Mexican Pig Cheeks

I love love love pig's cheeks, they are just so meltingly tender and they make wonderful nachos. I put a layer of fried sliced onion and pepper with fajita seasoning under the shredded pig's cheeks to add some veggies. If you have the time these are truly worth making. Yum!

Mexican Pig Cheek Nachos
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp oil
8 pigs cheeks
150g chorizo, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
100ml apple juice
enough chicken stock to cover the pig cheeks
1 cinnamon stick
50g cheddar grated
sour ceam
guacamole

Heat the oil in a casserole dish. Fry the pig cheeks and chorizo until the pigs cheeks are browned all over. Add the paprika and cumin and cook for a min or two.

Add the apple juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock until it just covers the pig cheeks and add the cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on a low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Turn up the heat the high and remove the lid, cook for another 20-30 mins until the sauce has reduced. Shred the meat in the sauce.

Preheat the grill.

Put the tortilla chips into an ovenproof dish, top with the shredded pigs cheeks. Sprinkle over the grated cheddar and put under the grill until the cheese has melted. Top with sour cream and guacamole and serve.

Pig's Cheeks with Barley and Wholegrain Mustard Lentils

Another old fashioned comfort food dish. Well the meat is old fashioned, the barley and lentils less so. It really was delicious and a bit of a change from serving slow cooked cuts with mash and veg.

Pig's Cheeks with Barley and Wholegrain Mustard Lentils

(Serves 4)

12 pig's cheeks

seasoned plain flour

1 tbsp oil

100ml white wine

275ml beef or chicken stock

200g pearl barley

100ml olive oil

salt and pepper

30g butter

225g puy lentils

1 bay leaf

100ml double cream

2 1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

70ml lemon juice

2 onions, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp chopped parsley

grated zest 1/2 lemon

Flour the pig's cheeks well. Heat the oil I'm a frying pan over a medium high heat and fry the cheeks until coloured. Add the wine and 250ml stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook gently for about 2 hours. If the cheeks start to dry out add a bit more liquid.

Bring an of water to the boil and add the barley, cook according to packet instructions. Drain, stir in 80ml oil, salt and pepper, and 2 tbsp lemon juice while the barley is still warm.

Put the remaining olive oil and half the butter into a saucepan over a medium heat and gently sauté the remaining onion and celery until soft but not coloured. Add the lentils, bay leaf and 450ml water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 mins or until tender. Drain and remove the bay leaf.

Put the cream in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the mustard, the remaining lemon juice and seasoning. Add the lentils and stir everything together.

Plate the barley and lentils. Top with the pig's cheeks drizzled with the cooking juices. Serve.

Thai-Style Braised Pig's Cheeks

I made a quick decision to make something with pig's cheeks after finding them again in Waitrose after they went missing for a little while! I ended up with a bit of a burnt caramel taste, I think that was my fault rather than the recipe though, I advise checking on the meat to check it doesn't dry out whilst it's in the oven. So good idea but difficult to make for only one.

 

Thai-Style Braised Pig's Cheeks (from Serious Eats)

(Serves 6)

900g pig's cheeks

9 tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp fish sauce

4 1/2 tbsp rice wine

30g palm sugar

1 stick cinnamon

3 - 6 chillis

 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place the pig's cheeks in a casserole, they should cover the bottom of the pan. Add enough water so that cheeks are halfway submerged. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, sugar, cinnamon, and chillis to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover  with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 2 hours until very tender.

De-fat the mixture, either by skimming off the liquid fat or refrigerating the meat and letting the fat solidify on the top. Remove meat from liquid and gently break into bite-sized chunks (meat will be very tender). Heat sauce in a medium saucepan and cook until reduced and syrupy. Return the meat to sauce and heat through. Serve with rice.

Pulled Pig's Cheeks in Buns

This is what I did with the leftovers from the Braised Pig's Cheeks I made a few weeks ago and it delicious. I mean who doesn't like pulled meat and barbecue sauce?! I've also since found lots of recipes for pig's cheeks that I want to try so I'll definitely be buying some more of this delicious and cheap meat. The potato salad in the original recipe looks yummy too but I didn't have any yoghurt so just had it with crisps.

Pulled Pig's Cheeks in Buns (from Reluctant Housedad)
(Serves 2-4)

4 cooked pig’s cheeks
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp sugar
burger buns or brioche rolls

Pre-heat the oven to 150C. Put the pig's cheeks in a roasting tin.

Mix everything except the pig's cheeks together to form a sauce. Brush half of the sauce over the pig's cheeks.

Put them in a low oven for 20-25 mins, until the cheeks have reheated.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a chopping board. Using two forks, shred the pork cheeks into strands.

Pile the shredded pig's cheeks onto lightly grilled burger buns and top with the sauce.

Braised Pigs Cheeks

I'd only once had pig's cheeks before I cooked them in an Italian restaurant in Islington and I'd really enjoyed them. They were on offer in Waitrose so I thought I'd have a go at cooking them myself. They were fantastic, meltingly tender and gorgeous. I have some leftovers which I froze so I'm going to try dong them with barbecue sauce in a sandwich, I have discovered a new food love!

Braised Pigs Cheeks (from Reluctant Housedad)
(Serves 4)

6 pig's cheeks
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp sunflower oil
500ml good quality white wine
500ml chicken stock
1 tsp black pepper
2 star anise
1 tsp chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Dust the cheeks in the flour and then brown them all over in the pan.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and transfer to the oven and cook for 3-4 hours.

When the cheeks are tender, remove them from the liquid and transfer to tin foil. Drain the liquid through a sieve and reserve. This will be the base of the gravy.

Transfer the pigs cheeks in the tin foil to the oven and cook for 30-40 mins.

Put the gravy back into the pan and bubble away until reduced. Serve over the pig's cheeks