Deliciously rich oxtail stew recipe features oxtails braised in red wine and broth with onions, parsnips and carrots.
Have you ever had oxtails?
Most people I know haven’t even heard of them, which is really quite a shame.
Yes, oxtails come from the tail of an ox – a well-trained muscle that’s laced with fat. The segments are vertebrae, so they also have a lot of iron-rich bone marrow.
My father, who grew up during the Depression, remembers oxtails being a food for the poor because they were so cheap. You could get them for pennies a pound.
These days they’re a bit hard to come by and not cheap anymore (although you can sometimes get them at Costco and Asian markets).
As with most tough cuts, oxtails are best slow-cooked for several hours. They tend to be greasy, so we like to cook them a day ahead so we can refrigerate them overnight and scrape the fat off the top the next day.
Oxtail stew
We serve the oxtails on the bone, but if you prefer you can easily remove the bones from the meat before serving.
ingredients
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3 pound (1.3 kg) oxtails with separate joints
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salt and pepper
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Extra virgin olive oil
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1 medium yellow onion, chopped
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1 celery rib, chopped
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1 large carrot, chopped
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2 cups (475 ml) broth (chicken or beef)
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2 cups (475 ml) red wine
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3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
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A bay leaf
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pinch of thyme
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Parsely
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2 carrots, cut into 1-inch segments, large chunks also cut lengthways
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2 parsnips, cut into 1-inch segments, large pieces also cut lengthwise
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2 turnips or swedes, cut into 1-inch pieces
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Extra virgin olive oil
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salt and pepper
method
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Browning Oxtails:
Pat the oxtails dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the oxtails all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch Oven over medium-medium heat.
Working in batches and not overcrowding the pan, sear the oxtails in the hot pan until golden on all sides. Using tongs, place oxtails on a plate and set aside.
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Sauté onions, carrots, celery:
Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery to the pan. Cook for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.
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Add oxtails, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt, broth, wine, then simmer:
Return the oxtails to the pan. Add the whole garlic cloves, broth and wine. Add bay leaf, thyme and half a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until meat is tender, 3 hours.
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Roasted Root Vegetables:
An hour before the meat is done, preheat the oven to 175°C. Toss the carrots, parsnips, and beets in olive oil in a skillet. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables for 1 hour or until lightly browned and cooked through.
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lean fat:
When the meat is tender, remove the oxtails from the cooking liquid. Either skim the top of the fat with a spoon, use a fat separator to remove the fat, or refrigerate the cooking liquid for several hours to allow the fat to set and be easier to remove.
If you’re going ahead, at this point you can just pop the stew in the fridge (let it come to room temperature first), with the oxtails still in, and let it chill overnight. The next day, scrape off the fat, reheat, and then remove the meat from the mold.
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Strain solids from cooking liquid, reduce liquid:
Pour the cooking liquid through a strainer into a bowl and use a rubber spatula to press down on the vegetable solids caught in the strainer.
Discard the solids. Pour the liquid back into the pan and reduce by half.
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Add oxtails, roasted vegetables:
Then add the oxtails back in and add the roasted vegetables to the pan. Heat for half an hour over low heat to allow the flavors to blend.
Add some chopped parsley before serving.
Links:
Hawaiian-Style Oxtail Soup – here on Simply Recipes
Glazed Oxtails – here at Simply Recipes
