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Slow cooking · carrillada · rabo de toro · jarrete

Stewing beef in Spain: ox cheek, oxtail and shin, and what to call them

If you have just arrived and are looking for something to put in the slow cooker on a cold evening, Spanish butchers have you well covered. Ox cheek (US: beef cheek) is carrillada, oxtail is rabo de toro, shin of beef (US: shank) is morcillo or jarrete, and diced stewing beef is carne para guisar, asked for “en tacos“. Chuck is aguja. We sell ox cheek, oxtail, a whole shin and ready-diced stewing beef, vacuum-packed and delivered chilled.

See the slow-cooking cuts Roasting joints instead

  • Ox cheek and diced beef from retinto yearling, in 1 kg packs
  • One chilled dispatch a week: order by Wednesday 17:00, delivered Thursday before 13:00 on the mainland
  • Vacuum-packed: cook it this week or freeze it on arrival

Close-up of raw ox cheeks, deep red with a fine layer of fat and sinew, on a white surface

Cuts for the pot

Ox cheek comes in 1 kg packs (€31.90) and so does the diced stewing beef (€24.90); both are retinto yearling beef, the native breed of south-west Spain at 12–24 months. Oxtail is sold in 1.5 kg options. The shin is one whole joint of approx. 2.5 kg, not diced. The whole brisket (pecho) is one piece of approx. 4 kg, for pot roast, salt beef or the smoker. The last card is ibérico pork cheeks, 1 kg, which give a similar texture in less time.


Start from the dish, then pick the cut

British recipes say “braising steak” or “stewing beef” and leave the rest to the butcher. A Spanish counter works the other way round: you name the muscle. Times are for a low oven or a bare simmer.

Cut Spanish name Texture after cooking Typical time
Ox cheek carrillada, carrillera Very soft and sticky; holds its shape until you press it 3–4 hours
Oxtail rabo de toro, rabo de vacuno Falls from the bone; the richest sauce of the lot 3½–4½ hours
Shin morcillo, jarrete Long, firm shreds bound with gelatin 2½–3½ hours
Diced stewing beef carne para guisar, en tacos Tender cubes, a lighter sauce 1½–2½ hours
Brisket pecho, aleta Slices that hold together, with a fat cap that bastes them 5–6 hours, covered
Chuck, braising steak aguja Soft, breaks into flakes 2–3 hours
Ibérico pork cheeks carrilladas ibéricas Small, spoon-soft pieces 1½–2 hours

Beef and ale style stew, cottage pie filling, casseroles

Use the diced stewing beef if you want to get going straight away, or the shin if you want more body. Shin carries more connective tissue, so the gravy thickens on its own and needs less flour. Our shin is a whole 2.5 kg piece: portion it, cook half and freeze half. There is no card for aguja on this page; the diced beef does the same job. Short ribs braise well too.

Ragù

Shin or ox cheek, cooked in large pieces and shredded with two forks at the end. Cheek gives the silkier sauce. Both forgive an extra half hour, which mince (US: ground beef) does not.

Oxtail soup and Spanish rabo de toro

One cut, two directions. For a British oxtail soup, simmer the tail until the meat slips off, strain the stock, pick the meat and return it. For the Andalusian dish, the pieces are browned and braised in red wine with onion, carrot and garlic until the sauce turns glossy, and served on the bone.

Why the sauce sets to jelly

Cheek, tail and shin are working muscles, full of collagen. Long, moist heat turns it into gelatin, which gives the sticky texture. A stew made with them sets solid in the fridge overnight. That is a good sign, not a fault, and it melts again on reheating.

Method in six lines

  • Pat the meat dry, season it and brown it in batches.
  • Soften onion, carrot and celery or leek in the same fat; stir in a spoonful of flour or tomato purée.
  • Add beer, red wine or stock to come two thirds of the way up the meat, not over it.
  • Lid on, then into the oven at 140–160 °C (285–320 °F), or onto the lowest flame at a bare simmer.
  • It is done when a spoon goes through the meat without resistance.
  • Chill it overnight, lift off the fat and reheat gently. It is better the next day.

Ox cheeks braised in red wine sauce, topped with a sprig of thyme and served with straw potatoes

Slow-cooking cuts: short answers

What are beef cheeks called in Spanish?

Carrillada or carrillera; both words are in use. Pork cheeks use the same word, so add “de ternera” or “de vacuno” if you want beef. Ours are retinto yearling beef in 1 kg packs.

What is shin of beef in Spanish?

Morcillo or jarrete. The front leg is sometimes called brazuelo, and shin sliced across the bone is sold under the Italian name ossobuco.

Spanish recipes say “ternera”. Is that veal?

Usually not. By law ternera is an animal of 8–12 months, but most Spanish shops use the word loosely for añojo, yearling beef of 12–24 months. It is mild, tender and pale red, and it is what our ox cheek and diced beef come from.

Do you sell brisket?

Yes, we do: a whole retinto brisket of approx. 4 kg, uncut and with its fat cap. In Spain brisket is pecho, and some shops label it aleta, so ask for both names locally. It is a large piece: cook half and freeze half.

Can I use a pressure cooker?

Yes, and many Spanish kitchens do. In Spain it is sold as olla rápida or olla exprés. As a rough guide, allow about a third of the oven time, then reduce the sauce with the lid off.