Braised Pork Cheeks

This is a great comfort food for the cold of winter. It doesn't require a lot of work, a bit of cutting, roasting and a lot of time by itself in the oven. So it is the perfect dish for the weekend, after being out in the harsh weather.
The protein can easily be swapped with Pork Butt/Shoulder or other sinew and fat high meats.
Serve with Mashed Potatoes or Mashed Roots.

Cooking time: 45 minutes active, 4-6 hours passive.

For the Braised Pork Cheeks you'll need:

(4 persons)
600g of Pork Cheeks
1 large Onion
1 large Carrot
2 sticks of Celery
2 cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Tomato Pure
1 tbs Butter
1 tbs flour
½ l Dark Beer (Porter/Stout)
Chicken Stock to almost cover the meat
A few sprigs of fresh Thyme
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Pepper

Start by preheating an oven to 150 C. Dice the vegetables and saute them in butter, in a oven-proof pot (le Creuset etc). Put aside in a bowl. If your butcher haven't cleaned the cheeks for outer sinews, remove these carefully. Flour the pork cheeks and saute them until browned. Add the tomato pure and let it saute for a minute. Then add your vegetables, beer and stock to almost cover the meat. Put in the oven for 4-6 hours. Check on it every hour to see if too much liquid has disappeared, if so add some stock.
You can serve this with the cooked vegetables or remove them and make a sauce of the juices.
Serve with Mashed Potatoes or mashed roots.

Suggested drinks: Dark beer or a powerful red wine