tender. While this is cooking, peel the celeriac, chop it into big cubes, and cook it in the milk, adding a little water to ensure it's covered, for about 20-3 minutes. Drain the liquid. Put it in a blender, until it is puréed. Just before serving it, mix in the cream and 250g of butter. Season. Add the veal stock to the marinade sauce and reduce it till it gets about as thick as cream. pass it through a fine seive. Serve the pork cheeks on the celeriac purée, and pour over the sauce. Serve with some steamed broccoli or mange-tout.

PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven. Add the mirepoix. Cover and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Place the cheeks on top of the vegetables and add enough water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Place the pan in the oven. Braise cheeks for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender.
• With a slotted spoon, remove the cheeks to a bowl. (Reserve cooking liquid.) Remove any fat and shred the meat using 2 forks. Sprinkle with salt.
• When the meat is cool enough to handle, use a little cooking liquid to form into 2- to 3-inch ''sausages.''
• Wrap each sausage in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• To serve, unwrap the sausages and slice each into four pieces. Brush the flat ends of each slice with a thin coat of mustard and then lightly coat with cornmeal.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. In batches, saute each slice until crisp and lightly browned.

INSTANT POT BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Select saute on instant pot. Add the oil and onions and saute until onions are tender. Add the garlic and saute 30 more seconds. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides to get a good crust.
• Add the wine and deglaze the pot. Add the paprika, cumin, and cinnamon stick. Pour in the stock.
• Lock the lid and select pressure cook on high. Set the time for 45 minutes. Once cooked use quick release then remove the lid.
• Remove the meat to a plate and keep warm. Strain the sauce and discard any solids. Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tbsp water and whisk into the gravy to thicken it.
• Serve with mashed potatoes.