Beef Cheek Confit with Caramelized Turnips

Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.

• 2 each whole beef cheeks
  Ingredient note

  Source: 2 whole beef cheeks
• 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1/4 cup soy sauce; Source: 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1/4 cup granulated sugar; Source: 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 6 each whole cloves
  Ingredient note

  Source: 6 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
• 3 cloves garlic (smashed)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 3 cloves garlic (smashed)
• 4 cups rendered beef fat
  Ingredient note

  Source: 4 cups rendered beef fat
• 4 each small turnips (peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 4 small turnips (peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes)
• 10 each garlic scapes (chopped)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 10 garlic scapes (chopped)
• 1/4 cup beef juice (from confit)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1/4 cup beef juice (from confit)

1. Put the soy sauce, sugar, cloves, five spice powder, and garlic in a gallon sized freezer bag and shake to the combine. Add the beef cheeks and seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as you can. Let this cure in the fridge for 2-3 days.
2. To make the confit, just melt the rendered beef fat it a heavy bottomed pot with a lid that's just big enough to hold the beef cheeks and fat. Put this into an oven preheated to 200 degrees F and cook until a fork easily passes through the meat (about 4-6 hours). Remove the pot from the oven and allow it to come to room temperature, then refrigerate the beef cheek covered in the fat until you are ready to use it (it will last several weeks this way).
3. On the day you want to eat the confit, take it out of the fridge and gently heat just enough to liquify the fat so you can get the beef cheeks out.
4. In a sautee pan, heat about a tablespoon of beef fat until hot. Add the turnips and fry until they just start turning tender. Add the sugar and garlic scapes and stir fry until the sugar starts to turn brown and caramelize. Add the beef juice and soy sauce and let it reduce until it forms a thick brown glaze over the turnips and garlic scapes.
5. While the turnips are cooking, heat a cast iron pan over medium heat until very hot then add the beef cheeks. Allow the confit to brown undisturbed until you have a nice crisp layer on one side then flip and brown on the other side.
6. Serve the beef cheek confit on top of the bed of caramelized turnips and garlic scapes.