Braised Pork Cheeks with Red Wine

Thermomix recipe: Braised Pork Cheeks with Red Wine. Ready in 140 minutes. Serves 4. Step-by-step Thermomix instructions on Chef Amai.

Ingredients

• 800 g pork cheeks, trimmed of excess fat and sinew
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 20 g olive oil
• 150 g onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 100 g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 50 g celery, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 200 g dry red wine (e.g., Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 400 g beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Trim any excess fat and sinew from the pork cheeks. Lightly dust them with plain flour.
2. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec / Speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
3. Add olive oil. Sauté 5 min / 120°C / Speed 1.
4. Add the floured pork cheeks to the mixing bowl. Sauté 8 min / 120°C / Speed 1 / Reverse. (Note: For a deeper browning, brown the pork cheeks in a separate pan with a little oil before adding them to the Thermomix.)
5. Add tomato paste, red wine, beef stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Ensure the liquid covers most of the meat.
6. Cook 90 min / 95°C / Speed 1 / Reverse. Place the simmering basket on the mixing bowl lid instead of the measuring cup to allow for evaporation and prevent splatter.
7. Pause, scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Check the consistency and tenderness of the pork cheeks. If too thick, add a little more stock.
8. Continue cooking 30 min / 95°C / Speed 1 / Reverse, with the simmering basket on the lid.
9. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig.
10. Cook 2 min / 90°C / Speed 1 / Reverse to settle and prevent sticking.
11. Serve hot with mashed potatoes or polenta.

View this recipe on Chef Amai — convert any recipe to Thermomix format at chefamai.com.