Categorized | Beef
Savory oxtail in a rich and thick gravy.
Posted on 22 July 2009
My very first experience with oxtail was not a pleasant one and it was years until I tried it again. This is going back about 19 years ago when my good friend Richard was just starting off his Dj and music production escapades. Richard, Allyene and myself were on one of our weekly runs to the Toronto to pick up the latest releases from Jamaica (I believe it was on Eglinton Ave), back in those days it was 33′s and 45′s and not cds as we have today. We stopped off at one of the many Caribbean fast-food restaurants that populate the area to grab some food to eat on the trip back to Hamilton. I don’t recall what the other fellas got, but I do remember hungrily eating away at the oxtail with rice and peas. Then it hit me. A sharp-cut bone stabbed me in the roof of my mouth. I can still remember the pain that sucker put on me. I stopped eating (well couldn’t) immediately and between cussing and grimacing from the pain, I promised to never touch the stuff again. Took me a few years to get over that fear of being attacked by sharp-cut oxtail bones.
Here’s a simple recipe for stewed oxtail which I tested perfected yesterday… no sharp edges to hurt you 
You’ll need…
2 lbs oxtail cut and trimmed into 1-2 inch pieces
1 tomato diced
1 onion sliced thin
1 stalk celery diced
black pepper (fresh ground is best) 1/4 teaspoon
hot pepper (I used 1/2 habanero) this is optional
1 tablespoon green seasoning
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard (nothing fancy)
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger 9I used the bottled stuff)
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 lime / lemon or vinegar (4 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon ketchup
* If you don’t have the green seasoning prepared. Use a combination of green onions (scallions), cilantro or shado beni and thyme. About 1 tablespoon each…chopped very fine.
Start by placing the cut pieces of oxtail in a large bowl (remember to remove as much fat as you can – keep it a bit healthy) and squeeze the lime or lemon juice on it. Use vinegar if you don’t have limes or lemons. Pour some water (not the water mentioned in the recipe) in the bowl and wash each piece of oxtail. If your butcher used a band-saw to cut the pieces for you, there’s the chance that there may be some gritty stuff from the cut bones left on the meat. Rinse with cold water as need. Drain and get ready for seasoning.
The seasoning consist of all the ingredients mentioned above, except the oil, sugar and 4 cups of water. Mix well and allow this to marinate for at least 2 hrs in the fridge.
As we’ve done in other “stew” dishes, we have to bring the oil to a high temp in a heavy pot and add the brown sugar. Stir so the entire lot changes colour evenly and get to the perfect point to add the seasoned meat. The key is allowing the sugar get to a caramel colour, so each piece of oxtail will get browned evenly. The pics below will show you what to look for.
When the sugar gets like the pic directly above, start adding the seasoned pieces of oxtail. Stir, reduce to medium heat and cover. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Then bring the heat back to high and burn off all the liquid (remove the lid). Stir during this process so the pieces of meat gets coated evenly. Add the 4 cups of water to the bowl that had the seasoned meat to pick up any remaining seasoning that was left behind. When the liquid dries up in the pot, add the 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil (covered), then reduce the heat so it’s a gentle simmer. PATIENCE.. allow this to cook, stirring occasionally for about 1 3/4 hours. Then remove the lid and turn up the heat so you can achieve a nice thick gravy. Remember to turn off the heat and remove from the burner when you have a thick gravy or risk not having any of that nice rich sauce.
In the coming months I’ll share a couple other ways to cook this popular Caribbean meat. One in the oven (didn’t want to turn on the oven since it’s summer time here and we don’t need all that heat in the house. And the other way is a more traditional Jamaican way. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to leave me your comments or questions in the area provided below.
108 Responses to “Savory oxtail in a rich and thick gravy.”
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I tried a dish like this from when I was with one of my. Ex boyfriends (was kind of skeptical but loved it) and I will be getting mareied October 23,2011 and wanted to have oxtail at the reception but didn’t know how to make it properly so I thank you for your post.
Have a wonderful day!
This looks absolutely delicious. I have not had oxtail soup since I was 10. Your photos have me drooling…
Hello Chris, if I wanted to make the oxtail in a pressure cooker to speed up the time, to cut down on the 1 3/4 hours of cooking time on the stove…..I am hungry just looking at the pics. Can't wait to try it!
Dear Chris,
Try browning your ox tail as you recommend in a pressure cooker, and add water and pressure for 30-40 minutes. The ox tail aflls off the bone when cooked this way.
I usually cook this with split peas and add the veg after to make a beautifull soup.
Don't forget the dumplins.
Thank you for this recipe. Oxtails are one of my favorite dishes.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe on "Savory Oxtail in a Rich and Thick Gravy!!!! This was my first time trying it and I'm a southerner but significan other is a decendent from Jamaica. Somehow it came out unbelievable WONDERFUL. However, I did encounter a small problem. The recipe didn't exactly say when to put in the bowl ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, cilanto, etc. I put the ingredients in after browned the oxtail and was about to pour in the water but decided to allow the ingredients to cook for about 30 minutes before. Was this right. I did add oxtail seasioning too.
after seen this oxtail's recipe, i cooked oxtail, the same day, for my girlfriend who likes oxtail a lot, and it came out pretty good.
This recipe looks greatt!! I plan on making this tomorrow for my boyfriend and I! Will cooking in the slow cooker create that thick gravy and is the sauce a spicy gravy?! My boyfriend loves the heat of Jamaican Oxtails thanks!!
I made this last night for my husband and I. We both loved it! I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, except I marinated the meat overnight instead of just a few hrs (time constraints, so I couldn't cook that night) and I didn't use habenero peppers because I didn't have any. I used small sweet peppers instead. The gravy was so delicious! Reminded me of the oxtail stew my grandmother used to make. Her mother was Jamaican. Thank you so much for helping me to prepare foods that remind me of my roots. Will be trying other recipes soon.
I was reading a post of someone whose oxtail tasted burnt and Chris was correct that was overbrowning the sugar. For those who aren't familiar with burning sugar learn to do it gradually its better to go buy a bottle of Cross and Blackwell not the cheap stuff that's too black or taste burnt spend the extra dollars and get your cross and blackwell. When the meat is seasoned and ready rub the corss and blackwell on the meat just enough to make it light brown. When it hit the oil and you start sturring it will get darker, this is a good way to control the color and not get the burnt taste. Nothing wrong in using your Cross and Blackwell I don't burn sugar anymore, I personally hate the taste even though I have perfected it. Happy cooking everyone stick with Chris his recipes are the bomb.
Thanks for the suggestion
Im making the Oxtails now! I normally get a plate of Oxtails from Caribbean Cuisine here Killeen, Tx..they look just like the ones in the restuarant! ill kee you posted on how they come out. I go back home to my husband next week so Im doing a test run this time around. Im also cooking island rice & peas and plantains!
Thank you so much for this Oxtail recipe, I haven't made it in a while because my kids won't eat it, but I grew up back home in Aruba eating Oxtail that my mom prepared, and she always made droppers ( dumplins) and added to the sauce. I just love this recipe and I will try it, even if I hav to eat it alone…..I live in Amsterdam The Netherlands, and I never heard of cilantro, guess we hav it, but I'll just have to ask by the chinese shop so I can make green seasoning. Once again thank you for this great recipe, and I can't wait to try it.!!
I love to add butter beans to my oxtail.
Adding dingleberries is also quite nice
How many people does serve?
This gets better every time I cook it…Thank You
Finally!! Of all the oxtail recipes I’ve seen online yours is the first to do the browning process like I do… I haven’t made oxtail in a while so I wanted to look online to brush up… The browning is absolutely the most important part!!! I use white sugar and it turns brown as it caramelizes… Keep up the good work and I look forward to receiving some of your recipes in my inbox!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for all your excellent dishes. I have a question for you, what type and of brown sugar do you use to cook and or brown your meat with. This information would be a great.
Thank you
loving your recipies and information bless up chris
I try this recipe last night and it was awesome!