Korean beef cheek sandwiches

Ali Chebbani's secret to a good burger? "A perfect mix of saltiness, sweet, acidity and crunch!" These sandwiches sure do fit the bill with meltingly tender, unctuous beef cheeks braised in a Korean-style marinade, a kimchi slaw for acidity and crunch, and some melty Havarti cheese for richness.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  3:30 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 1 kg beef cheeks, trimmed
• Salt
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 small pear, grated, or 2 tbsp purée
• 1 tbsp butter, plus extra for spreading
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 ciabatta rolls, split
• 4 slices Havarti cheese

For the kimchi slaw

• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced cabbage
• ¼ cup kimchi, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ cup Japanese mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced). Pat the beef cheeks dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear the beef cheeks on all sides, until browned. Add the garlic and onion, stirring until fragrant, then pour over the beef stock, brown sugar, soy sauce and grated pear. Cover tightly with a lid (or foil), then bake for 3-4 hours, or until the beef cheeks are tender and can be pulled apart easily.
3. Remove the pan from the oven and add the butter and sesame oil to the braising liquid. Use two forks to shred the meat while tossing in the glaze, until sticky and coated.
4. Spread the ciabatta rolls with extra butter, then toast on a grill until golden. Meanwhile, to make the kimchi slaw, combine the ingredients in a large bowl, tossing until combined. Fill the toasted buns with kimchi slaw, beef cheek and top with a slice of Havarti cheese. Lightly grill or torch to melt the cheese, then serve.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.