Carrillada de Cerdo (Braised Iberian Pork Cheek)

plate of braised pork cheek with potatoes and a fork.

5 from 27 votes

Carrillada de Cerdo (Braised Iberian Pork Cheek)

Carrillada de cerdo, or pork cheek, is a life-changing Spanish delicacy! You won't want to miss this incredible recipe for melt-in-your-mouth braised Iberian pork cheek with port wine and honey.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: servings

Calories: 2085.1kcal

Author: Lauren Aloise

Ingredients

For the Marinade Paste

2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon parsley preferably fresh
1 tablespoon water

For the Pork Cheeks

2 pounds Iberian pork cheeks about 12
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 onion finely diced
6 shallots halved
1 green apple diced
2 carrots sliced
1 red pepper diced
2 cups port wine a very sweet dessert wine
24 fingerling potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cups beef stock

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinating

Smash the garlic in a mortar and pestle, then add in the thyme, honey, parsley and a tablespoon of water, smashing it until you get a nice paste.
Pat the pork cheeks completely dry with paper towels, then cover the pork cheeks with the paste and season with kosher salt and pepper. Let them marinate for at least an hour before cooking.

Searing

Quickly dredge the pork cheeks in flour, shaking off any excess flour to leave a light coating.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan on a medium high heat. Sear the pork cheeks for about 30 seconds one each of its 3-4 sides until all sides are browned. After each cheek is seared, remove from the pan and reserve.

Sautéing and Braising

Transfer the oil used to sear the meat into a large, heavy pot. Add a little more oil if necessary to completely cover the bottom to a depth of about 0.4 inch or 1 centimeter.
Sauté the onions, peppers, shallots and carrots for 15 minutes over low heat, or until golden.
Add the pork cheek, port wine, and bay leaf and simmer over low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add the beef stock to the pot and simmer over a low heat for about 1 ½ hours, until the carrilladas are completely tender. Twenty minutes before taking it off the heat, add the potatoes and apple to the pot so they can cook through.
When everything is fork tender, take off the heat and serve. Enjoy hot and fresh!

Notes

Avoid over-dredging the pork with flour; shake off any excess to leave a light coating on the meat.
Any port will work in this recipe, although there are various varieties of port wine and each will leave you with a slightly different dish.
Can't find fingerling potatoes? Use 4-5 larger regular potatoes and cut them into smaller, bite-size chunks.
Depending upon how tough the meat is, you may need to simmer it for longer than 1 ½ hours to get it perfectly tender.

Nutrition