Keto Beef Cheeks
This is the dish that launched my entire blog. I’ve always loved cooking, but when anyone tried these Keto Beef Cheeks, their eyes would roll back into their head.
The look of bewilderment on their face at how something so delicious just came out of the slow cooker, while I was sitting with them drinking wine, was the best for me. It tastes so delicious, so complicated, so indulgent – how can it be easy AND healthy AND cheap?
This recipe for Keto Beef Cheeks remains one of my most popular recipes, even though they are notoriously ugly and difficult to photograph. Now I have some new photos, hopefully a few more people can see how succulent that meat is and give it a shot!
When it comes to planning ahead to succeed at a change of diet, the slow cooker is your friend.
With a little bit of preparation in the morning, you can arrive home to a hearty, rich aroma that will make the neighbours envious when you are cooking these Keto Beef Cheeks all day.
Pairing a slow cooked meal with a simple side like cauliflower mash means there is only 10 – 15 minutes of cooking time at night before you are tucking in.
No matter how hungry you are when you arrive home, having these Keto Beef Cheeks waiting for you in the slow cooker will ward off any temptation for take away.
After simmering away for 8 hours, what used to be a tough piece of meat becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. I get my beef cheeks from the supermarket regularly when they are special, I think they are still somewhat unknown which often means they are reduced to clear.
When I see them cheap, I buy them all and freeze them. Winter = beef cheeks in this house.
The red wine really adds to the depth of flavour. I have a mantra that you shouldn’t cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink.
After all why produce a beautiful meal that’s been stewing in a sub-par wine?
The secondary benefit is that you have a bottle of wine open now. So of course you must have a glass with this dish.
Isn’t Keto wonderful?
We are lucky in Australia with our red wines, and I used a Shiraz for this but you could really use whatever red wine you like.
The most important part of this dish is to lick the bowl afterwards. I spoon the juices from the pan into a small sauce dish and pour a little over to add even more flavour.
You can easily cook this for a larger crowd by adjusting the servings below to as many people as you want.
The keto mash should be as soft and silky as you can get it, which means the more powerful your food processor is, the better. I have a Thermomix and that thing turns cauliflower into puree in 30 seconds flat!
The trick is cooking the cauliflower as long as possible, until it is really tender. Adding the butter and cream makes it super silky and smooth.
You can also add more salt and pepper to the cauli mash if you like, but using salted batter is generally sufficient.
SAVE KETO BEEF CHEEKS TO PINTEREST
Similar meals to Keto Beef Cheeks
Slow Cooker Beef Cheeks & Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large (300gram)or 6 small (250 gram)beef cheeks
- 1 small white onion roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 4 leaves dried bay
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
Cauliflower Mash
- 1/2 Head cauliflower
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp cream
Instructions
- Pat dry the beef cheeks and season with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, using 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sear the cheeks until lightly browned on each side. After frying off the beef cheeks, put the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, onion, carrot and celery in the frying pan with the crushed garlic and sauté for approximately 5 minutes until the onion is becoming translucent. You don’t eat these pieces, they are in there for flavour so it doesn’t matter if they aren’t pretty. Pour the vegetable mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the red wine and chicken stock into the frying pan and turn the heat up to high and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan to get any remaining vegetables and garlic. Arrange the beef cheeks on top of the vegetable mix in the slow cooker and cover with the red wine and chicken stock. Toss in the thyme and bay leaves and stir lightly to distribute the herbs, ensuring the beef cheeks remain on top of the vegetables. Cook for 8 hours on low. These become so tender they melt in your mouth and very forgiving, so an extra hour here or there doesn’t hurt them.
Cauliflower Mash
- Cut the cauliflower into small florets and steam. I usually use a microwave safe container with a splash of water, and steam until completely soft and falling apart. In my microwave, this is usually about 4 – 6 minutes. Once falling apart, blend the cauliflower with cubed butter, salt and pepper. Depending on the water content of your cauliflower, you can add the cream to help blend it. Serve the cheeks over the cauliflower mash, topped with a little bit of the juices from the pan. I give the vegetables to my non-keto boyfriend and he loves them
Elizabeth Carty
Thursday 4th of May 2023
Is it 300 g per person of beef cheek, so 1.2 kg to feed 4
Keto Lamb Shanks Slow Cooked, Cauli Mash & Green Beans | Aussie Keto Queen
Wednesday 21st of July 2021
[…] Keto Beef Cheeks with Cauliflower Mash – Slow Cooker […]
Kim
Monday 30th of September 2019
Thank you so much for this recipe, I usually tweek recipes to my liking but I made this exactly per the recipe and it was to die for! It was so juicy, tender and full of flavour. My hubby loved it so much it will have to become part of our regular rotation!
Kathy
Friday 3rd of May 2019
Thanks so much for a beautiful recipe ! I added sage and rosemary as well , as I have them in my herb garden. Wish I doubled the recipe for leftovers !