Impress Your Guests with This Yummy Braised Oxtail & Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Over the past few years, Braised Oxtail has been featured more frequently in our San Francisco Bay Area restaurants, gastropubs, and on TV cooking shows. So, of course our curiosity got the best of us, and we had to see what all the fuss was about! This recipe is perfect for any home chef looking to impress their guests with a succulent and flavorful dish.

Oxtail isn’t anything new to the culinary scene — there are many Oxtail dishes, with variations originating from all over the globe. But what is it? Well, just as the name implies, it’s the tail of an Ox, though now it primarily comes from beef tail. So why is it called Oxtail and not beef tail?

Once upon a time, when the use of oxen was more prevalent, naturally, some would find their way to the dinner table. But over the years, oxen were replaced by machinery and essentially “phased out” from the dish, replaced with beef, but the name Oxtail remained. Although many cultures still use oxen where available.

So let get to it! Check out the detailed instructions below to make this exquisite dish in your own kitchen (it’s easier than you might think 😊). NOTE: Serve these Braised Oxtails with the Best Mashed Potatoes you’ll ever taste. Feel free to make them ahead but for better results – about an hour before serving.

Braised Oxtail Recipe (Serves More than Two, Great to Share!)

PREP TIME: About 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 2.5 hours (Don’t be intimidated by the long cooking time — the majority of the process is hands-off, and the end result is well worth the wait!)

Ingredients

2 lb. of fresh beef oxtail (pre-cut in chunks: our two packages had 8 pieces, various sizes), extra fat trimmed, and patted dry.
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (we used low-sodium)
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup of pressed brown sugar
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika (we used Bourbon Smoked Paprika from The Spice Tin)
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (reserve extra sprigs for serving)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon of ketchup
4 cups of beef broth (we used low-sodium)
1 can (16 oz) of Great Northern beans, drained (lima beans or butter beans are OK too)
Vegetable oil and butter – 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil & 2 tablespoons of butter
Water (to add to the broth if needed)

Instructions

1. Mix soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients: brown sugar, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.

3. Place your oxtails in a deep bowl. Add the wet ingredients from step # 1, and coat well; add the dry ingredients from step #2, and mix well with your hands. Set aside.

4. Heat the Dutch oven or a large cast iron pot to medium-high with two tablespoons of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of butter until hot, but not smoking.

5. Carefully place the oxtails, preferably in a single layer, and brown them for about 5 minutes, turning once or twice, until browned on all sides.

6. Remove from the heat, transfer the oxtails to a plate, and loosely cover with foil.

7. De-glaze or wash? We washed our Dutch oven before the next step of cooking the vegetables. So, don’t feel bad if you have to do it too. But you can also de-glaze it with broth, wine, or water.

8. On medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and a tablespoon of butter to coat the bottom of the Dutch oven. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium, add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, and sauté them until the onion is softened, and slightly golden, for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

9. Add the beef broth and ketchup. Stir and bring to a boil.

10. Add the browned oxtails to the vegetables. Mix through.

11. Reduce the heat to low, and cover with the lid. Let it gently simmer for about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Make sure that the oxtails are covered fully with broth. If not, pour a little water in it so that they stay covered with liquid. As the meat cooks, the aroma will fill your home, and you’ll be salivating in anticipation.

12. IMPORTANT: About 20-30 minutes before they’re done, gently stir in the beans. The addition of beans towards the end of the cooking process adds a lovely texture to the dish.

13. Check the oxtail with the fork, meat should be almost falling off the bones.

14. Remove from the heat, garnish with the sprigs of thyme, and serve at once! We loved it with mashed potatoes (recipe below) and a simple green salad on the side.

15. ENJOY!

The taste of the Braised Oxtails will be an explosion of flavor in your mouth! The smoky and savory flavors of the meat, combined with the sweetness of the brown sugar and the tanginess of the Worcestershire sauce — OH, SO GOOD!

The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe (Serves More Than Two, Share!)

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 40 minutes

Ingredients

3-4 large Russet Potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered
1/2 cup of cream cheese (the one with chives is the best)
1-2 tablespoons of horseradish (or to taste)
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of dried dill (or 3 tablespoons of fresh dill)
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Milk (optional for extra creaminess)
Green onion (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Put potatoes in a large pot of water and bring to a boil until you can easily poke a fork into them (about 20 minutes).

2. Remove from heat, drain potatoes into a colander, and transfer them to a mixing bowl or saucepan.

3. Immediately add cream cheese and butter. Mix well while the potatoes are hot.

4. Add all the other ingredients, except for milk, and stir well.

5. Use a hand blender to blend all the ingredients, adding milk to the desired creaminess, salt and pepper to taste.

6. Garnish with green onion and serve immediately.

It’s the perfect accompaniment to the Braised Oxtails and will leave you feeling satisfied and content.

There you have it – a mouth-watering recipe for Braised Oxtails with Mashed Potatoes that’s sure to impress your family and friends! If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ve probably tried this dish at a restaurant, but now you can make it at home!

For more delicious dinners, start with Spanish Tapas: Chorizo Al Vino, Braised Turkey Necks with Buckwheat, or Quick-n-Easy Sand Dabs recipes! And don’t forget to let us know how it turns out in the comments below, and subscribe to our blog!