Perth winters are short — three months of genuinely cold nights between June and August. But they're the best cooking months of the year, when the oven earns its keep, red wine gets uncorked at 5pm, and slow-braised cuts like beef cheek finally get their moment in the spotlight.
Beef cheek is the single most underrated cut in the entire cow. It's a hardworking muscle from the face of the animal, packed with connective tissue and deep, gamey flavour that transforms into a silky, gelatinous ragu after four hours of gentle braising. Traditional Italian osso bucco and Chinese red-braised beef both showcase this cut — and once you've made a proper beef cheek ragu, you'll cook it every winter until the end of your days.
At THE BUTCHER BOX, beef cheek is available on request — order via our beef range or as an add-on to any subscription box. Whole cheeks come vacuum-sealed at 800–900 g each; we recommend 2 cheeks (roughly 1.6–1.8 kg total) for a family ragu that feeds 6–8 people with leftovers.
Why beef cheek beats every other braising cut
Three unmatched properties:
- Collagen density — the highest of any beef cut. Melts into gelatin during braising, giving the sauce a silky, restaurant-thick body without any added starch or flour.
- Depth of flavour — the cheek muscle works constantly during the animal's life. Constant use = deeper flavour, more character.
- Forgiveness — impossible to overcook. If your dinner guests are running an hour late, add another 30 minutes to the braise and the ragu only gets better.
Shopping list
For 6-8 people:
The ragu:
- 2 × whole beef cheeks, 1.6–1.8 kg total (from THE BUTCHER BOX)
- 50 ml olive oil
- 2 brown onions, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 500 ml dry red wine (Margaret River shiraz or grenache)
- 400 g tinned crushed Roma tomatoes
- 500 ml beef stock
- 4 fresh bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
To serve:
- 500 g pappardelle (fresh if possible — from Casa Della Pasta or Mrs S)
- Grated pecorino romano — 100 g
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Cracked black pepper
- A drizzle of good olive oil
Method
Step 1 — Bring the cheeks to room temp (45 min)
Take the vacuum-sealed cheeks out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry with paper towel. Season aggressively with salt and pepper on all sides.
Step 2 — Sear for colour (10 min)
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy Dutch oven (a Le Creuset or similar) on high heat until smoking. Add the cheeks in single layer — do not crowd the pan. Sear undisturbed for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Work in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate.
Step 3 — The sofrito base (12 min)
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan (which still has the beef fat and browning bits). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until soft and starting to caramelise. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant.
Step 4 — The tomato paste hit
Add the tomato paste to the sofrito. Stir constantly for 2 minutes — you want the paste to darken slightly and lose its raw tinny edge. This is the single step that separates a good ragu from a great one.
Step 5 — Deglaze with red wine
Pour in the red wine. Turn heat back up to high and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3–4 minutes to burn off the alcohol and reduce the wine by about a third, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
Step 6 — Build the braise
Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and a pinch more salt. Return the cheeks to the pan, submerging them into the liquid as much as possible. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 7 — The 4-hour braise
Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or two layers of foil) and transfer to a 130 °C fan-forced oven. Braise for 3.5–4 hours without touching. The cheeks should be tender enough to shred with two forks by the end.
Check at 3 hours: if the sauce is too watery, remove the lid for the final hour. If too dry, add another 200 ml stock.
Step 8 — Shred the meat
Remove cheeks to a board. Using two forks, shred the meat into rough chunks — some big pieces, some pulled fine. Discard any obvious silverskin or hard tendon (there won't be much — that's the beauty of a long braise).
Step 9 — Reduce and combine
Return the shredded meat to the pan. Simmer uncovered on the stovetop for 10–15 minutes to thicken the sauce and let the meat re-absorb the flavours. Taste for salt — a proper ragu needs a firm hand with seasoning.
Serving
Cook the pappardelle in heavily salted boiling water — pasta water should taste like the sea. Drain 1 minute before al dente, reserving 250 ml of the pasta water. Toss the pasta directly into the ragu pan with 100 ml of the pasta water, stirring vigorously for 1–2 minutes so the pasta absorbs the sauce and the starchy water emulsifies the fat.
Plate into warmed bowls. Grate a generous mound of pecorino on top. Scatter with chopped parsley, a big grind of pepper, and a drizzle of your best olive oil. Serve with a green salad and a bottle of the same red wine you used in the braise.
Wine pairing
The wine in the braise sets the pairing. Use a Margaret River shiraz or grenache-shiraz in the pot, then pour a decanted single-vineyard version of the same at the table.
Making it ahead
Beef cheek ragu is one of the best make-ahead dishes on earth. It improves for 48 hours in the fridge as the flavours deepen. Cook Saturday, eat Sunday — the difference is genuinely noticeable. Also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
Ordering beef cheeks in Perth
Beef cheeks are hard to find in mainstream supermarkets and expensive at specialty butchers. THE BUTCHER BOX offers whole beef cheeks vacuum-sealed on request:
- Beef page — add 2 × beef cheeks (~1.6-1.8 kg) at $19/kg
- Special order — email orders@thebutcherbox.com.au for larger quantities
Every cheek MSA-graded, 100% Australian grass-fed, vacuum-sealed and delivered cold Saturday morning across Perth metro. Order by Thursday 7pm. Free delivery every order.
