Slow cooked Oxtail

This slow cooked oxtail is a delicious, rich and heart warming winter dish. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, polenta or even cauliflower rice to keep this dish low carb.

This is one of those dished that you make for Sunday dinner. It needs to cook slow and long. The longer the oxtail cook the softer it will become. To me the perfect cooked oxtail meat should “melt in your mouth” while falling off the bone all smothered in a rich meaty sauce.
This recipe calls for +/- 3hours of slow simmering. But if you have time on your side, try cooking it for longer, always just remember to keep an eye on the liquid levels.
You ideally do not want your oxtail to run our of sauce.

Toward the end of the cooking time, I will say the last hour or so.
Remove the lid of the pot. Also stop adding extra stock and remember to add in the zucchinis.
Allow the fluid to simmer and reduce. The sauce will become thicker.

It is always best to add the zucchinis last. They cook fairly fast, besides cooking them to long will cause them to break up and disappear in your slow cooked oxtail.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Kg Oxtail
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with, 10 ml salt & 5 ml black pepper
Olive oil for browning
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 Large carrots, Peeled and chopped
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 Celery Stalk, chopped
100g Green Beans
3 Zucchinis, chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 Rosemary spring
1 tin Chopped tomatoes
3-4 Cups Beef stock
15 ml Soy sauce
1/2 Cup Red Wine (Optional, If omitting use extra beef stock)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Cover the oxtail generously with flour mixture. In a large pot heat some olive oil, enough for browning. Brown the oxtail in batches, remove and set aside.
Now add the garlic, onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Sauté until just starting to soften.
Now add the red wine, if using. Allow the liquid to slowly boil and reduce to half of the amount.

Add the browned oxtail and tomatoes to the pot. Pour in 3 cups of beef stock, Bay leaves, Rosemary spring, Green Beans and Soy sauce.
Bring to boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and gently simmer for +/- 3 hours with the lid on. Check every 45 minutes, if the oxtail needs more liquid, add just enough stock to cover the oxtail.

Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking and allow the sauce to reduce, also add the zucchinis.

Serve the oxtail on top of rice, mash, polenta or cauliflower rice or mash.