How do you properly cook oxtails?

[Gastro888]

Hi everyone,

I have about 3 lbs of oxtail that I am planning to cook on Sunday for Monday's dinner. I am not familar with cooking oxtail (eating it, not a problem ). The end product that I want to have is a tender, falling off the bone, well seasoned oxtail that has a ton of liquid/gravy/juice to sop up. I'll be adding garlic, celery, onions, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and lentils (should I add lentils?) seasoned w/ tomato paste & various spices & herbs from my kitchen. Which means I'll probably add some soy sauce, too!

My questions thus far...

-Should I blanch the oxtails prior to cooking? This is often done in Chinese cuisine.

-Should I stew or braise?

-Is chicken stock ok to use in the dish?

Is there anything I should watch out for, things that I definitely should not do with oxtails? I know some cuts of meat are more forgiving than others and I don't know if this is one of them. Thanks for your help!

[snowangel]

Well, if you want the best possible use of oxtails, look no further than RecipeGullet, where you will find the recipe for Paula Wolfert's Oxtail Daube. This is a rich and silky dish, worthy of royalty!

[Gastro888]

Thanks, snowangel. That looks like a very interesting recipe. Wow. And a very daunting one for me, too! I highly doubt I could pull that recipe off. Wow. I have a very small shoebox of a kitchen. Have you tried it? What does it taste like?

[roger desmond]

Don't worry about that recipe, it's great, but not necessary. Just braise them at 300 degress for 3 hours in your favorite broth and vegetable combination, try to keep the liquid level about 1/2 way up the oxtail, check level at mid-cooking, and enjoy! This is peasant fiood!

[NYC Mike]

My wife makes this for us a few times a year. This recipe is very close to the one she uses.

Rabo Enceindido (Oxtail Stew or Fire Tail )

Click it!

Here is a Mario recipe we have tried with good results too.

Oxtail alla Vaccinara

Here

-Mike

Edited February 2, 2007 by NYC Mike (log)

[Gastro888]

Oh cool! Those look like recipes I could attempt. Daubes are too daunting, I'm sorry. I think you need a sous chef and a very large kitchen to accomplish all that loveliness.

I think I might do a hybrid of the two recipes you sent me. I like the simplicty of the first recipe but I want to add more veggies.

As for the lentil question - should I? Or should I leave well enough alone?

[k43]

Here's my very easy Chinese Oxtail Stew.

Trim off as much fat as you easily can. Blanch the pieces for 5 minutes.

Even though it smells great when it's done, it's very important to refrigerate the meat and the liquid separately overnight. When you remove the really thick layer of fat the next morning, you'll see why.

This one perfumes the whole house.

[annanstee]

As for the lentil question - should I?  Or should I leave well enough alone?

←

I think they could work if you have a lot of strong aromatics- I have used them in slow braises - like lamb shanks- just a handful to the broth. I don't think they are necessary. I am anxious to hear how it turns out.

[annachan]

Hey, I'm cooking oxtail right now! If you have a large enough crockpot, that would be the easiest, if not, you can make it on the stove.

I start with making a stock:

Oxtail

Onion

Carrot

Celery

Few cloves of garlic

Enough water to cover the ingredients

I let that come to a boil and let it simmer for about 4-5 hours. (Or in the crockpot overnight)

Once I have the stock, I either make soup by adding more vegetables to the stock (usually more onion, carrot and celery along with cabbage, tomato and potato) or made a stew (about one or two cups of the stock with tomato puree, diced onion, carrot and celery, red wine and seasonings and braise until the liquid thicken/reduced to a sauce).

[Gastro888]

Thanks for your help, everyone! All these hints are great! I just wish I had a crockpot. Shoot.

So can I simmer on the stovetop and then move it to a low (275) oven to finish cooking the oxtails? Would 4 hours of cooking be good enough to make them tender? I plan on cooking it tonight, chilling them, defatting them and then reheating and simmering for an hour tomorrow for dinner.

Edited February 6, 2007 by Gastro888 (log)

[annachan]

Thanks for your help, everyone!  All these hints are great!  I just wish I had a crockpot.  Shoot.

So can I simmer on the stovetop and then move it to a low (275) oven to finish cooking the oxtails?  Would 4 hours of cooking be good enough to make them tender?  I plan on cooking it tonight, chilling them, defatting them and then reheating and simmering for an hour tomorrow for dinner.

←

It think that should be enough time. Just check it after the 4 hours and see if the meat is falling off the bone or close to it. The small pieces should be fine, but the larger pieces may take longer.

Enjoy!

[Gastro888]

I'll post a picture of the final product tomorrow night. Here's what I did:

-Trimmed the excess fat off the tails

-Blanced in boiling salted water for about 7 minutes

-Drained the oxtail and the browned in hot oil. Removed from pan.

-Sauteed minced garlic, onion, carrots & Chinese chives in oil

-Seasoned w/ salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (I know...), allspice, and a bit of soy sauce

-Added the oxtail

-Added one can of chicken broth

-Added one large can of crushed tomatoes

-Simmered for two hours, removed the oxtail from the sauce

-Blast chilled the oxtail and the sauce (ok, ok, I put it outside where it's 9 degrees)

The dishes are in the fridge now waiting to be cooked again tomorrow. I didn't have enough time to simmer for four hours tonight so I decided to stop the cooking process and continue tomorrow. I used the crushed tomatoes b/c I wanted to try some hybrid Italian ragu/braise thing with the oxtails. Plus I know that a well made tomato based pasta sauce keeps on getting better the next day. Only problem is, how do I skim the fat from it? It seems harder with the tomatoes in the mix. Hopefully when I remove it from the fridge tomorrow, I can scoop off the excess fat. Anyone have any hints?

Thanks for all your help!

[jackal10]

Heston Blumenthal on Oxtail: http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1084124,00.html

AS it happens I am making this for dinner tomorrow, except that I will cook it 12 hours, cool, skim, reheat.

Served with

Onion and parsley dumplings

Red cabbage

Sprouts and chestnuts

Glazed carrots

A starch: maybe horseradish mash, or rice or quinoa to sop up the juice

Walsingham treacle tart to follow I think...

Edited February 7, 2007 by jackal10 (log)

[Gastro888]

So do I need to cook it for 12 hours? (I have in total about 10 pieces of oxtail.) I wonder if I should add some liquid to the pot tonight. It's about 3/4 of the way full. Should I add more chicken broth or more tomatoes? I fear things might be going amiss....

[tristar]

You could also try Sop Buntut a delicious Indonesian take on Oxtail soup, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, spring onions, golfball sized red skinned potatoes unpeeled, tomatoes, garlic, carrots and chinese celery combined with mouthwateringly tender oxtail in a clear broth. Hmmmmh!

[annachan]

So do I need to cook it for 12 hours?  (I have in total about 10 pieces of oxtail.)  I wonder if I should add some liquid to the pot tonight.  It's about 3/4 of the way full.  Should I add more chicken broth or more tomatoes?  I fear things might be going amiss....

←

No, it doesn't take 12 hours for the oxtail to cook through and falls off the bone. 4-6 hours should be plenty of time. In a crockpot though, it may take longer.

[Tepee]

When jackal10 talked about cooking it for 12 hours, it's probably at around a temperature of 55 deg C (correct me if I'm wrong). Long time low temperature cooking. Meat cooked that way is deliciously tender and flavourful. The colour is gorgeous too.

[nonblonde007]

I have on my counter, oxtails defrosting that I purchased a couple of weeks ago. Out of curiosity and my, of late, obsesion with trying all things new. I have never tasted or cooked this cut of meat before and am a blank page just waiting to be written! I have read a few posts stating that they are truly delicious and satisfying in chewy, beefy goodness. I am eager to find out. I would rather not do a stew or soup, I have found plenty of recipes for those. I want to use my fingers, slurp from the bone, chew on all of the different textures and savor the meat for itself. So, how do I do this? I love savory, rich meat dishes, am not adverse to spicy or pungant, and realy have just about any needed spice or veg that I might need for most recipes. So, what is your favorite and how do you prepair it? All suggestions and discussion welcome!

[Dejah]

I have on my counter, oxtails defrosting that I purchased a couple of weeks ago...  I would rather not do a stew or soup... I want to use my fingers, slurp from the bone, chew on all of the different textures and savor the meat for itself... I love savory, rich meat dishes, am not adverse to spicy or pungant, and realy have just about any needed spice or veg that I might need for most recipes.  So, what is your favorite and how do you prepair it?  All suggestions and discussion welcome!

←

Braising Chinese style with soya sauce, star anise, ginger, palm sugar, etc

Or, I would even attempt beef rendang if you don't want a stew or soup - just finger licking spicy sticky goodness.

Both of these methods require 3-4 hours of slow simmering that would allow for "slurping from the bone"

[Prawncrackers]

Hi Brenda, i love oxtail! It has a wonderful toothy gelatinous texture and deep flavour. Last cooked in a few months ago as it's definately a winter dish for me. The only way i know how to cook it is to slow braise as you would say a beouf bourguignon. It's quite messy to eat on the bone and it's probably better to strip the meat off after it's cooked.

Here's a pic of the last time i cooked it. I think i was attempting an alternative 'surf n turf' meal - Sea Bass, Oxtail & Kale:

I quite liked it, but the wife thought it was a bit of a weird combo...

[BrodeurR]

I have to third braising. Make sure to cook it a long time though. The first time I didn't cook it long enough, and although it was cooked through it was very hard to get off the bone. The second time I believe I braised it in a dark beer. Delicious!

[emsny]

And once you've braised it, let it cool, pick all the meat off the bones with your fingers, season it cunningly, and use it to stuff quickly blanched swiss chard or other sturdy leaves; make little parcels like stuffed cabbage, put them into a baking dish, top them with the braising liquid (defatted and checked for seasoning) and cook in the oven for, what, half an hour. Serve with mashed potatoes or, maybe, polenta. Sounds like a pain in the butt, but once it's braised the rest is clear sailing - and the hard work can be done in advance.

[BrodeurR]

And once you've braised it, let it cool, pick all the meat off the bones with your fingers, season it cunningly, and use it to stuff quickly blanched swiss chard or other sturdy leaves; make little parcels like stuffed cabbage, put them into a baking dish, top them with the braising liquid (defatted and checked for seasoning) and cook in the oven for, what, half an hour. Serve with mashed potatoes or, maybe, polenta. Sounds like a pain in the butt, but once it's braised the rest is clear sailing - and the hard work can be done in advance.

←

I know what I'm doing the next time I come across some oxtails!

[nonblonde007]

MMMMMMMMM all those suggestions sound so good! Thank you. I think a slow braise somewhat like osso buco, with perhaps some anise and Oyster sause added? Then with the left-overs, ( broad assumption) wrapped in the swiss chard as above, or even lettuce leaves and fresh herbs. Havn't decided yet. Should I par-boil? I would hate to lose any of the flavor. How about marinating overnight?

[david coonce]

Marinating is unnecessary for something you braise like this; slow-cooking something is the best of both worlds - it marinates as it cooks. I cook it in beef stock, a little tomato paste, a handful of coarsely chopped fresh herbs from the garden, a couple smashed garlic cloves and a little red wine. About 4 hours, at 250. Then let it cool, take it off the bone, and stuff it into ravioli or as part of a ragout.