Oxtail is a delicious meat that, when properly cooked, is wonderfully moist and full of flavour. While there are many ways to make oxtail, the spices and seasonings of the West Indies are among my very favourite.
Today we are going to look at how to braise oxtail stove-top in a Dutch Oven.
To begin, you want to heat some olive oil in the bottom of your Dutch Oven on the burner over medium-high heat. Season the oxtail liberally with black pepper and with salt to taste. Add your oxtail pieces when the oil is heated and brown the oxtail, stirring it regularly to make sure you achieve a consistent browning.
As you are browning the oxtail add the following seasonings to the meat. The portions used were for around 3 pounds of oxtail:
2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon jerk seasoning
1 tablespoon mustard powder
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
Make sure to stir it all very well so that the seasonings are well distributed among the oxtail pieces.
When the oxtail is browned and the all the seasonings have been added, scrape any bits of meat or seasoning off the bottom so that they are loose and pour enough beef broth into the oven to just cover the meat. To this add 2-3 large pieces of crushed ginger, 2 bay leaves, 1-2 teaspoons of a Caribbean style hot sauce (I used El Yucateco's Caribbean hot sauce) and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on the stove-top for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. You want to put the lid on, but leave it slightly askew so that it is a little bit open.
Stir the meat and broth up every 45 minutes or so while maintaining the simmer. While this should not happen if properly simmered, if you feel the liquid has reduced too much you can add a little more broth as necessary.
When finished the meat will literally fall off the bone when pulled with a fork. The slightly spicy, rich broth will serve as a nice gravy to pour over the meat when served as well as any rice on the side. If you wish you can thicken in with a bit of flour after cooking.
This oxtail dish is best if served with rice or rice and peas and goes very well with coleslaw, ice cold beer or red wine.
Enjoy.
See also: 12-Hour Slow Cooked Caribbean-Style Oxtail
See also: Caribbean Style Goat with Potatoes in a Dutch Oven
See also: Michael's West Indian Flavor: Perfect Oxtail in New Toronto
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