Beef cheek time/temp suggestions

I'm getting ready to cook beef cheeks and I figure the best ways are either sous vide or braised. For SV, I've found a lot of different time/temps online and on these forums I've seen a few tales of bad (smelling) results, but not much in the way of success. If anyone has any experience with this cut, any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

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mendel_115066

56C, 72h is what I usually do

tshewman

I've done them a couple ways but 48 hrs at 57c was delicious. Presear and Blanched then cooked in a bordelaise for that time.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

I've found that the guides to short rib times/temps are pretty good indicators for how cheeks will turn out. I've done 72hrs at 130F a few times, and it's definitely a nice result, but I usually go for 48hrs at 60C these days because the result is very similar and it doesn't tie up my circulator for another day. Both times/temps yield a delicious steak-like texture (but with a lot of gelatin). If you're going for a more traditional braised texture, I'd either just braise it or use a pressure cooker to get it to the "falling off the bone even though there's no bone" point.

And as Todd mentioned, to avoid stinky or bloated bags on SV cheeks, a pre-sear and/or blanch is highly recommended to get rid of surface bacteria.

digitaldookiez

Thanks everyone, I will definitely presearch/blanch! I would really like to make a bordelaise sauce, but making a demi-glace seems out of reach for me right now considering I can't seem to find veal bones. I'll try to make something work. I also realized I actually won't have the time to do these long cooks so I'll try them next time. At best I think I can do 30h at this point. I am thinking maybe 74C for 30h? Does that sound reasonable?

Brandon_Byrd_40557

30 hours at 74C seems excessive unless you're going for something braiselike and falling apart. What sort of texture are you aiming for? And if you can't find veal bones for demi-glace, I can vouch for using More Than Gourmet's glaces or demi glaces as a replacement. They're made using Escoffier's recipes and are an extremely high quality product. You can get them on Amazon and even some gourmet stores (my Whole Foods carries them). I've made bordelaise with their products several times and have been very happy with the result.

Jack_Mayer_85396

Brandon is spot on in vouching for the More Than Gourmet line of products; I've used them for years.

tshewman

Call the local butcher for veal bones. Essentially it's a more neutral flavor, but you could still do a bordelaise-like sauce using beef bones (done it it is delicious). I would also agreee with Brandon regarding the time etc, Seems a bit high unless you want pulled cheeks (I'm sure there's a joke there somewhere). :-)

digitaldookiez

I want it somewhere in between braised and a medium steak. This is my first attempt at cheeks so I'm not really sure what to expect or what's best really, but it's more the time factor right now. If you have a suggestion for something around the 24h mark, I'll give it a shot. What I see from my research was around 70-75C for 20-24h (and more extreme 82-84C for 6-8h), though as you said this is probably more of a braised texture. I'm really not sure what to do...

Unfortunately, my local butchers either don't have veal bones or require a 20 lb min order. I'll run to Whole Foods and grab some More Than Gourmet glace, thanks!

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Judging from the ChefSteps guide to short rib textures, I'd shoot for 70C for 16 hours if you want it somewhere between a steak and a braise -- and can't go for 48 hours! Obviously, short ribs aren't the same as cheeks, but the results I've had cooking them (72 and 48 hour cooks on both, between 130F and 145F) have been comparable, so I'm somewhat confident that the short rib guide will roughly translate to cheeks (though the cheeks come out stickier and with more gelatin).

artstype

I made a Bordelaise last year for our "pig"-out using pig marrow to sauce pork cheeks. made some sauteed bitter greens with cured guanciale, using the rendered fat of the guanciale to sautee the veggies.

John_Paul_Khoury_17236

I would recommend Bonewerks Culinarte over any premade demi out there. They do all open kettle depouillage and roast 150,000# veal bones per week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhSXPNeiML8&t=8s