Delicious Oxtail Stew Recipe to Warm Your Soul

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Oxtail Stew

Before anyone argues that oxtail isn’t offal. Technically, it is. I wasn’t nearly brave enough to try hearts or tripe. Mostly because I don’t think I could get over the grossness factor. Something about entrails really creeps me out. I’ll just stick to the visible bits, thanks. For this week’s challenge, offal, I spent a lot of time considering different things I wanted to try to make. Finally after much Googling, I decided upon Oxtail Stew. And it. was. delicious.

There’s actually quite a lot that goes into this recipe, and the cook time, while lengthy, is totally worth it. I prepped throughout the day, but the final product still took about 3 and a half hours. Whew!

What You’ll Need:

When it comes to making a delicious oxtail stew, the key is to use the right ingredients. Here are the basic ingredients you’ll need:

  • Oxtail – a tough, bony cut of meat that comes from the tail of a cow; flavorful and rich meat perfect for stewing
  • Yellow onion, carrots, celery & garlic – add flavor and aroma to the stew
  • Green onions – used for garnish and flavor
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – used to season the oxtail
  • Bay leaves – adds Earthy, slightly sweet, herbal, subtle flavor
  • Thyme – adds herbaceous, slightly minty, earthy, sweet and floral notes
  • Paprika – adds smoky, sweet, ground spice flavors

Let’s Talk about Oxtail:

Preparing oxtail stew can seem like a daunting task, but with the right steps, it can be a breeze. In this section, I will guide you through the process of preparing oxtail stew, from prepping the meat to simmering the stew.

Pick up some beautiful meat from your butcher. Or do what I did and stare into the meat case long enough for some kind employee to come over and ask you if you need “help?” Either way, oxtail was as strange as I was willing to try, especially after staring into a large bag of tripe debating if I needed any more stomach lining.

First, you will need to prep the oxtail. Trim your oxtail of any excessive fat with a sharp knife. Then season some flour with salt and pepper and gently toss your oxtail.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium to medium-high heat in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Working in batches, and not crowding the pan, sear the oxtails in the hot pan on all sides until golden brown. Use tongs to remove the oxtails to a plate, setting them aside.

You want it to be browned, but not cooked to the bone. A nice, brown, crusty sear shall do nicely.

While your meat sears, about 3-5 minutes per side, chop your veggies. I totally forgot the potato, though the dish was filling enough without it.

After your oxtail is browned, remove it and let rest on a plate while you toss the veggies into the same pot. Stir and reduce the heat slightly.

Here’s a little trick I learned when it comes to chopping up fresh herbs!

Once you’ve chopped up your herbs, toss them into the pot with the carrots, onions, and celery. Also add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until all the bits are bubbly and brown.

Pour in your beef stock, red wine and red wine vinegar. I added a touch of lemon at this point too. Bring this delicious concoction to a nice rolling boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat.

Finally, add your seared oxtails and bay leaves,

And now we wait….

When you notice the stew to start separating, it’s time to add the second 1/4 cup of flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time to avoid any clumps. Reduce the temperature to just below a simmer after you add your flour to the stew.

Heat your butter in a large pan and add your sliced shallots.

Only 20 Minutes to Go…

When the oxtail is all but falling off the bone, start your egg noodles and butter sauce.

Heat your butter in a large pan and add your sliced shallots.

DOUBLE PRO-TIP TIME

Here’s another herb chopping tip I’ve learned: SCISSORS! While this might be pretty common knowledge, I didn’t think to do this until about 2 years ago, Since then, rolling and using scissors have been my primary herb chopping methods.

At about 3 hours and 15 minutes, my oxtail were slowly losing their meat. The stew was delightfully thick, and the house smelled amazing.

Lastly, add the rest of your butter to your pan with the shallots and add your strained noodles. Mix it up!

In summary, prepping the oxtail, cooking the vegetables, combining the ingredients, and simmering the stew are the essential steps to preparing a delicious oxtail stew. With these steps, you can create a hearty, flavorful stew that will warm you up on a chilly day.

And there you have it! Oxtail isn’t so awful, it’s just OFFAL!

offal stew noodles

Oxtail Stew

The Starving Chef
Slow cooked offal oxtail stew on a bed of egg noodles makes for the perfect winter night meal.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Meat, Offal
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lbs oxtail
  • 16 oz beef broth
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 8 oz diced tomatoes canned
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 bag egg noodles cooked
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil for sauting

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and pat dry the oxtail. Trim excess skin and fat, season with salt and pepper.
  • Combine salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup flour in a large bowl. Add oxtail and toss to coat.
  • Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear oxtail for 3-5 minutes per side until browned.
  • Remove oxtail and drain excess drippings. Sauté onions, carrots, and celery in the same pan.
  • Add tomato paste and diced tomatoes, bring to a light bubble. Add bay leaves and herbs.
  • Pour in red wine, red wine vinegar, and beef stock. Bring to a rolling boil.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer. Add oxtail and bay leaves. Cover and cook for about 2 and a half hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
  • When the meat is falling off the bone, add remaining 1/4 cup of flour in 2 tablespoon increments to avoid clumping.
  • Heat butter in a large pan. Add shallots when it begins to brown. Add chives and cooked noodles, some lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
  • Lastly, remove the bone and place the meat in the center of a large plate of noodles. Ladle stew over it. Serve and eat!
Keyword Offal, soup, stew
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