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.
Course Keto, Paleo, Whole30
Cuisine Caribbean
Keyword best oxtail stew, best oxtail stew recipe, easy oxtail stew recipe, how to make oxtail stew, jamaican oxtail stew recipe, oxtail stew, oxtail stew recipe, oxtail stew with vegetables, paleo oxtail stew
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 hourshours
Total Time 3 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Servings 4Servings
Calories 999kcal
Author Althea Brown
Equipment
Heavy Bottom Pot such as a dutch pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
3lbsoxtailmost of fat trimmed from meat
About 4 cups water
2tablespoonsof oil for cooking
For the marinade
1tablespoonof onion powder or granulated onion
1tablespoonof granulated garlic
2tablespoonsof parsley flakes or 1/4 cup of fresh parsley finely chopped
1 1/2teaspoonsof salt
1/4teaspoonof Cayenne pepperskip if you don't want the heat
Combine all the green seasoning ingredients in a food processor and blend until a paste like consistency forms
Make the marinade:
To make the 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 the 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. This should take 5 to 10 minutes
Then add 3 to 4 cups of water and bring to a roaring boil
Let the oxtail boil of 5 minutes then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook oxtail until tender (this should take about 3 hours)
Then when 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
Notes
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. In another version of this I added fresh tomatoes and it added a nice amount of acidity to the stew.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.