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Looks interesting, but I’ve never heard of ‘Curry Oxtails’… a comment left after I posted a pic of this “Ultimate Curry Oxtails” on the facebook fan page earlier today. With the natural toughness and sort of gamy finish of oxtails, it would be a natural fit for cooking in a rich curry sauce. The bones will release a ton of flavor as we’ve proven when we did curry goat in previous recipes.

The goal here will be to create the perfect curry sauce to slowly braise the pieces of oxtails in, until the meat is falling off the bones with delicious goodness.

You’ll Need…

4 lbs oxtails cut and trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon veg oil
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tomato (diced)
1 onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (diced fine or crushed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
4 allspice (pimento) berries
4 sprigs thyme
5 cups water
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (or cilantro)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 cup diced celery
thick slice of ginger – optional

Trim off as much fat as you can off the oxtail pieces, wash and drain. Then season with salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, tomato and ketchup. Mix well and let marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

Heat the oil in a heavy/deep pot on medium heat, then add the diced onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Now add the curry powder (heat still on low) and toast for another 3-4 minutes. This step will awaken the spices which makes up the curry blend.

Add a bit more oil if it’s overly dry. The curry will go darker and grainy – that’s natural. Raise the heat to high and go in with the seasoned oxtail pieces. Stir well to coat with that lovely curry goodness we created. The wet pieces of meat will deglaze the pot.

Meanwhile in the same bowl you marinated the oxtail, add the water and move around to pick up any remaining marinade (set aside). Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. It will release natural juices.. as it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 10-15 minutes. Remember to stir. Then remove the lid, turn up the heat and burn off all that natural liquid. We’re infusing the oxtails with that rich curry sauce.

When you start seeing the oil we started with at the bottom of the pan it’s time to go in with the water, thyme, WHOLE scotch bonnet pepper, diced celery and all spice berries. Bring this to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover the pot. Lets that slowly braise for a couple hours, until tender. This is where you would add it to a pressure cooker (less water though) or slow cooker if you choose to go that route.

Since we started with oil and knowing that oxtails can be VERY fatty, halfway through cooking you’ll need to use a large spoon and skim off some of the fat you’ll see at the surface. No matter how you trim the oxtail pieces, you will get fat. PLEASE remove that.. lets try to do things a little healthy.

After 2.5 to 3 hours (depends on how tough the oxtails you got are), it’s time to remove the lid, bring up the temperature and burn off the liquid until you have a nice thick gravy. Remember to NOT break the scotch bonnet pepper unless you want that raw Caribbean heat. Taste for salt and after you’ve got tender pieces of oxtails in that wicked curry sauce, it’s time to shut the stove off and top with the chopped shado beni (culantro). If you cannot source shado beni, feel free to use cilantro.

Do remember to remove the sprigs of thyme and scotch bonnet before serving and be mindful that the allspice (aka pimento in Jamaica) berries will be in the gravy. This is indeed the ultimate curry oxtail recipe – I assure you. IMPORTANT! If doing this the gluten free way do pay attention to the ingredient list above, especially the ‘curry powder’ as some brands of curry tend to add flour as a filler to their curry blend and will not conform to your gluten free dietary needs.

Curry goat or goat curry as it’s called in Guyana is one of those dishes you immediately think about when you envision Caribbean cuisine and rightly so, as it’s something you’ll find being prepared on just about every island in the Caribbean. Though the recipe may differ from island to island one thing is common – it must be tender. This usually means cooking it slowly for at least a couple hours to the point where the meat falls off the bones. And though you now get boneless curry goat at the many Caribbean take-out restaurants, the pieces with bone is still the traditional cut of goat meat to use. It can be argued that there’s much more flavor in the bones.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs goat
1 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
1 medium onion sliced
4 cloves garlic crushed or sliced thin
3 sprigs thyme
1 tomato sliced
5 red birds eye pepper (or 1/2 scotch bonnet)
1 scallion
1 teaspoon curry powder for seasoning the meat
2 tablespoon curry powder for cooking
1/2 teaspoon amchar masala (optional but goes well with this dish)
1 tablespoon Caribbean green seasoning
2 leaves shado beni (bhandhanya)
1 teaspoon ketchup
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups water

Notes: I like using goat with the bones, but if you prefer (and can afford it) you can certainly used boneless goat.

Season the washed goat with the salt, black pepper, Caribbean green seasoning, amchar masala (roasted ground cumin will work as well), ketchup (adds a nice acidic layer), teaspoon of curry, the chopped tomato and the chopped scallions. Mix well and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight may give even better results.

Heat the vegetable oil in the pressure cooker (same steps if you’re not using a pressure cooker) on med/high heat and toss in the diced onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and let it cook slowly for 3-5 minutes. With the heat still on low, now toss in the curry powder (2 tablespoon – I use a madras blend made in the Caribbean) and stir well. Let that go for another 3 minutes or so on low heat to cook off the raw curry taste. Add the peppers, cook for a minute and then add the seasoned goat.

Turn the heat up as you want to sear the meat and allow it to pick up some of that lovely curry colour and flavor from the bottom of the pot.

After 10-15 minutes on high heat, top with the other ingredients and secure the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook for 30-35 minutes as per your pressure cooker instructions.

Ensure the pressure cooker is cool before opening (release air and run cool water over it if in a rush). You should now have tender curry goat, but the gravy may be runny for your liking. With the lid off, put the open pressure cooker back on the flame (high) and burn off the liquid until you have a gravy the consistency you like.

TIP. Goat can be notoriously fatty, so what I usually do is after it’s done pressure cooking I allow it to cool completely (before thickening the gravy) and in doing so you’ll see a thin layer of fat at the top form (very thick). Spoon that out and discard. Now turn up the heat to get the gravy right.

By cooking this curry goat in the pressure cooker we cut the cooking time by about 2/3’s, so if you’re ever pressed for time, this pressure cooker curry goat recipe will come in handy. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you’ll have to bring the pot to a boil after adding all the ingredients, then reduce to a gentle simmer for about 2 to 2.5 hours (lid on). Remember to stir and do check to see if there’s enough liquid as it cooks slowly.

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cooking curry

The Ultimate Curry Oxtail Recipe.

How To Cook Curry Goat In A Pressure Cooker.

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