Thick at one end and skinny at the other with a bone running down the center, oxtail is sold cut into sections, which means you'll usually get a few big meaty pieces and a few really little ones. Because processing this cut is labor-intensive as it needs to be skinned and butchered with skill, the tail is one of the most expensive cuts of meat per pound—and 50 percent of its weight is just bone. But it is also one of the most succulent cuts when properly prepared.
Once considered to be just scraps from a butchered cow, the oxtail's appeal has been discovered by chefs and gourmands and become a staple in modern cuisine, even if Caribbean, Spanish, and Hispanic cultures have treated this cut with reverence for hundreds of years.
The oxtail has a lot of cartilage and connective tissue, so it needs to be cooked low and slow for a long time using moist heat. One such method is braising, which melts away all those sinewy bits and turns them into gelatin, yielding flavorful meat and a very rich and delicious sauce. Pressure cookers are also an option to cook oxtail, but nothing beats time and patience. Oxtail is best served with something to soak up the sauce, like pasta, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta.
Ingredients:
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3 to 4 pounds oxtail, cut into pieces
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1/4 cup canola oil, or other vegetable oil
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2 to 3 medium onions, diced
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2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed
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1 cup red wine
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4 cups beef stock
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1/4 cup tomato paste
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2 to 3 bay leaves
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1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
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1 sprig fresh rosemary
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Kosher salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions:
# Preheat the oven to 300 F. Pat dry the oxtail pieces well with paper towels to help the exterior achieve a better browning when searing.
# In a heavy, cast-iron Dutch oven or brazier, heat the oil over high heat. Add the oxtails and sear them thoroughly, turning to brown on all sides. Once they've developed a nice brown crust, remove the oxtails from the pan and set them aside.
# Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic to the pot. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions are slightly translucent.
# Add the wine and using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, scrape all the browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan.
# Return the oxtails to the pot along with the stock. Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, peppercorns, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
# Bring the heat to high until the liquid boils. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and carefully transfer the pot to the preheated oven. Cook for 3 hours.
# Remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid, and let the meat cool in the braising liquid while preparing the sauce. Ladle out about 2 cups of the braising liquid and pour them through a mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup. Skim off any fat from the top.
# Heat the butter in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, then gradually stir in the flour until a paste forms. Heat for a few minutes, stirring until the roux is of a light brown color.
# Whisk the strained hot cooking liquid into the roux a little at a time. Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes until thickened. Pass it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any lumps and season to taste with salt and pepper.
# Remove the oxtails from the pot, place them on a deep serving platter or individual plates, and spoon over a generous portion of the sauce. Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy.
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