Oxtail Stew Recipe
This oxtail stew recipe is warm, hearty, savory and so comforting! It simmers away until the meat becomes fall off the bone tender. This beef oxtail is incredibly flavorful. Great for family dinners, cold winter nights, meal prep and leftovers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This beef oxtail stew recipe is savory and delicious.
- It is mostly hands off.
- This classic Southern style recipe can be made in the slow cooker, a Dutch oven, or Instant Pot.
- Great for dinners, meal prep, and leftovers.
- The meat becomes so tender as it cooks.
- The carrots and potatoes make this a complete meal. No need to add any side dishes unless you want to!
- The broth can be thinner or thicker, giving this recipe a soup or stew feel.
- This recipe is Paleo friendly, gluten free, dairy free and nut free.
- For Whole30 and sugar free, use pomegranate juice instead of red wine.
- Check out this Whole30 Beef Stew or this Dutch Oven Beef Stew for another delicious recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this oxtail stew recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Beef oxtails can be incredibly flavorful! The longer they cook, the more tasty and tender they become. Fully thaw the frozen ox tails before making this recipe.
Season on both sides with sea salt and pepper.
Sear the oxtails in olive oil. This provides a beautiful color and delicious texture. Feel free to use avocado oil, vegetable oil or butter.
Finely chop the yellow onion. Use a white onion or sweet onion if desired.
Minced garlic adds a delicious garlicky flavor. If necessary, use garlic powder.
Both chicken broth and beef broth work well. If in a pinch, vegetable broth works fine.
Red wine adds a great depth of flavor. For an alcohol free version, I love using pomegranate juice.
Both carrots and potatoes become soft and tender.
Lastly, a little tapioca flour or cornstarch helps thicken the sauce. Be sure to really mix the liquid and flour before adding to the pot.
For even more flavor, feel free to add a little bit of ground thyme or a bay leaf.
What is Oxtail?
Oxtail is the tail of cattle. Surprisingly it is not limited to ox.
Oxtail is cut into chunks before selling. It is not a widely consumed cut of meat.
This meat is rich in gelatin. Due to its fatty knobby texture, it must be cooked for longer periods of time. A pressure cooker can be used. See below for those instructions. Most of the time, it is cooked in a stew or soup.
Ox tails weigh between 7 and 8 pounds usually. The tail is rich in gelatin and collagen. The chunks of meat vary in size. Since a tail becomes narrow at the end, chunks of beef tail are different in size.
Due to the cartilage and fat content, cooking long and slow yields the best results.
Taste & Texture
This beef oxtail stew recipe is so hearty! It tastes very similar to traditional beef stew. The meat becomes incredibly flavorful as it cooks down.
When cooked for long periods, the meat becomes melt in your mouth tender. Additionally, the carrots and potatoes are tender. The broth is slightly thick and savory.
How to Make
Step 1
First, season oxtails on both sides with sea salt and pepper.
Step 2
In a large Dutch oven or pot, add olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place beef oxtails in. This step is key for how to brown oxtails.
Step 3
Sear on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4
Then, add in chopped onion, minced garlic, broth and red wine. Simmer covered for 2 hours.
Step 5
After 2 hours, add in the chopped carrots and potatoes. Simmer covered for at least 2 hours, until veggies and meat are tender. Add more broth as needed.
Step 6
Just before serving, remove ¼ cup of the broth from the pot. Mix in a small bowl with the tapioca flour. Then, pour this slurry back into the pot. Stir to thicken.
Step 7
Finally, serve! Remove bones from meat.
Instant Pot Instructions
Although this cut of meat does best in a Dutch oven or slow cooker, a pressure cooker can be a quick shortcut. This is how to make oxtails in the Instant Pot.
- Turn pressure cooker on sear. Add in oil.
- Season meat on both sides with sea salt and pepper.
- Sear on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Then, add in all remaining ingredients except tapioca flour.
- Pressure cook on high for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes.
- Then, carefully remove remaining pressure.
- Remove ¼ cup of the broth from the pot. Stir in tapioca flour and return this slurry to the pot. Mix well.
- Finally, serve!
Slow Cooker Instructions
This is how to make slow cooker beef oxtail stew recipe.
- First, season tails and sear in a skillet over medium heat.
- Then, place in slow cooker.
- Add all remaining ingredients except tapioca flour inside.
- Stir.
- Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- Just before serving, remove ¼ cup of the broth from the slow cooker. Stir with tapioca flour. Pour into slow cooker. Stir until the sauce has thickened.
- Finally, serve!
Expert Tips & Tricks
Fully thaw beef before making this beef oxtail stew recipe.
Sear the tails on both sides. This creates added color, flavor and texture.
The longer the meat simmers, the more tender it becomes.
Chop carrots and potatoes into no larger than 1 inch cubes.
Mix a little bit of broth with the tapioca flour. Fully stir. Then completely stir into the mixture.
For a thinner soup texture, feel free to omit the tapioca flour step.
For added flavor, add in a pinch of thyme or a bay leaf.
How to Serve & Store
Serve this beef oxtail stew recipe hot and fresh!
Serve with a side salad or by itself. Or, serve with a piece of crusty gluten free bread.
Cook rice and make Jamaican oxtail and rice.
Make a homemade gravy and serve as beef oxtails and gravy. This is the ultimate comfort food!
Alternatively, serve as oxtail curry.
Top with fresh herbs if desired.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, add leftovers to a skillet over medium heat. Heat until warm.
If needed, freeze for up to 1 month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oxtail is typically from cattle. It also comes from oxen.
It tastes like a more beefy stew meat. The flavor is very similar to beef stew.
Yes, this cut of beef is affordable and usually cheap.
The longer this meat braises, the better. It becomes silky smooth, tender and juicy as it braises.
Sure! Make ahead of time and leave it in your crock pot or Dutch oven on low heat. Or, store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes, this oxtail stew recipe is gluten free as written. Be sure to double check all ingredient labels.
Equipment Needed
Pyrex Glass Measuring Cups: These heavy duty glass measuring cups are great for cooking and baking.
Dutch Oven: This is beautiful in person and very durable.
Instant Pot: This recipe can be made in the pressure cooker. This is the one I own and love.
Crock Pot: This slow cooker is great for this recipe.
You May Also Like
If you make this Jamaican oxtail stew recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Join my exclusive Facebook Group for a behind the scenes look. I would love for you to follow along! For more ideas, see these Lunch and Dinner Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Oxtail Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef oxtails
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups broth, chicken or beef
- 1 cup red wine, or pomegranate juice
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 cups diced gold potatoes
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour, or cornstarch
Instructions
- First, season oxtails on both sides with sea salt and pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, add olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place oxtails in.
- Sear on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add in chopped onion, minced garlic, broth and red wine. Simmer covered for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, add in chopped carrots and potatoes. Simmer covered for at least 2 hours, until veggies and meat are tender. You may need to add slightly more broth as it cooks down.
- Just before serving, remove ¼ cup of the broth from the pot. Mix in a small bowl with tapioca flour. Then, pour this slurry back into the pot. Stir to thicken sauce.
- Finally, serve! Remove bones from meat.
Notes
- Beef oxtails can be difficult to find. I like to order mine online.
- Sear the oxtails on both sides to create a beautiful color.
- Oxtails are known to be tough, so continue to simmer until meat is fall off the bone tender.
- Feel free to add in a pinch of thyme or a bay leaf for added flavor.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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11 Comments on “Oxtail Stew Recipe”
Hello Addison. I’ve already left a comment on this dish that you’ve responded to. I have a question though. Later this month, March of 2024, I’ll be preparing this for approximately 13 people. Your thoughts on how much oxtail and how many dutch ovens I’ll need? In my original comment, I feed four people with a bowl left over. Multiple x 4? Help.
Hi Brett! Yes, I would recommend multiplying everything by 4. That way, you should have enough food with some leftovers. I find that this stew is even better the next day. Enjoy your gathering!
This was a delicious stew. Easy to prepare with little effort. I used a cast iron dutch oven. Cooked it about 7 hours total and used 4 cups of stock and 1-1/2 cups of a merlot red wine by the time i served it. The meat was super tender and did melt in my mouth. Served 4 people with about a bowl leftover. It warmed the heart and soul on a 20 degree November night. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I was able to find the oxtail in store. About 10 bucks a pound.
Hi Brett! Thank you for the glowing review. I am so happy you enjoyed this oxtail stew recipe so much. Thank you!
So why do your recipe don’t have it for just cooking the stew in a stock pot? Everyone don’t have devices to cook it for them!
This stew is fabulous! The meat is unbelievably tender and the stew itself is so good, I wanted to lick my bowl! Yum!
I am so happy to hear that, Jenn! Thank you!
Oxtails are so overlooked! Love them for making bone broth but gave this stew a try instead this time and wow, it was delicious!
Super simple and my husband really loved it – was a bit scared to attempt oxtail but this was really great to follow. Thank you!
This was so savory! It was the perfect winter comfort food. Thanks for the recipe!
This is so flavorsome! I made some tonight and a massive storm rolled through, it was just perfect eating this while all snuggled up watching the lightning!