What should I do with a pigs cheek

tipping

Hi

After having some really tasty pigs cheek in a restaurant lately I bought one this morning to try it out. Now I have the whole thing, little chunk of red meat attached to a huge fatty cheek. So should I look to cook the whole thing or take off the fatty bit and just cook the fleshy bit.

Then can anyone suggest anything good to do with it?

Dizzyblonde

Moved to Cooking & Recipes.

Whistlejacket

Pork cheek confit (adapted from Neven Maguire)

It's not technically a confit anymore as I slow roasted the cheeks instead of cooking them in duck fat.

3 pork cheeks (75–100g (3–4oz), boned and trimmed
75 g (3oz) coarse sea salt
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 whole star anise
1 garlic clove, chopped
A glass or two of water or cider
750 ml (1 1/4 pints) duck fat
2 tblsp dark soy sauce
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar
2 tblsp maple syrup

Place the pork cheeks on a plate and sprinkle over the salt, thyme, star anise and garlic.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavours to infuse into the pork meat.
Rinse off the marinade and dry the meat thoroughly by patting it dry with paper towel.
Put the meat in a roasting tray with the water/cider, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns.
Slow roast the cheeks in the oven at 150-160 degrees Celsius for 3-4 hours, until very tender (cover the dish with tinfoil, remove it for the last hour to colour them a little).
Remove from the roasting dish and leave to cool.
Slice the cheeks.
Put the soy sauce, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to the boil until it reduces slightly and has the consistency of honey.
Add the sliced pork cheek and turn off the heat.
Leave for 5-6 minutes to heat through, turning a few times, until nice and sticky.
Remove from the marinade and serve with mashed potatoes and some roast vegetables.

twerg_85

Yup, slow cooking them is the way to go.
I did beef cheeks in the slow cooker a while back and gave them 12 hours. A pal cut his up and did them in the oven in about 4 hours.

F.

ScottStorm

I hope you bought two because if you cook one without turning the other it can be problematic.

sandy_c

Can i ask where you bought the cheek?

tipping

sandy_c wrote: »

Can i ask where you bought the cheek?

Midleton Farmers market. It was nice but need to cook it for longer next time. There was some nice bits on the fatty piece too. Reckon a slow cooker is the next purchase.

tipping

Whistlejacket wrote: »

Pork cheek confit (adapted from Neven Maguire)

It's not technically a confit anymore as I slow roasted the cheeks instead of cooking them in duck fat.

3 pork cheeks (75–100g (3–4oz), boned and trimmed
75 g (3oz) coarse sea salt
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 whole star anise
1 garlic clove, chopped
A glass or two of water or cider
750 ml (1 1/4 pints) duck fat
2 tblsp dark soy sauce
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar
2 tblsp maple syrup

Place the pork cheeks on a plate and sprinkle over the salt, thyme, star anise and garlic.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavours to infuse into the pork meat.
Rinse off the marinade and dry the meat thoroughly by patting it dry with paper towel.
Put the meat in a roasting tray with the water/cider, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns.
Slow roast the cheeks in the oven at 150-160 degrees Celsius for 3-4 hours, until very tender (cover the dish with tinfoil, remove it for the last hour to colour them a little).
Remove from the roasting dish and leave to cool.
Slice the cheeks.
Put the soy sauce, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to the boil until it reduces slightly and has the consistency of honey.
Add the sliced pork cheek and turn off the heat.
Leave for 5-6 minutes to heat through, turning a few times, until nice and sticky.
Remove from the marinade and serve with mashed potatoes and some roast vegetables.

Sounds perfect. Will try that next week if I can get them again. Must also have a chat with my butcher.

Gbear

Here's a recipe for the spanish tapa dish carrillada de cerdo:

http://elguardaposts.com/2012/11/22/dont-tell-me-what-i-am-eating-carrilladas/

This recipe is for 12 so you might need to adapt it a bit.


I've tried it in tapas bars and it's amazing.

tipping

Gbear wrote: »

Here's a recipe for the spanish tapa dish carrillada de cerdo:

http://elguardaposts.com/2012/11/22/dont-tell-me-what-i-am-eating-carrilladas/

This recipe is for 12 so you might need to adapt it a bit.


I've tried it in tapas bars and it's amazing.

The missus will go nuts.. It'll be pigs cheeks every sunday from now on!!

nosietoes

I would suggest brining it as well overnight - works really well with plenty of meats before slow cooking to break down the meat and infuse it with flavour.