Inactive cooking/cooling time 2 hourshrs40 minutesmins
Total Time 4 hourshrs20 minutesmins
Course Main Course
Servings 4
Equipment
Heavy-based saucepan (ideally oven-proof)
Cartouche (a greaseproof paper lid for your pan, which should touch the top of the liquid)
Pastry brush
Ingredients
1.2-1.5kgox cheektrimmed of excess sinew and silver skin
1onion
1leek
1carrot
1stick celery
4clovesgarlicpeeled and cut in half
3bay leaves
Thymea small bunch
1heaped tsp peppercorns
400-500mlstout or porter
1.5lchicken stock
Vegetable oilor other neutral cooking oil
Pastryto top the pie (I prefer puff or even croissant pastry, but shortcrust is fine)
1eggto egg-wash the pastry (alternatively use a splash of milk)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the caramelised onions
2-3large onions
50gbutter
For the carrots
4carrots
3star anise
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
To begin, cut the ox cheeks into four pieces and season with salt.
Add a splash off vegetable oil to a heavy-based (ideally oven-proof) saucepan, casserole, or Dutch oven, and heavily sear the ox cheek in batches, so to avoid overcrowding the pan. Set aside, with their cooking juices.
Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns, and continue to cook for another minute. Add the stout or porter to the pan and increase the heat. Cook until the beer has reduced by at least half.
At this point, add the ox cheek and their accumulated juices back to the pan, followed by the chicken stock. Stir to combine and bring to a rolling boil, cover with the cartouche (but not a lid), and cook in the oven for 3 hours, or until tender.
While the ox cheek is cooking, thinly slice the remaining onions and add to a pan with approx. 50g butter and cook over a low heat until golden. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. (You can add a tablespoon of sugar at this point, to speed up the process, but it will slightly impact the overall quality and taste of the caramelised onions).
Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the carrots. Add to a pan with a dash of cooking oil and three star anise. Slowly cook until soft and the edges begin to colour. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
Once the ox cheeks have cooked, allow to cool in the cooking liquid for around 20 minutes. Strain the cooking liquor into a clean saucepan and cook over high heat to reduce to an ideal gravy thickness, skimming any impurities that rise to the top.
Once cool enough to handle, shred the ox cheek, discarding the vegetables.
Fill a pie dish or cast iron skillet with a layer of caramelised onions, topped by the carrots, then the ox cheek. Once thickened, pour some gravy over the pie filling, reserving some for serving. Season with salt and pepper.
Drape the pastry over the top of the pie, allowing it to overhang the pie dish by approx. 1cm. Alternatively, layer thin strips of pastry (see photograph). Tuck this excess pastry between the dish and filling, to compensate for shrinkage while cooking. Brush with a beaten egg or a splash of milk and bake in the oven at 190C/gas mark 5 for 15 minutes, or until golden.