Oxtail

Here’s a classic Oxtail Stew recipe — rich, flavorful, and perfect for slow cooking until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. 🥘✨

🥩 Slow-Cooked Oxtail Stew

Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3–4 hours

Ingredients

• 2–3 lbs (1–1.5 kg) oxtail, cut into pieces
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1–2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth or water
• 1–2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
• 1 tsp paprika (optional)
• 1 cup red wine (optional, for depth of flavor)
• 2–3 potatoes, cut into chunks (optional)
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season and brown oxtail:
   • Pat oxtail pieces dry and season with salt and pepper.
   • Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
   • Brown oxtail on all sides, then remove and set aside.
2. Sauté vegetables:
   • In the same pot, add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.
   • Cook 5–7 minutes until softened.
3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste:
   • Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste, cooking 2–3 minutes.
4. Deglaze (optional):
   • Pour in red wine to scrape up browned bits from the pot.
   • Simmer 2–3 minutes until slightly reduced.
5. Add broth and seasonings:
   • Return oxtail to the pot.
   • Add broth, bay leaves, thyme, and paprika.
   • Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
6. Simmer slowly:
   • Cover and simmer for 3–4 hours, until oxtail is tender and meat is falling off the bone.
   • If using potatoes, add them during the last 45 minutes of cooking.
7. Adjust seasoning and serve:
   • Remove bay leaves.
   • Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
   • Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.

🥄 Tips & Variations

• Pressure cooker or Instant Pot: Reduces cooking time to about 1–1.5 hours.
• Thicker gravy: Mash a few potatoes or mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with water and stir into stew.
• Caribbean style: Add allspice, thyme, and Scotch bonnet pepper for a jerk-inspired flavor.

If you want, I can also give a Filipino-style oxtail recipe (Kare-Kare) that uses peanut sauce — it’s rich, savory, and very traditional. Do you want me to do that?