Oxtails

[nonblonde007]

Here goes! This is my first attempt at Oxtails, among many other things, but I am sure not my last. I took all of the suggestions posted here, sort of combined them and jumped in with both feet! Please keep in mind that this is also my first try at posting pics here, ( finding it not as simple as I had hoped, My hats off to all those that post Many!) and my digi camera is 5 years old. That said and aside, here is how it is going so far.........

Searing the Oxtails in olive oil

Reducing the wine, ginger, garlic, onions and orange peel, added soy sause, brown sugar, and oyster sause, reduced further. Put in the meat, a couple of cups of water and off we go!

Simmering away, for 3 hours

Meat and sause, seperated and cooling to go into the fridge tonight.

Tomorrow, I will remove the fat from the sause, re-heat and strain, perhaps add more wine, havn't decided yet, all the juice of an orange, cover the meat and slow roast in the oven for an hour or so. Hopefully, It will be as good as it sounds. If you have other ways I should finish this, let me know. And, wish me luck!!!!

forgot, also added star anise and cinimon stick. 1st post jitters, I guess

Edited July 21, 2007 by nonblonde007 (log)

[David Ross]

Here goes!  This is my first attempt at Oxtails, among many other things, but I am sure not my last.  I took all of the suggestions posted here, sort of combined them and jumped in with both feet!  Please keep in mind that this is also my first try at posting pics here, ( finding it not as simple as I had hoped, My hats off to all those that post Many!) and my digi camera is 5 years old.  That said and aside, here is how it is going so far.........

Searing the Oxtails in olive oil

Reducing the wine, ginger, garlic, onions and  orange peel, added soy sause, brown sugar, and oyster sause, reduced further.  Put in the meat, a couple of cups of water and off we go!

Simmering away, for 3 hours

Meat and sause, seperated and cooling to go into the fridge tonight.

Tomorrow, I will remove the fat from the sause, re-heat and strain, perhaps add more wine, havn't decided yet, all the juice of an orange, cover the meat and slow roast in the oven for an hour or so.  Hopefully, It will be as good as it sounds.   If you have other ways I should finish this, let me know.  And, wish me luck!!!!

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How delicious looking! You are off to a good start. Just reheat your oxtails, reduce the sauce and serve with some steamed rice. That looks very good.

[nonblonde007]

David, thank you!

And, by the way, I realy enjoyed your foodblog!

I just noticed that in my nervousness, I spelled sauce the whole way through that post incorrectly! *blushing in shame and feeling very much like the new kid on the block*

Edited July 21, 2007 by nonblonde007 (log)

[nonblonde007]

Unespected events today, I will have to finish tomorrow, I hope this will not effect the outcome of the oxtail dish?!

[nonblonde007]

TaaaaDaaaaaaaaaahhh!

Oxtail, the end result!

They were as good as all of you told me they would be, I am so pleased!

[melonpan]

im so glad you liked them. oxtails are the best. my lips are smacking are your photos!

well done!

[markk]

I believe in Molto Italiano Batali has a recipe for oxtails in which you braise them, then remove the meat from the bones and recrisp it. I'll have to check when I get home to see if I'm imagining things.

I have definitely had oxtail meat that's been removed from the bone and shaped into a patty with or without something else and crisped - sometimes successfully, sometimes not. (Not from or by Batali, either.)

[Dejah]

TaaaaDaaaaaaaaaahhh!

Oxtail, the end result!

They were as good as all of you told me they would be, I am so pleased!

←

Definitely messy, juicy, chewy, lip-smackin' goodness.

Well done!

[Fugu]

With the addition of the orange peel, cinnamon stick and star anise, you could have used 5 spice powder. The Chinese use this on their roast pork and some duck recipes.

A peanut stew popular in Philippines, called Kare-Kare, is particularly good with these cuts of meat. The dish has a West African origin and may be more suitable to western palates. The Philippine version is served with sauteed, fermented krill as an added flavouring/seasoning.

Your picture looks yummy!

[Pille]

Hope nobody minds if I update this old thread.

I've had oxtail twice during the last few weeks. First time slowly braised at home with root vegetables and dark beer (full report, more photos and recipe here):

.

Then again last weekend at friends' place, who cooked oxtail in a Dutch oven with mushrooms, wine, carrots etc - again, extremely delicious.

Oxtail is such a cheap and flavorsome cut, so we're totally in love with it at the moment, and looking forward to trying it in many more dishes.

Has anybody come across really tasty recipes recently?

[santo_grace]

Found out today it is the year of the Ox, so this thread seems timely. We served braised oxtail as a course for our NYE dinner. Treated them like shortribs and cooked them in a homemade bbq sauce. Delicious.

We had planned on serving the Oxtail Daube from Paula Wolfert, but when we did a test run a couple of weeks beforehand it did not turn out well. The meat paste you make from the pigs foot, fat and other ingredients was a disaster. I think I didn't have enough liquid in the dish.

[Kerry Beal]

Found some nice looking oxtails in the bargain bin today - need ideas! Thinking something asian - help!

[annachan]

I love mine with a lot of vegetables! I first make a stock with the oxtail (usually overnight in a slow cooker - just oxtail and water) then transfer to a large stock pot and add in my vegetables. Carrots, onions, celery, cabbage, tomato and some garlic. I sometimes add mushrooms. Diced potatoes if you want some carb. I let everything cook down, usually adding some beef and/or chicken stock as well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I also throw in some Worcestershire sauce. If you like it more as a stew, then use less liquid. You can thicken it as well with the thickener of your choice. I generally like it as soup. I love to serve it over some rice or pasta, then add Tabasco. My husband prefer his top with Worcestershire sauce instead.

[onrushpam]

This reminds me that I haven't been over to The Training Table for a long time. It's the dining room for FSU athletes @ breakfast and dinner, but "common" folks can eat there for lunch. They make awesome oxtails... braised and served over creamy grits with collards on the side. Yuuummmmm! I need to call and find out when they are serving them. It used to be every Thursday in winter.

[Katie Meadow]

Cheap oxtails? Not around here. But as for something Asian, I find oxtails make a terrific Pho or a simpler version of same. Brown the oxtails in a heavy soup pot and remove. You could use other additional beef and beefbones for richer flavor. Brown onions, a little carrot, a couple of chopped stalks of lemongrass, some fresh ginger, garlic, a couple of star anise. Add water for broth and a splash of fish sauce. After two or three hours at a simmer I strain the broth, and pick off the oxtail meat for the soup. Defat the broth however you prefer. I pour the heated broth over cooked rice noodles or wheat noodles and garnish with a squeeze of lime, green onions, some thin slices of serrano chile, shredded cilantro and thai basil.

[scubadoo97]

Not cheap here either. Averages $5/lb

I most recently used them for making pho. They made a great pho stock after which I cleaned them and used the oxtail meat in another dish so I got two meals out of them.

[Soup]

Love oxtail. Love them in soup, braise in sweet soy with bit of root veggies and also love the jamaican style with rice and peas. Is there really bad oxtail?

Only problem is the price. They cost $5 to $6/lb. Pretty pricy for what use to be consider in cheap cut of meat (I'm talking 70's around the DC area).

[scubadoo97]

They average $5/lb where I am too. Yeah a lot of dough for mostly bones. I have to look at it as what can those bones give me. Usually a couple of meals out of a pack.

[catdaddy]

TaaaaDaaaaaaaaaahhh!

Oxtail, the end result!

They were as good as all of you told me they would be, I am so pleased!

Oh, my.

[nonblonde007]

Thank you! I have had time to reinvent this wonderful cut of meat many times and have loved every sort of prep that I tried with it. Amazing that it works so well with any ethnic twist you give it. Lately I have noticed the price of this once lowly cut just sky-rocket! What is UP with That?! Did everyone just suddenly "discover' What a great piece of meat this is? Unfortunate. I use it less and less now, meat per ratio kind of thing.

[Karri]

If you're looking for a bit of a crisp - roll them in cornflour and brown in lard, this way even after braising, etc. you will still have a bit of a difference in texture.

[chris-s]

I’ve cooked this twice: I think it’s a Burton-Race or maybe Raymond Blanc dish

Take a whole oxtail & braise it whole till tender.

When cool, split it down one side (the flatter side) and carefully tease the meat from the bone so you have a flat sheet of oxtail.

Pipe a line of chicken mouse along the centre, reform the meat into a tube around the mouse, wrap in cling film and braise again to cook the mouse. Cut into pieces to resemble a section of oxtail: the chicken mouse is supposed to look like the bone in the centre.

Reheat in the de-fatted & reduced stock and serve.

What does it taste like? Oxtail.

Is it worth the considerable effort? Doubtful

Will I do it again? Only under extreme duress

[dcarch]

Every recipe I have found and picture I have seen suggests a gooey sausy dish. Is oxtail something that cannot be crisped? Is there something to the texture or componants in this cut that doesn't allow for searing or frying for a crispy outer layer?

I like ox tails. :-)

First pressure cooked, then roasted.

dcarch

[heidih]

I love the little blast of super tender meat as you pop it out of the segment. That said, I am also dismayed at the price jump. Even in the Chinese market they are hyper pricey whether cross cut or whole tails.

The big chain Chinese market used to package oxtail cross cut slices mixed with tendon at a reasonable cost- I would stew it with masses of greens and we ate it with the starch of the day- usually rice.

[scubadoo97]

dcarch, cool plating and the oxtails look really tasty roasted.