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Iberian Pork Cheeks in Red Wine

Name: Iberian Pork Cheeks in Red Wine
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 175 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1200 g Iberian pork cheeks; 500 ml Dry red wine; 400 ml Chicken stock; 2 medium Onion; 2 medium Carrot; 1 large Leek; 4 cloves Garlic cloves; 1 tbsp Tomato paste; 2 tbsp Plain flour; 1 tsp Sweet smoked paprika; 2 leaves Bay leaves; 3 sprigs Fresh thyme sprigs; 4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil; 1.5 tsp Fine sea salt; 1 tsp Ground black pepper

Iberian pork cheeks braised slowly in red wine with vegetables and bay, until they are tender enough to cut with a spoon. An Andalusian Sunday stew that is better the next day.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 150 min
Difficulty: Intermediate

About this dish

Carrillada — pork cheeks, the hard-working muscle of the animal's jaw — were for generations a humble cut that Andalusian butchers sold cheaply or kept for their own table. Long, slow braising turns their abundant collagen into gelatine and gives meat that yields to a fork. Since the 1990s the dish has travelled from home kitchens to the menus of the best restaurants in Seville and Jerez, where it is served with the wine of the region.

Lactose-free
Not vegetarian because of Iberian pork cheeks, Chicken stock
Contains gluten because of Plain flour

Ingredients

4servings

1200gIberian pork cheeks
500mlDry red wine
400mlChicken stock
2mediumOnion
2mediumCarrot
1largeLeek
4clovesGarlic cloves
1tbspTomato paste
2tbspPlain flour
1tspSweet smoked paprika
2leavesBay leaves
3sprigsFresh thyme sprigs
4tbspExtra-virgin olive oil
1 ½tspFine sea salt
1tspGround black pepper

Instructions

Trim the silver skin and outer fat from the cheeks with a sharp knife. Pat them thoroughly dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
10 min
Tip: Silver skin never softens and shrinks the meat as it cooks. Take the few minutes to remove it.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole over high heat. Brown the cheeks in batches, about 3 minutes a side, until they carry a dark crust. Remove and set aside.
12 min
Tip: Do not crowd the pan: piled-up meat releases water and steams instead of browning.
Lower to medium heat. In the same fat, soften the chopped onion, carrot and leek for 10 minutes until sweet and golden. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
12 min
Tip: Scrape the base as you go — the browned meat juices are the foundation of the sauce.
Stir in the tomato paste and paprika for 30 seconds. Sprinkle over the flour and cook it out for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine, raise the heat and boil for 5 minutes to drive off the alcohol.
8 min
Tip: Paprika burns in seconds and turns bitter. Add it off the hottest part of the pan and wet it with the wine straight away.
Return the cheeks and their juices to the pot. Add the stock, bay and thyme until the meat is almost covered. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook over very low heat for 2 hours, turning the cheeks once halfway.
120 min
Tip: The liquid should tremble, not bubble. A hard boil leaves the meat dry and stringy no matter how long you cook it.
Check that the meat gives under the press of a spoon. Lift out the cheeks, discard the bay and thyme, and reduce the sauce over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes until it coats a spoon. Adjust the salt and return the meat to warm through.
10 min
Tip: Made a day ahead, the fat sets on the surface and lifts off with a spoon. The sauce is cleaner and the flavour rounder.