Braised Pork Cheeks

Ingredients

• 1 kg varkenswangetjes
• 2 stuks uien fijngesnipperd
• 2 teentjes knoflook fijn gesnipperd of geplet
• 1 klont boter
• zeezout
• peper zwart
• 2 stuks laurier
• 1 tl tijm franse
• 1 kruidnagel bio
• 2 à 4 jeneverbessen
• 1 flesje bruin bier
• 1 witte boterham
• 2 el scherpe mosterd

Cook Time

1. 1
   Peel the onions and chop them finely. Peel the garlic and mince or crush it finely.
2. 2
   Heat a large stewing pot over medium heat and melt a knob of butter in it. Gently stew the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
3. 3
   Season the pork cheeks with pepper and a little salt. Heat some butter in a separate frying pan and brown the meat on all sides until golden. Do this in batches if necessary so the pan doesn't become too crowded.
4. 4
   Transfer the browned meat to the stewing pot with the onion. Add the bay leaf, thyme, clove and lightly crushed juniper berries.
5. 5
   Deglaze the frying pan where you browned the meat with the brown beer. Stir up all the browned bits well and pour everything into the stewing pot.
6. 6
   Spread the white bread with mustard and place it on top of the meat in the pot. Cover the pot and let everything simmer gently on low heat.
7. 7
   Let the pork cheeks braise for about 2 hours until tender. Check occasionally to ensure there is still enough liquid in the pot and stir gently. Feel free to let it simmer longer if the meat isn't quite tender yet.
8. 8
   Taste at the end and season with pepper or salt if needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving and the clove if you prefer.