Tender Pork Cheeks Braised in Belgian Leffe Beer
It’s time for a braised dish to warm our hearts and tummies while it is still chilly outside. We have been slightly egoistic, and while we just prepared this dish for dinner, it was so delicious that we felt guilty and thus we share it anyway but without the step by step pictures.
Delicious Belgian beer and tender pork cheeks make a great base for this wonderful recipe. Slow cooked recipes such as this are usually made with a dark beer but we find that Leffe blond makes this dish unique and consider the dark version would make the dish too sweet.
Pork cheeks braised in the Abbey blond ale brings not only a touch of Belgium to this recipe, but adds a light touch of sweetness to the dish. It also gives a subtle flavour of cloves to the rich sauce.
Enjoy the cheeks and have a beer with it! Cheers!
Related: Sous-vide pork cheeks
Pork Cheeks Braised in Belgian Leffe Beer
Ingredients
- 12 pcs pcs pork cheeks (approx. 1 kg)
- 100 gr shallot diced
- 60 gr celery stalk diced
- 160 gr carrot diced
- 2 pcs crushed garlic cloves
- 2 btls Leffe blonde 660ml
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp canola oil
For the garnish
- 800 gr sweet potato
- 100 gr butter
- milk
- 20 gr almond powder optional
- 8 slices pancetta
- 1 pc bay leaf thyme, cinnamon powder
Instructions
Prepare the pork cheeks
- Remove the outer fat and nerves.
- Heat the oil in a cocotte over a medium to high heat and sear the pork cheeks.
- Add the diced vegetables, lower the heat and stir fry for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the Leffe beer and the chicken stock with 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of thyme and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
- Place the lid on the cocotte and simmer for 60-70 minutes or until the pork cheeks are cooked and tender.
Prepare the garnish
- Cook the peeled and diced sweet potato in boiling salted water until tender. Mash everything and stir in some boiled milk and the cold butter to obtain a creamy texture. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon powder.
- Pan fry the pancetta slices without fat until crispy.
Finish the sauce
- Remove the cooked pork cheeks from the cocotte and strain the sauce into a small saucepan.
- Bring the sauce to the boil, skim the ‘dirty’ particles, and reduce till thickened (like a syrup) with a glossy texture.
- Coat the pork cheeks in the finished sauce and arrange on a plate. Garnish with the mashed sweet potato, the crispy pancetta, and a sprinkling of almond powder on top.
Notes
- The cooked carrot, onion and celery can be added to the mashed sweet potato.
5 stars for cheeks. It was super simple and super good. Next time I won’t use so much liquid so I can get a better sauce but this is a keeper
Dear Julie,
Glad you enjoyed it.