Best Bajan Oxtail Stew Recipes

AFRICAN-STYLE OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Place celery, garlic, tomato paste, bouillon cubes, and water into a large Dutch oven; stir until the tomato paste has dissolved. Add peppercorns and bay leaves, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oxtail and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove oxtail from hot oil and place into Dutch oven. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet, reduce heat to medium, and cook the onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes; add to oxtail.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, recover, and continue to cook until the oxtail is tender, but not falling off of the bone, about 30 minutes.
• Remove oxtail pieces and place into a serving dish. Add kidney beans to Dutch oven and return to a simmer. Thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water, simmer for 1 minute until thickened and clear. Pour sauce over the oxtail.

JAMAICAN OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Season oxtails aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke ­- about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.
• Add the oxtails to the pot, working in batches, stirring each time to cover them with blackened sugar, then allowing them to cook, turning occasionally, until they are well browned. Remove oxtails to a bowl and keep warm.
• Add half of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with the pepper, the thyme, the allspice and a third of the scallions, and stir to combine. Allow to cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
• Return the oxtails to the pot along with any accumulated juices and put water into the pot so that the oxtails are almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook, covered, approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add remaining onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with another third of the scallions. Add sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the meat is yielding and loose on the bone, approximately one hour longer. Remove approximately one cup of liquid from pot and place in a small bowl. Add flour to this liquid and stir to combine, working out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add this slurry to the pot along with ketchup, then stir to combine and allow to cook a further 15 minutes or so. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Fold butter beans into the stew and allow these to heat through. Scatter remaining scallions over the top. Serve with white rice or rice and peas.

LASHELLA'S FAVORITE OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Wash and dry the oxtails. Add the meat to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the meat in the flour until lightly coated.
• Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the oxtails on all sides, in batches, until well browned. Transfer the meat to a plate and pour off some of the drippings, if necessary.
• Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, and garlic to the pot and saute until the onions are tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomato paste and toast. Deglaze the pot with the bottle of red wine and stir up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes with their juices and the bay leaves.
• Add the browned beef back into the pot along with any accumulated juices that may have collected on the plate. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook until the beef is tender and falling off the bone, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Stir in the mushrooms and cook uncovered, for 30 minutes more. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, if needed, and stir in the red wine vinegar to brighten the flavor. Remove the meat from the pot and pull the meat off the bones, then add back to the pot. Discard the bones. Transfer the stew to a serving dish and serve hot over Buttered Noodles.

BEST BAJAN OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Marinade: put the clean oxtail in a large bowl and add all the ingredients to the meat so it is completely coated. Cover bowl, refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Stew: Heat vegetable oil and brown sugar on medium in a large pot until the mixture turns a light brown. Add the oxtail and brown them for a few minutes per side. Add browning sauce and stir.
• Add water so that meat is almost covered. Turn heat up and add bay leaves, scotch bonnet pepper (make sure this doesn't break!), cloves and herbs. Cover pot and bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 hours, or until meat is extremely tender. Stir every 30 minutes and add hot water whenever necessary: meat should always be mostly covered.
• Remove scotch bonnet pepper carefully after about 1 1/2 hours of cooking. After 3 hours, or when the meat is done, add beef bouillon, ketchup, potatoes and carrots. Cook for another 30 minutes.
• Taste and see if you need to add anymore spices or salt. It should be perfect at this point. If the sauce needs thickening just add a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour. Serve with rice and peas and a side of coleslaw. Enjoy!

MAMA CHAN'S OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Place the oxtail and half the ginger coins in a large wide pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes. If foam forms on the surface, use a large wide spoon to spoon it off and discard.
• Carefully transfer the pieces with a slotted spoon or tongs to a colander and rinse under cold water. Place colander over a large bowl and set aside. Discard the water.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar together until combined. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large wide nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over high heat. Once shimmering, add the remaining ginger coins, the carrots and onions. Toss until the vegetables are well coated in the oil and slightly golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. This will prevent the carrots from breaking apart during braising. Transfer the vegetables to a 6-quart Instant Pot®.
• Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of canola oil and heat until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ketchup and bring to a full boil, about 30 seconds. Add the blanched oxtail pieces. Toss until the oxtail is fully coated. Add the oyster sauce mixture to the skillet and toss until everything is coated and the sauce is syrupy. Let simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with more soy sauce if needed. Transfer to the pot with the carrots. Add 4 cups of water.
• Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour 30 minutes (see Cook's Note). After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release and wait until the quick-release cycle is complete (this should take about 2 minutes).
• Being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid. Skim up to 1/2 cup of fat from the top of the stew. Set to high sear/sauté and add the tomatoes. Let cook, uncovered, until the tomato quarters have softened and are falling apart, about 15 minutes. Serve with rice.