Brined and Ale-Braised Pig’s Cheeks

Pigs and pork has been a popular topic of conversation at work the past week or so, in part due to my adventures making bacon, and the amazing Ibérico ham which Marc and I sampled at a wine-tasting the other week. It’s easily the best ham I’ve ever tasted; it comes as a whole leg with hoof still attached, and a special wooden stand is provided to mount it on, enabling easy slicing. The black Iberian pigs that are reared for this ham are fed on a strict diet of acorns which gives the meat it’s distinctive flavour. The hams are salted and left for two weeks; they’re then rinsed and left to cure for 24-36 months. The result is a cured meat with brilliant texture and flavour. So, it was a happy moment when we found out we could get black Iberian pig’s cheeks from one of our meat suppliers at work.

Marcus had told us of the delicious meal he cooked with pig’s cheeks he bought from Waitrose; they are tasty and very cheap. We ordered in a couple of packs of the special Iberian cheeks. This wasn’t to serve in the restaurant though, this was just for the boys to take home! So… I had six pigs cheeks in my fridge waiting to be turned into something tasty. As I was at work for the rest of the week it was going to be 4 days before I’d get time to cook them so I decided to brine the cheeks to prevent them from going off. I immersed them in brine for 24 hours, then in fresh water overnight to reduce the saltiness. I added garlic, peppercorns and bay to my brine to add some flavour. Then I got out of bed early this morning to get them in the oven. I got the idea of cooking pork with ale from a recipe for belly pork on the channel 4 website (here). I have done that recipe a few times now and it’s really, really tasty. So this pig’s cheeks recipe is pretty similar.
It was freezing cold and snowing all day today so I stayed indoors in the warmth and comfort, with my pig’s cheeks gently cooking in the oven, slowly becoming tender and delicious. The meal was absolutely fantastic. The brining of the meat I believe really helped in making it really tender and moist, I think I shall be brining more often in the future.

Brined and Ale-Braised Pig’s Cheeks

Brined and Ale-Braised Pig’s Cheeks

Time: 30 hours

Serves: 3

6 pigs cheeks

5-6 peppercorns

2 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaf

100g home-cured bacon or pancetta

3 carrots

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

250ml strong dark ale

200ml water

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

a little beurre manie

  • Get six pig’s cheeks and trim off the sinew and fat. To brine the cheeks: for every litre of water, you need 180g of salt (this is according to Lindy Wildsmith, author of Cured). Place the cheeks in a plastic container and pour in enough water to totally immerse them. This is how much water you need for the brine. For my six cheeks I used 1 litre of water. Add the water and salt to a pan, along with a few peppercorns, cloves of garlic, a bay leaf and any other flavourings you fancy. Make sure all the meat is immersed by placing something on top to weigh them down. Place in the fridge or a cool larder and leave for 24 hours. Drain off the brine and rinse the cheeks. Now put back into the container and immerse with fresh water. Leave overnight, or for 6-8 hours.
  • Now for the cooking: heat the oven to 140C/Gas Mark 1. Get a casserole style pan that can be used both on the stove and in the oven. Heat a little oil, then add the pancetta, cut into chunky cubes. Fry over a high heat until just starting to colour, then add carrots and onions, cut into large chunks. Add garlic, peeled but left whole. Continue to fry over a high heat, allowing the vegetables and the bacon to brown nicely. Add the ale,water and chopped tomatoes. Throw in the rosemary and thyme, 2 bay leaves and a generous pinch of cracked black pepper. Cover tightly with foil and a lid to make sure it’s thoroughly sealed, then place in the oven for 4 hours, until the meat is falling-apart tender.
  • Remove the meat, cover with foil and keep warm whilst you prepare the sauce. Strain off the vegetables and bacon from the pan and pour the liquid into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and thicken with beurre manié, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste, and season if need be. Make sure you simmer the sauce for 3 minutes or so after adding the last bit of beurre manié to ensure that the flour is cooked. Roughly flake the pig’s cheeks apart into rustic chunks, and serve them on top of a good dollop of mash with the sauce poured around. Garnish with some roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley. Awesome!

2 thoughts on “Brined and Ale-Braised Pig’s Cheeks”

  2. Hey Tom
    I have been cooking pigs cheeks for a while. I would guess brining would firm them up. I will have to try it next time.

    Reply ↓

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