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oxtail soup


glennbech

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I brought home some oxtail the last time I visited my butcher. The tail was cut in 1-2 inch pieces. I was very excited as I usually make my own stock for sauces and soups.

Following no recipe in particular (doh!) I browned the tail pieces all over in butter and oil. I then covered with water and added onions, a carrot, bayleaves and a clove or two of garlic. I let it sommer for about 90 minutes.

Compared to stocks Im used to getting from other meats and bones, this was very weak. The taste was okay, but I had to reduce to about 1/3 to get the right taste for a soup. That left me with about 3 DL. Barly enough for one person.

I imagined that the should have been excellent for stock, did I do something wrong?

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I have an excellent oxtail soup recipe. I will post it when I get home from work.

Although oxtail soup can be very rich, you have to add a number of things to it in order to bring out the flavour.

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This is simple, not too complex, and works nicely.

brown up a mirepoix of celery, carrot and onion in a butter/olive oil blend

add a tablespoon of tomato paste

add beef or veal stock just cover

in a separate pan, brown off the oxtail chunks, then pop them into the pot with the veg

add bayleaf, rosemary, whatever herbs you have lying about

add more stock to cover the lot, maybe an inch over the oxtails

simmer for a couple of hours, skimming now and then to get rid of scum and fat, or better still, cover and cook in the oven slowly for a few hours.

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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I hereby conclude that Oxtail is not good for making a beef stock, and that It's too weak to make a soup on its own. I should have guessed really. The centre of the bones look a bit strange, very light in colour, hard, and not filled with marrow like regular bones.

Swisskaese: Thanks I'll try it out later!

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I agree -- oxtails are made for eatin', not for soup makin'!

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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I agree -- oxtails are made for eatin', not for soup makin'!

I am not sure that I would agree. Nothing in the beef area gives me more body than oxtail. Problem is that they tend to be a bit pricey in my mind. I made oxtail stock a month ago and it gave me stock with a lot of body and mouth feel. Really great. When going for more beefy soup, I will add more oxtails or I also add things like short ribs, shank, or brisket.

The origional poster indicated that they went at it for 90 minutes. Unless it was in a pressure cooker, I'm not sure that is long enough. I usually use my crock pot to make stock and I just leave it on high over night. Gives me clear stock everytime because I don't have to worry about temp control. I've heard pressure cooker is also excellent because it never boils and yields good result but I've not yet made the investment (I'm out of cabinet space to store another pot).

Don't give up on oxtail. It is my favorite soup making ingredient.

Soup

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Well, with a handle like "Soup", who am I to argue!

I suppose it comes down to personal preference. I would rather eat some good, sticky, gelatinous braised tails than have some beefy broth.

On the other hand, the owner of the pho place I frequent tells me that his secret ingredient is oxtails, so I can't badmouth oxtail soup too much!

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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I think I would side with Soup. Thai-Muslims make an oxtail soup that is really liquid pleasure. Thais (Muslim or not) don't generally use stock when making these sorts of dishes, so I'm assuming the flavor is coming from the bones. On the other hand, like much Thai cooking, the oxtail flavor might actually be concealed by the copious use of lime juice, chilies, tamarind pulp and fish sauce, which may be what makes it taste so good! In any event, it's good, and the meat is virtually falling off the bones so I assume they're stewing it for a long time, probably several hours.

Austin

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Growing up with my mom from England, we ate oxtail soup all the time and it is very good. I'd suggest giving it more taste and body by adding some stew beef to the initial broth.

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I hereby conclude that Oxtail is not good for making a beef stock, and that It's too weak to make a soup on its own.  ...

Huh?

Its not exactly ideal for a quickly cooked snack.

But braise it in something interesting, low and slow, for *many* hours until its falling apart.

Then - as Swisskaese indicates - - Use the meat in the soup, don't discard it!

Don't hope to get the best out of this bit of meat by poaching for just 90 minutes in plain water and then straining off all the solids.

Oxtail *can* give you the very richest, deepest stews and soups - but please respect its particular qualities, and demands, *before* dismissing it!

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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Swisskaese's receipe is very good. Mine differs slightly in that I fry in a little tomato paste with the onions and garlic and I throw in some red wine or port if I have it around.

My soup also cooks for at least 4 hours, just barely bubbling. Very rich stuff. With all the rain we are having I should make up a batch.

Try again. You won't be disappointed these are real good cheap eats.

**************************************************

Ah, it's been way too long since I did a butt. - Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"

--------------------

One summers evening drunk to hell, I sat there nearly lifeless…Warren

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make oxtail soup frequently but i cook the tails for like 6 hours, because it takes longer for the calogen to break down. I did notice it doesn't have as meaty a flavor as using regular veal bones but roasting the vegitables and tomatoe paste helps alot. I also like to smoke my barley.

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Swisskaese's receipe is very good. Mine differs slightly in that I fry in a little tomato paste with the onions and garlic and I throw in some red wine or port if I have it around.

yes, swisskaese's recipe sounds quite good. the last minute parsley (and maybe some fresh tomato bits to boot) will really freshen up the broth flavor. oxtail and short rib soup are two of better reasons for aquiring a good pressure cooker. just follow the swisskease recipe, but instead of simmering for 4 hours, cook at high presure (15 psi) for 45 mins.

just have to figure out a way of removing fat from the broth that's easier than skimming and faster than an overnight cool. . .

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Here's some photographic evidence of what happens when you boil the living crap out of oxtail and then let it chill overnight in the fridge. The entire thing will gel up. There also was a 1.5 inch layer of fat on top that I removed beforehand. 4 hours of simmering is the bare minimum in my opinion. If you happen to see oxtails on sale in the future then I'd highly recommend trying it again.

gelatin23APR05.jpg

Believe me, I tied my shoes once, and it was an overrated experience - King Jaffe Joffer, ruler of Zamunda

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