Paleo Oxtail Stew (Whole30, Keto)

Oxtail stew is a rich, savory dish of marinated beef, simmered for hours on the stovetop until perfectly tender. Enhanced with green seasoning and allspice, this popular Jamaican recipe is the ultimate comfort meal.

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

I know I’m not Jamaican but I cook a mean oxtail stew! When I first moved to Colorado from New York, I had a strong craving for the oxtail my cousin and I got from this little Jamaican cook shop at Flatbush junction in Brooklyn.

It was the best oxtail I ever tasted. It had the right amount of fat, tenderness and gravy. So I tried to replicate it. First going off of my own taste buds and then by looking up authentic Jamaican oxtail recipes online.

Soon I realized that Jamaican oxtail stew was very similar to Guyanese Beef Stew, with the exception of all spice. All spice is what gives oxtail stew its unique flavor. Not familiar with All Spice? Click HERE to learn more about All Spice and how you can start incorporating it into your cooking.

Why You’ll Love This Oxtail Stew Recipe

• Caribbean Comfort Food: Oxtail is braised in a flavorful gravy until it’s perfectly tender. Served with some white rice, it’s a hearty, filling meal.
• Easy: You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to make oxtail stew. Simply marinate, brown them, and let them stew for a few hours before serving.
• Paleo Friendly: But if you are like me and trying to be conscious about added sugar in your diet, or perhaps you are doing a Whole30 and wanted to expand your meal prep with some Caribbean Flavor! Then keep reading.

What are Oxtails?

Oxtails are cow tails. The beef is tough and fatty so it is often braised low and slow for the best flavor and texture. They are rich with iron (from the marrow) and collagen so they are perfect for stews and stocks.

Ingredients for Oxtail Stew

Oxtail is of course the main ingredient but the marinade is just as important.

• Oxtail: Most of the fat should be trimmed from the meat. When shopping for oxtails, try to select meatier cuts with the least amount of fat possible.
• Water: The liquid base of your stew. Some recipes use beef broth but that’s a bit salty for this recipe.
• Cooking oil: You can use vegetable oil or olive oil to brown the meat.

For the marinade

• Seasoningonion powder or granulated onion
• Seasoning: I use onion powder (or granulated onion), granulated garlic (or garlic powder), salt, ground all spice, cayenne pepper (skip if you don’t want the heat).
• Parsley flakes: or 1/4 cup of fresh parsley finely chopped
• Coconut aminos: In this recipe, I am using coconut aminos as a substitute for browning and brown sugar. Browning is a dark caramel made with cane sugar. For my more traditional oxtail recipe using browning and sugar, this Instant Pot Oxtail Stew.
• Tomato paste: This adds a natural sweetness that enriches the overall flavor.
• Spicy brown mustard: This adds a zesty quality and depth of flavor.

Green Seasoning:

This is a fresh mix of herbs and aromatics that penetrates the beef and adds so much flavor.

• Yellow onion
• Garlic cloves
• Cilantro
• Green onions

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Oxtail Stew

Prepare Green Seasoning

Combine all the green seasoning ingredients in a food processor and blend until a paste-like consistency forms.

Make Marinade

Combine all the marinade ingredients and the green seasoning in a large bowl and mix together until fully combined. Then add the oxtail and mix together until all of the oxtail pieces are fully coated with the marinade. Next, let the oxtail marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking or overnight for best results.

Cook Oxtail

When ready to cook add the oil to a large heavy bottom pot on high heat and bring up to temperature. Use medium heat if you are cooking with a cast iron skillet.

When the oil is hot add the marinated oxtail and sauté on high heat until the oxtail is seared (brown) on all sides. Browned oxtails take 5 to 10 minutes. Then add 3 to 4 cups of water and bring to a roaring boil. Let the oxtail boil for 5 minutes then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the oxtail until tender (this should take about 3 hours).

Once the oxtail is the desired tenderness skim the excess oil from the top of the stew and increase the heat to high. Cook down until the gravy/sauce thickens, then remove from the heat and serve with your favorite sides.

Storage

Once it has cooled to room temperature, transfer the oxtail stew to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will last up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months.

Allow frozen oxtail stew to defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stove over medium heat until warmed through.

Tips for the Best Oxtail Stew

• It’s all in the marinade. For the sake of time, I let the oxtail marinate for 30 minutes, but for the best results marinate overnight if you can.
• Sear the oxtail. It is important to give your oxtail a good sear to seal in all the flavors of the marinade before cooking. I love cooking my oxtail in a heavy bottom pot, such as a dutch pot or dutch oven. I sear the oxtail on high heat, constantly turning for about 5 minutes, then add liquids, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and let it cook until tender.
• Don’t rush the process. The key to this recipe is low and slow. This breaks down the connective tissue, resulting in fall-off-the-bone oxtail. Cooking at a higher heat to shorten the cooking time only results in tough beef.
• Once the oxtail cooks to the desired tenderness, skim the oil that collects on top. Oxtail is very fatty and even when trimmed before cooking there is a lot of fat left on the oxtail. Once you’ve skimmed excess fat from the stew, you may increase the heat to thicken the sauce/gravy. This should take about 5 additional minutes. I love to cook my sauce down until it is really thick and all of the flavors are concentrated in every bite.

Recipe Variations

• Slow Cooker: You can also make this dish in a slow cooker by following steps 1-5 and then transfer into the slow cooker. Add 1-2 cups of water and let it slow cook for 4 hours. 
• Pressure Cooker: If using a traditional pressure cooker to cut down on the cooking time after steps 1-5, add transfer into a traditional pressure cooker and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Then release the steam, remove the pot cover and cook down the liquids until a thick gravy forms, then remove from the heat.
• Instant Pot Oxtail Stew: It takes about 3 hours of cooking to get oxtail to the right tenderness on the stovetop. Don’t have that kind of time? Try using my Instant Pot recipe. Don’t have an Instant Pot? Click HERE to learn more about Instant Pots and to buy one.
• Add Tomatoes: In another version of this I added fresh tomatoes and it added a nice amount of acidity to the stew.
• Jamaican Oxtails: Add whole scotch bonnet pepper and bell peppers for authentic Jamaican flavor. (Use habanero pepper as a substitute.) You can also add broad beans or butter beans within the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions