Oxtail stew | Beef recipes | Jamie magazine (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to brown oxtails before cooking? ›

Put the meat in the oil and sear each side for a couple of minutes. Browning your oxtails will not cook the meat. Instead, it will enhance its color and aroma by caramelizing its exterior. Browning beef oxtails in a hot skillet before braising will also add rich depth and flavor to the meat.

Washington says that historical subsistence foods like oxtail, saltfish and callaloo were once considered poor man's food, and over time gained prestige and financial value. “They held a certain social richness in that it was a path forward, a map towards what our ancestors ate,” she explains.

As the meat braises, the collagen inside the cut cooks down and becomes gelatin; as it dissolves, the meat's fibers relax and tenderize. However, if the cooking temperature is too high, these muscle fibers will shrink and seize up, toughening.

There is a good amount of fat and collagen that melt into your dishes as oxtail cooks, which will give a wonderful round texture to sauces and that slightly sticky feel to the meat. And the bonus flavor from the bone marrow that will cook into your dishes make this cut one to really get to know and not be afraid of!

By soaking and blanching the oxtail before cooking any impurities are removed. To cook: Oxtail requires long, slow cooking to produce tender, succulent meat.

Fill with enough water to cover oxtails and place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook oxtails until tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Oxtail is the tail of a cow. A long time ago, it came from the tail of an ox, but now it comes from the tail of a cow of either sex. The tail is skinned and cut into sections.

Oxtails are seen primarily in Caribbean and Soul Food restaurants. Inspectors who do not have a number of these facilities in their jurisdiction might not recognize what they are and how they should be handled. Oxtails are beef and should be cooked to 145°F.

Oxtail Nutritional Profile

Contains monounsaturated fats, reducing bad cholesterol levels and supporting cell development. A good source of iron, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus, supporting blood cell production, immune function, antioxidant activity, and bone health.

It is very hard to digest and can cause stomach pains and cramps! On top of that, if you eat too much oxtail that had to travel (especially to cold regions) over time, you might experience throat pain and intestinal swelling.

Why do Jamaicans eat oxtail? ›

The origin of stews like oxtail can be traced back to our colonial heritage. Enslaved Africans on plantations were given very meager amounts of protein and often had to make do with cheaper cuts of meat or ends of slaughtered animals to add protein to their diets.

This is definitely a dish to enjoy in a casual setting, since the best way to eat oxtail is to hold the bones in your fingers and chew on them until every particle of meat has been consumed.

OK, so if you find that your brown stew 'oxtail' dish has a more bitter taste, this is more than likely due to using too much browning sauce. No worries---you can fix this! Simply break up the bitter taste with a bit of ketchup, brown sugar, and additional stock. This should help!

Use a pound of oxtail per person; 3-3.5 pounds (bone included) should be enough for three adults. Let oxtail cook as long as possible in a slow cooker for meat that falls off the bone. At the shop, ask the butcher to saw the oxtail into pieces no more than 2 inches thick. This will make cooking it easier.

While it's not absolutely necessary to brown the oxtails before stewing them, I do highly recommend it. Browning meat results in caramelization (the Maillard reaction) which greatly enhances the flavor of the finished stew.

“If you leave any parts not browned, you are leaving flavor behind." Wondering about seasoning? Stockton suggests seasoning your meat one day (or at least 10 hours) ahead of time, then letting it sit uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator.

"The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish." If you are making a slow-cooked recipe that calls for ground beef, like chili, beef stew, or meat sauce, browning the meat beforehand makes a huge difference.

The idea behind coating meat with a sprinkling of flour before browning in a hot pan is pretty simple: Flour is full of starch that will caramelize quickly and give a deeper color and flavor.