Ragú de carrillera de cerdo

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork cheeks (trimmed of excess fat and cut into chunks)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (mashed)
• 6 rashers streaky bacon (roughly chopped)
• Oil for frying
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 1 dried ancho chilli (coarsely torn or chopped)
• 1 410 g tin whole tomatoes
• Heaped tbsp fresh origanum leaves (or tsp dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt (pepper and sugar to season)
• 1 cup boiling water

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C

2. 2

   Heat a splash of oil in a heavy based oven proof dish with lid

3. 3

   Fry the pork cheeks in batches over a medium high heat until brown and the edges starting to caramelise

4. 4

   Set aside once fried

5. 5

   Add more oil if needed and fry the onion and garlic until soft and transluscent and set aside

6. 6

   Fry the bacon in the same pan until just starting to crisp and set aside

7. 7

   Deglaze the pot with a qtr cup of the red wine and loosen all the bits on the bottom of the pot

8. 8

   Add the chipotle paste and ancho chilli and simmer for a minute or so

9. 9

   Add all the fried ingredients as well as the tomatoes, origanum, bay leaves, seasoning and boiling water

10. 10

    Place the lid on top and place in the oven for 3 hours until the meat is soft and cooked

11. 11

    Remove from the oven, use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and tomatoes and simmer uncovered on top of the stove for another 30 minutes or so to reduce and thicken the sauce

12. 12

    Check the seasoning and serve with polenta or another starch of your choice