Oxtail Stew
March 1, 2009 | Filed Under Beef
Okay. So last night (Saturday). I made a huge pot of oxtail stew. By the time it was ready, I was tired and hungry and there was no natural light for me to take a decent photo. I decided to take the photo the next day.
Next morning, I looked in the pot and it was almost empty. Almost. Little bits of oxtail and vegetables sat in stew on the bottom of the pan. The stew was really good and I suppose we were all very hungry.
This recipe is different from the first oxtail dish (oxtail soup) I ever made. Except for the oxtails, the ingredients and method of preparation were different.
This stew contains roasted vegetables — parsnips, turnips and carrots. I couldn’t find parsnips but I did find some turnips and I used a lot more potatoes and carrorts. My stew tasted delicious but I thought it took more work than I had energy to give. It was a bit labor intensive for me — Cook the oxtails; remove the meat from the dish; put them back in; take it out again; strain the liquid; discard the solids; put the meat back in again. Ugh! Too much work for me.
So, a little confession: I only removed the oxtails from the pot once. I didn’t strain the liquid. I didn’t discard the solid veggies. Yup, I kept them all in the pot and added the roasted veggies to the stew. I didn’t have a problem and served the stew with rice. Everyone seemed to enjoy it since they barely left any stew in the pot.
I’m happy to now have two different oxtail recipes. Thanks for the stew recipe, Elise!
Paz
Oxtail Stew
Ingredients
- 3 lbs oxtails with separated joints
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 cups stock (chicken or beef)
- 2 cups of red wine
- 3 whole cloves garlic, peel still on
- One bay leaf
- Pinch of thyme
- Parsley
- 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch segments, large pieces also cut lengthwise
- 2 parsnips, cut into 1-inch segments, large pieces also cut lengthwise
- 2 turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat dry oxtails with paper towels. Sprinkle oxtails all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium to medium high heat in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Working in batches, and not crowding the pan, sear the oxtails in hot pan on all sides until golden brown. Use tongs to remove oxtails to a plate, setting aside.
2 Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery to the pan. Cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add the oxtails back to the pan. Add the whole garlic cloves, the stock and wine. Add bay leaf, thyme, and half a teaspoon of salt. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 3 hours, until meat if fork tender.
3 One hour before the meat is done, heat oven on 350°F. Toss carrots, parsnips, and turnips in olive oil in a roasting pan. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 1 hour, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
4 When meat is tender, remove oxtails from the cooking liquid. Either skim the fat off the top with a spoon, use a fat separator to remove the fat, or chill the cooking liquid for several hours so that the fat solidifies, making it easier to remove. If you are making ahead, at this point you can just put the stew in the refrigerator (let come to room temp first), with the oxtails still in it, and let it chill over night. The next day, scrap off the fat, reheat and then remove the meat from the dish.
5 Pour the cooking liquid through a mesh strainer into a bowl, using a rubber spatula to press against the vegetable solids caught in the strainer. Discard the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and simmer until reduced by half. Then add back in the oxtails, and add the roasted vegetables to the pan. Heat on low heat for half an hour for the flavors to meld. Add some chopped parsley before serving.
Serves 4-6.
Comments
24 Responses to “Oxtail Stew”
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It looks really delicious! Very flavorful…
Cheers,
Rosa
sorry to hear this took a lot of your time, it looks really delicious!
it looks really tasty. too bad it’s kinda expensive to buy oxtail here in vancouver, but i’ll try it definutely.
thx for visiting my blog!!
Lovely photos, Paz!! I discovered oxtail few months ago, and made a very nice dish (oxtail braised in beer). I also managed to introduce oxtail to our friends, so they’ve cooked us lovely stews as well..
This is looking good! Rich and full of flavor!
YUM! I don’t think I’ve ever had oxtail in my life.
I do the same thing sometimes when it comes to photo taking: take it the following morning. Can’t wait till it’s lighter later in the day.
Gee those are fabulous photos . . . and that’s the tail end of the pot ???
Love oxtail stew.
YUMM. This is similar to how I make it. I was just thinking of them today too!
You’re fortunate to have missed out on the parsnips, as they’re quite disgusting, really.
Love oxtail stew – yours looks great!
Looks so homey comforting. I have been meaning to try oxtail stew. I saw these lovely cuts at the butcher but did not purchase them.
I have made my Pho with short ribs and oxtail, but I never made oxtail alone. Gonna try it. Thanks. LL
Looks delicious, a great comfort dish for the winter!
Looks delicious, Paz. My mom loves oxtail and I bookmarked the recipe for her{ And don´t worry about the photo is beautiful
This stew looks delicious, Paz! Whatever you did and didn’t do with the recipe obviously worked!
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
Paz
I love oxtail stew!
Love oxtail! This sounds heavenly to me…and I would have probably kept it all in one pot too! Heehee
I made this recipie, except i used carrots, potatoes, and pearl onions (because that is what i had on hand. It did take a while, but worth it. VERY YUMMY!
Looks. so. good!
Hi Cynthia: I LOVE it, too!
HI Joey: Glad you know what I mean.
Hi Michele: So glad it worked out for you. Yay!
Hi Duo Dishes: Welcome! Yes, it was very good.
Thanks for stopping by, all.
Paz
I would like to make a little suggestion – if I could – Try to salt and pepper the tails ahead. Follow – with enough tomato paste to cover thinly the tails then pan fry. Roast the tails with the veggies – parsnips rock when roasted. Then follow the rest and I am a STAUNCH supporter of leave it ALL in that pot!!! (reserve the roasted veggies for the last hour or they will fall apart)
Just my two cents.
Great recipe – thanks for sharing.
Hi Techyprojectguy: I’m always willing to try different ways of preparing oxtails. Thanks so much for your tip. Happy Holidays!
Best,
Paz
me too! love them! where can i get them cheap in vancouver?
Hi Louis: I don’t live in Vancouver. I have no idea where to buy ox tails cheap. Good luck with your search.
Paz