Braised Oxtail Ragu Recipes

OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking pan large enough to hold the oxtails in a single layer.
• Place chopped onions and garlic in prepared pan. Rub oxtail sections with olive oil; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange on top of onions. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Turn oxtails and continue roasting until well browned, another 20 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
• Pour in wine vinegar, tomato sauce, chicken stock or water, rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, and red chili flakes to the baking pan; stir. Pour the entire mixture into a large pot. Place over medium-high heat until sauce begins to simmer. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until meat easily separates from the bone and is very tender, about 4 to 5 hours. Skim off fat before serving.

BRAISED OXTAIL

Steps:

• Toss the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Take oxtails out of marinade and reserve onion mixture. In a heavy-bottom braiser over medium-high heat, brown both sides of oxtail in batches in olive oil, drain excess oil leaving just enough to saute onion mixture and thyme. After the onions and thyme are sauteed return oxtails to braiser and add enough water to cover 1/4 of the oxtails. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer. Put cloves and allspice into a sachet or tie in a cheesecloth, and submerge in liquid. Season with salt, cover, and put into a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Then add tomatoes, red and Scotch Bonnet peppers. Stir well and return pot to the oven for half an hour or until oxtails are tender. Check to see if additional water is needed during braising process. Seasoning with more salt is recommended when finished.

ROMAN BRAISED OXTAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Set a roasting pan over medium heat. Peel and dice the carrot, onion, and half the celery (including leaves). Add oil to the roasting pan, followed by the vegetables and the pancetta. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft and pancetta begins to crisp up, 15 minutes.
• Season oxtail with salt and pepper on both sides. Nestle into the roasting pan alongside the vegetables in an even layer to brown. Brown 5 minutes per side, then continue cooking another 5 minutes.
• Remove oxtails to a platter. Add tomato paste to the roasting pan, and stir to deglaze, 1-2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add wine, and stir, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom, 1-2 minutes. Add tomato purée, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Place oxtails back in the pan in a single layer. Braise in the oven, uncovered, 1½ hours. (Oxtails will be braised for a total of 2 hours or more.)
• After 1½ hours, remove oxtails from oven. Slice remaining celery stalks (including leaves) into 3-inch-by-¼-inch strips. Add celery and marjoram. Turn oxtails over. Place back in the oven to braise for 30 minutes more.
• Oxtails are done when the meat is fork tender. To serve, place oxtails on a large platter with the sauce and the celery. Serve immediately.

WINE-BRAISED OXTAIL

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper and allspice. Add oxtail to bowl and rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat an 8-quart Dutch oven, or a heavy soup pot with a lid, over medium-high heat. Add oil and warm through. Add as many oxtail pieces as you can fit in a single layer without overcrowding the pot. Sear, turning occasionally, until the meat is uniformly golden brown all over, including the sides. Transfer meat to a plate; repeat until you've browned all the oxtail.
• Add shallot to the pan drippings and cook over medium heat until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add carrot and celery root and cook 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and two-thirds of the garlic (save the rest for garnish) and cook 1 minute.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour wine and stock into pot. Bundle parsley sprigs, rosemary branches and bay leaves with kitchen twine and drop into pot. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
• Return oxtail to pot and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning oxtails every 30 minutes, until meat is fork tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Transfer oxtails to a plate. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices and discard (there will be a lot of it). Toss oxtails with remaining pan gravy. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. In a small bowl, toss together chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Scatter mixture over oxtails and garnish with the celery leaves, if using, before serving.

BRAISED OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Pat the meat dry with paper towels then dust with the flour, tapping off any excess. Season with salt and pepper on all sides. Place a 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and when glistening, add the meat (metal tongs come in handy here) and sear on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and nutmeg. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the meat and enough water to just barely cover meat. Return to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bones. Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the pieces of meat to a plate. Skim any visible fat from the surface of the sauce. Pick the meat from the bones, pulling away and discarding any pieces of fat, and then return the meat to the pan. Pluck out the bay leaves, and sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Serve atop gnocchi or any pasta meant to withstand a hearty sauce. The ragù can be made a few days ahead; keep covered and refrigerated, then reheat over medium-low heat. This is a hearty, chunky sauce. If you prefer something more uniform in texture, blend a portion or all of the sauce in a blender.

BRAISED OXTAILS WITH RIGATONI (CODA DI BUE BRASATA)

Steps:

• In a bowl, cover the oxtails with cold water. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add oxtails, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, working in batches if necessary. Cook until both sides are nicely browned; transfer to a slow cooker as they finish.
• Add the wine to the skillet to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan, then transfer to the slow cooker. Add the vegetables, garlic, herbs and tomatoes with their juices. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low 6 hours or high 3 hours.
• Cool to room temperature. Remove the oxtails to a plate. Skim as much fat as possible from the surface. Puree the vegetables with a blender or immersion blender, or use a potato masher for a chunkier sauce.
• Remove the meat from the bones and shred coarsely, then return to the sauce. (This step can be skipped and the oxtails served intact, if preferred).
• Prepare the rigatoni according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining. While pasta cooks, reheat the sauce.
• When the pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the pasta cooking pot with half the sauce. Bring to a boil, gently tossing to coat the pasta with sauce. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking water if needed to get the right consistency. Add the cheese, adjust salt and pepper and serve with the extra sauce ladled on top.