By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 4 hours, plus at least 2 hours’ marinating
- Rating
- 5(733)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Don’t be scared off by oxtail just because you may never have cooked it before. It’s as meaty and rich as short ribs, and just as straightforward to prepare. In this hearty braise, the meat is simmered in wine with carrots and celeriac. Feel free to substitute other vegetables for those roots. For example: mushrooms, celery stalks, turnips, rutabaga, winter squash chunks, and sweet potatoes would all be happy additions to the pot. Or leave the vegetables out and serve the whole thing over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or polenta. Like all braises, it can be made at least four days ahead, and gets better as it sits.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2½teaspoons coarse kosher salt, more as needed
- 2teaspoons black pepper
- ½teaspoon ground allspice
- 5pounds beef oxtails, patted dry
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4shallots, peeled, trimmed and sliced lengthwise ¼-inch-thick
- 4large carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch lengths
- 2small or 1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 6large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1bottle (750 milliliters) dry red wine
- 1cup chicken stock
- 5parsley sprigs, plus ¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
- 2rosemary branches
- 2bay leaves
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Torn celery leaves, for garnish (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1212 calories; 75 grams fat; 29 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 33 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 76 grams protein; 1281 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper and allspice. Add oxtail to bowl and rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step
2
Heat an 8-quart Dutch oven, or a heavy soup pot with a lid, over medium-high heat. Add oil and warm through. Add as many oxtail pieces as you can fit in a single layer without overcrowding the pot. Sear, turning occasionally, until the meat is uniformly golden brown all over, including the sides. Transfer meat to a plate; repeat until you’ve browned all the oxtail.
Step
3
Add shallot to the pan drippings and cook over medium heat until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add carrot and celery root and cook 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and two-thirds of the garlic (save the rest for garnish) and cook 1 minute.
Step
4
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour wine and stock into pot. Bundle parsley sprigs, rosemary branches and bay leaves with kitchen twine and drop into pot. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
Step
5
Return oxtail to pot and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning oxtails every 30 minutes, until meat is fork tender, 3 to 3½ hours.
Step
6
Transfer oxtails to a plate. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices and discard (there will be a lot of it). Toss oxtails with remaining pan gravy. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. In a small bowl, toss together chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Scatter mixture over oxtails and garnish with the celery leaves, if using, before serving.
Ratings
5
out of 5
733
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Cooking Notes
Tom Miller
Don't substitute beef stock for chicken. Chicken stock in this recipe instead of beef adds flavor, depth, and complexity and is here for a reason. See rule 6: http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/01/food-lab-follow-the-rules-for-the-bes...
Suzanne M
Made with half the meat. Added about 1 cup of dried beans before putting in the oven. Delicious.
Martin
I hope now Melissa is in Jamaica she's checking out the seasonings - particularly the use of Angostura Bitters in stews like this one. All spice is much better bought whole and ground for use.
Stevie Benanty
This was NEXT LEVEL!!!!
Terry
I only used about 2lbs of oxtail. I substituted celery for celery root. Added red wine and chicken stock as it cooked. Then served it over herbed egg noodles that I received as a gift. The lemon rind, fresh garlic and parsley really kicked it up a notch and added amazing fragrance. Don’t skip that part. My family raved!
Brad
Such a great recipe. If oxtail is too expensive (and it often is) you can substitute neck. A butcher will usually cut it into convenient stew pieces. It has all the flavor for a third the price. At a Latin butcher they call it espinazo.
Pam Francis
This is my "go to" oxtails recipe. I've cooked it numerous times for my husband's Jamaican family and they all love it. I usually double the recipe and in the rare event I have leftovers, like most braised dishes it is even better when reheated. I usually serve it with Jamaican rice and peas.
achriston1
Holy smokes, this was delicious! I've never cooked nor eaten oxtail before, but after watching the video decided I'd give it a try. Simmered it for 3 1/2 hours, and the liquids reduced into the most amazing sauce - egg noodles are the way we went, this goes into my repertoire!
Amazing, so tender !
I’ve had the worst luck making ox tail but boy or boy did this make a difference ! It was simply delicious!Cut the cooking time drastically in half. I used a pressure cooker for 2 hr (didnt have a pot I could put in the oven) and the dish came out perfectly. Meat was soo tender and succulent!
Robin
This is a great recipe and I've made it twice and loved it. Once, I didn't have fresh parsley and substituted dry, and also didn't have rosemary and substituted dried thyme from the garden. Obviously not the same, but still delicious!The only thing I would do differently next time, is I'd add the carrots later. I don't like how they turn to mush after 4 hours.
bdb
This was really terrific. I went heavier on tomato and garlic, and turned the oxtails only once at 2 hours (they were pretty well packed in). The sauce was unctuous, simply spooned on top of the oxtails. Next time I'll plan to add more aromatics as they cooked down to perfection.
Stacey
Cooking it on a stovetop 2 hours today and 1-2 hours tomorrow before I serve it for dinner. Used a brown chicken stock I had in my freezer and it smells amazing. Regretting the sweet potato that was recommended since it's heavy and I wish I used something like celery instead.
taylor
Absolutely perfect. Made the recipe with 4.5 lbs oxtail and used celery instead of celeriac. Cooked for about 3 hrs. Ridiculously tender and flavorful. Added more garlic but followed recipe exactly otherwise
Georgie
My butcher didn’t have oxtails, so instead I used short ribs and this came out amazing!! When I tell you the meat was SLIDING off the bone. I’d say as a revision to flip the meat only every hour in the Dutch oven rather than every 30mins
Anahata Graceland
this is a great recipe. The family loves it. I just made 4 recipes quantities yesterday (big family). I added rudebaga & parsnips which was fantastic. I would also put the veggies in maybe 40 min. later next time as they are better a bit earlier. I enjoy more of the veggies as they make the sauce more complex. Great recipe!
JasonG
Great recipe. One note- don't use the 'fan setting' on your oven. I did this and nearly all of the liquid had evaporated by the end. The meat was still delicious but would have been nice to have a bit of sauce left.
geteb
Meh. Thought the sauce would be more unctuous than it was. And all those hunks of veggies, while soft, were ungainly to serve & eat. Instead of a napkin, one needs a bib to eat this as oxtails are quite gnarly to tackle w/ a fork & knife. All in all, this was my goodbye to ever eating oxtails again (along with the $ they cost!). Haven't given up on Melissa, though!!
Ellen
Can this be cooked in a slow cooker with similar results?
Debbie
Do you eat the celery root or carrots? Or are they just for flavor?
Debbie
We made this tonight, and on a whim, added four or five big strips of orange zest in with the bouquet garni, and it was SO delicious!! The gremolata at the end added the perfect burst of freshness to a hearty dish. We’ll definitely make it again!
Stephanie
This is a family favorite meal. So, so good. I follow the recipe exactly as written. No edits. I've served it with rice, mashed potatoes, polenta and/or noodles - all accompany this savory dish well.
Mo
I pick the meat off the bones and serve it as a ragu.Love it with polenta.
Dawn McNiven - Canada
It was snowing and I didn't have celeriac, so I substituted two fennel bulbs and added three sweet potatoes, along with the shallots, carrots and garlic. Worked well!
KV
Also went the pressure cooker route. We had three pounds of ox tail and did high pressure for 90 minutes. It was perfect!
Marsha
Has anyone frozen it?
F Lyle
Delicious flavors but as some reviewers have noted the vegetables are mush after 3 1/2 hours. Next time I would add the celeriac an hour before meat is done.
Judith Siegel
Maybe too much pepper in the rub? And the original liquid mostly dissipated despite carefully following time, temperature etc. (I added more broth toward the end of oven time.). The "sauce" was very intense. The root vegetables disappeared; agree with comment that they should have been added later. We added beans as one person suggested - that was maybe the best thing about the preparation.Sorry to disagree with rave reviews but other Times oxtail recipes far superior. Not worth the effort.
Allizon
This recipe is the reason I subscribed to nyt cooking
Kat
This recipe is highly customizable with a variety of beef cuts and vegetables. I halved the oxtail and increased the veg, and set aside half the veggies after the saute. After 2hrs, I pulled the mushy braising veggies to puree for a nice savory mash/plate sauce, and added in the set-aside veggies just for the last hour. Used 2 cups wine / 2 cups stock and it was great! The gremolata to finish is an excellent idea.
Maria Isabel
By how much should I adjust the liquid if I cook it in a slow cooker?
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