Oxtail
I am going to venture a guess and say most of you reading this have never eaten oxtail. I would firmly include myself in that group as well. There is a Caribbean restaurant I have been to that had it on the menu and I was very tempted but opted for the jerk chicken instead and that is a decision I regret every day. The jerk chicken was great but the oxtail could have been other-worldly. It is very succulent, full of unctuous goodness.
Where does the Oxtail come from?
This is an easy one. It comes from… yep, you guessed it. The tail!
Traditionally the oxtail only came from male steers but it can come from females as well. Oxtail usually comes cut up into cross-sections about 1 1/2 or 2 inches thick with a nice bone in the middle. Oxtails are very bony and have a lot of collagen and connective tissue in them .
How To Cook Oxtail
Oxtail are somewhat common in many different ethnic cuisines. If you go to any Caribbean restaurant worth its salt they will definitely have oxtail on the menu (by way of West Africa). Oxtail is also common in many Asian cultures like Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, and China. There also some popular Italian and Spanish dishes made with oxtail.
With all the bones, collagen, and connective tissue in them oxtails are just asking to be braised or made into a number of different soups and stews. They will usually need to be cooked 2-4 hours but recently many modern chefs have taken a shortcut and use a pressure cooker to break down all the connective tissue much quicker.
Here are some examples of some different ethnic dishes made with oxtail:
Oxtail Stew – This is a fairly traditional Jamaican preperation with some vegetables and butter beans
Jamaican Oxtail Stew – Another take on the Jamaican dish with more spice and seasoning than the previous one
Another Jamaican Oxtail Stew – So many of these look delicious
Coda Alla Vaccinara – Mario Batali’s take on this classic Italian dish
Roman Oxtail Stew – Overall somewhat similar to a standard pot roast with a few additions
Kkori-gomang – Korean oxtail soup
Wine Braised Oxtail – Not sure what the origins are of this one but it looks delicious
Oxtails with gravy – Kind of a southern soul food take on oxtails
In many senses if you have a short rib recipe you can probably substitute oxtails and be just fine. Some people serve oxtails all picked off the bone but if I were serving them I would let the eaters pick up the oxtail with their hands and suck all the meat off.
Where to buy oxtail
Most grocery stores will probably carry oxtail. If yours doesn’t check some Asian markets that sell meat or if there is a large Caribbean population in your area there is sure to be a grocer that will sell it. And you can always talk to your butcher or even someone in the meat department at the grocery store to see if they can get it for you. Oxtail will probably cost you anywhere from $3-6 per pound so you can do a nice big stew for around $12-15 or so.
Like what you read? Be sure to share it with your friends and come back tomorrow to learn about another cut of beef.
