Slow-Braised Oxtail Stew Recipe
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
3 hours
Servings:
6 Portions
Ingredients
  • 4 pounds oxtail
  • Salt and pepper
  • Frying oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 ½ cups red wine
  • 1 (14-ounce) tin of tomatoes
  • 2 ½ cups beef stock
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Heat up 1 tablespoon of frying oil in a cast iron casserole dish with a lid, to medium-high heat. Season the oxtails with salt and pepper, and then brown them on all sides. Once the oxtails have reached a beautiful golden brown color, remove them from the pan and set them on a plate to one side.
  2. Reduce the heat of the pan to medium heat. You may want to deglaze the pan at this point with a little liquid, to get the most of the residue left behind. To do this, pour a little of the beef stock into the hot pan and agitate it around the pan to lift the delicious beef flavors. Transfer this liquid to a separate jug and place to one side.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of frying oil to the pan and then add the chopped onion, chopped celery, and chopped carrots. Sauté the vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and softened. The carrots will still be hard, but that is not a problem -- they will soften as they stew.
  4. Add the garlic, herbs, and cloves to the frying pan, and continue to cook everything for a few minutes until it is fragrant.
  5. Add the flour and mix it in, before pouring in the wine and the canned tomatoes. Mix everything together, then place the oxtails back into the casserole dish and add the beef stock, along with the liquid used to deglaze the pan.
  6. Place the lid on the top of the casserole dish and then place the stew into the oven for 3 hours. Check periodically and add a splash of water if the stew is looking a little dry. When the stew is done, the oxtail meat will fall off the bones. It can be served bone-in, or the meat can be shredded and mixed into the stew to be served boneless.