Remove any sinew tissue and excess fat from the beef cheeks and prepare your vegetables and other ingredients.
Heat up a heavy bottom wide pot on high heat.
Season the beef cheeks generously with salt from both sides. Add a little olive oil to the pan and roast the cheeks from all sides. Caramelise the cheeks as much as possible as this will add flavour and depth to the sauce.
Remove the beef cheeks from the pan and set aside. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions).
Roast the mirepoix for a few minutes, caramelising them lightly. Now add the tomato paste to the mirepoix and roast all together. Cooking out the paste will remove any raw tomato flavour.
Next deglaze the pan with the red wine. Use a wooden spoon and scrape off any burnt particles from the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat and add the herbs, spices and garlic. Finally add the beef cheeks back to the pot and add enough water (or beef stock if you prefer) to submerge the cheeks completely.
Add a pinch of salt to the braising liquid and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer on low heat for 2½ hours turning the cheeks 2-3 times during the cooking time. To ensure the cheeks stay submerged in braising liquid, you occasionally might have to top it up with some more liquid.
Once the cooking time is up, use a skewer or fork to insert into the cheeks - they should be soft as butter by now! If not, continue braising the cheeks until they are done.