Braised Pork Cheeks Food

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

Steps:

• Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).
• If your pork cheeks have a lot of fat surrounding the meat, trim most of it off because your dish will end up being too greasy.
• Put the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add your pork cheeks and coat them in the flour.
• Heat up a deep oven-proof frying pan or a pot on high heat, add your vegetable oil, get your pork cheeks and shake off any excess flour, then add your place the in the pan. Brown on for 2-3 minutes on both sides until you get a lovely golden colour.
• Once the pork cheeks are well coloured, remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Turn the heat down on the stove to about medium heat, then add your sliced onions. Fry until translucent, then add your garlic and fry for a further minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add your balsamic vinegar and your apple cider. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Reduce the cider for about 5 minutes until thick.
• Return the pork cheeks back to the pot, then add just enough stock to almost cover the pork cheeks about 3 quarters of the way up. Then, add your thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
• Put in the oven and cook for 2 hours.
• Once you have cooked the pork cheeks, remove them from the pot/pan, then transfer to a plate and cover them with foil. Also, now would be a good time to discard the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves.
• Put the pan back on the stove (remember it use a tea-towel or mittens to protect your hands) and then continue to simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. If you see any fat floating on top, skim it off with a spoon or a ladle.
• Once the sauce is done, shred or slice the pork if you want and then serve.

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.