Jamaican Oxtail Recipe
Jamaican oxtail starts with a flavorful marinade and cooks low and slow until the meat is tender and the gravy thickens into a proper stew. With butter beans added at the end, this dish feels like a full meal on its own.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Tongs
- Can opener
Ingredients
- 3 lbs oxtail pieces cleaned with fat trimmed
- 2 tbsp Caribbean green seasoning
- 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp seasoned salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp Jamaican browning
- 2 tbsp neutral high-heat cooking oil
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 scallion stalks chopped
- 4 thyme sprigs
- ½ tsp pimento seeds/allspice berries crushed
- 1 tsp grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 15 oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup beef broth
- Hot water enough for braising
Instructions
- Season oxtail with green seasoning, all-purpose seasoning, seasoned salt, black pepper, soy sauce, and browning. For best results, marinate overnight in the refrigerator and remove 1 hour before cooking.
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sugar and allow to foam (approximately 2 minutes). Do not allow the sugar to burn and turn black.
- Once the sugar is caramelized, add the seasoned oxtail pieces to the pot to brown/sear on both sides. Do this in batches in necessary so as not to overcrowd the pot. When browned, remove from the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Deglaze the pot with ¼ cup of beef broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom which will add flavor.
- Add the oxtail back to the pot along with the prepared onion, garlic, scallion, thyme, pimento seeds, ginger, and scotch bonnet pepper. Add the remainder of the beef broth and enough water to cover the meat. Cover with a lid and cook for an hour, checking on it every 30 minutes.
- Add the ketchup to the pot. Stir, then add more water to cover the meat, as by now the liquid has reduced. Cover and cook for another hour, and continue to check on it every 30 minutes.
- After two hours of cooking, the meat should be tender or nearly tender. If not, allow it to cook for another 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the butter beans, and add just enough water to ensure there is ample gravy. Cover once again, and allow to simmer for an additional 15-30 minutes, or until the oxtail is tender to your liking.
