I cannot believe I’ve never made colo de toro (oxtail) before but, as I couldn’t find any carrillada (pork cheeks) on New Year’s Eve, I decided to give it a go. It’s traditionally made with red wine but this time I opted to use oloroso sherry. It’s also traditionally made with carrots and other root veg, but I didn’t have any so I threw in some portobellos about half-way through cooking and I thought that worked out great. As with all braised meat dishes the idea is to take your time and go low and slow.

I think including prep time this took just over 5 hours, so clearly not a dish to make if you’re in a hurry. The good thing is once it’s simmering away on the top of the cooker you are free to do other things. And like many slow cooked meats, it is even better the next day. This recipe would easily serve four. For side dishes I made roasted potatoes, mini yorkshire puddings and an arugula salad.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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