Oxtail stew

Oxtail stew

1 h
Oxtail stew with chilli and black beans, flavoured with smoked pork belly, garlic and cumin. Best served with a hearty bread and a dollop of sour cream or cooking yoghurt.
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Instructions

  • Cut the pork belly into cubes. Peel the carrot, onion and garlic and roughly chop them.
  • Fry the carrot, onion and garlic in butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the oxtail and pork belly and brown while stirring.
  • Add crushed tomato, stock, water, vinegar and spices to the mix. Cover and cook on a low heat until the meat easily falls off the bone, approx. two and a half hours. Stir occasionally.
  • Remove the meat from the bone and return it to the stew.
  • Cut the pepper into pieces and add to the pot with the beans. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the pepper is soft.
  • Add salt, pepper and extra chilli flakes to taste, then a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy!

Oxtail stew

What kind of meat is oxtail?
Oxtail is the tail section of either beef or veal that is traditionally cut into thick pieces or chunks. Fall-off-the-bone tender when cooked low and slow, this cut of meat is arguably one of the most underrated delicacies with an intensely deep and rich flavour.
Should I remove fat from oxtail?
Some people prefer to skim the fat from their oxtail once the meat is cooked to tenderness. While you can cut it away before cooking, you run the risk of losing the flavour benefits that come from having the fat as part of the broth.
Can you eat oxtail raw?
While it is possible to eat a high quality, fresh cut of oxtail raw – at your own risk – but we wouldn’t recommend it. The meat also has a high ratio of tough connective tissue and a long, slow cooking process is required to transform the meat into the tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that it is known for.
Why is it called oxtail if it comes from a cow?
Back when this cut of meat was first eaten, it came from the tail of male cattle, known as an ox. These days, there’s no rule over which gender of cattle the cut can come from, but the name stuck.

Ingredients

Oxtail stew
Oxtails
1 kilo
Smoked pork belly or bacon
140 g
Carrots
150 g
Yellow onions
300 g
Garlic cloves
2
Butter
1 tbsp
Crushed tomatoes with chilli flavour
375 g
Beef stock
1½ tbsp
Water
500 ml
Red wine vinegar
75 ml
Ground cumin
1½ tbsp
Ground coriander
2 tsp
Yellow pepper
1
Black beans
400 g
Serve with
Sour cream
300 ml

A rich and delicious dish to help your purse

Though it has risen in price in recent years due to growth in demand, oxtail is one of the cheaper cuts of beef. Its suitability for cooking in larger batches of tasty stews means you can make this delicious dish go further, combining deep flavours with a lesser burden on your wallet!

The traditional uses of oxtail

A quintessential comfort food, oxtail is the star ingredient of anything from hearty stews and soups to flavour-packed stocks and braised dishes. As a fattier cut of meat, slow cooking generally delivers the best fall-off-the-bone results, so have patience!

The best way to marinate oxtail

Oxtail usually needs some help to shine, so simple combinations like minced garlic and thyme work well as a basic marinade that makes a real difference. A more complex but classic option is Jamaican-style marinade which typically combines sugar, ginger, pimento, chilli, thyme and salt to give the meat a real kick.

Side dish suggestions

This oxtail stew is versatile and goes well with a wide variety of side dishes. Classic options include rice, steamed vegetables, a simple salad or green beans. A healthy serving of creamy mashed potatoes is also a popular side dish, especially for saucy stews and slurping up every morsel of flavour that the dish has to offer.