How to cook oxtail
Ingredients (serves 6):
2 Tbsp oil, for frying
2 kg oxtail pieces
½ cup seasoned flour, for coating oxtail
6 baby onions, halved
1 bunch baby carrots, peeled
2 celery sticks, cut into small chunks
2 leeks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 chilli, chopped (optional)
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp corn flour
2 Tbsp beef stock powder
2 tins tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
250ml red wine
Salt and pepper, to taste
Creamy mash potato and chopped parsley, to serve
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat.
2. Coat the oxtail pieces in seasoned flour (regular flour with salt and pepper mixed through) and fry, in batches, for 3–5 minutes or until browned.
3. Transfer into the slow cooker bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker bowl and stir to combine.
4. Cover and cook on the low setting for 10 hours, or on the high setting for about 7 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone when it’s done. If the sauce is still watery, add a few tablespoons of corn flour paste to thicken it up before serving and season to taste.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can brown your meat in a cast iron cocotte, add all of the ingredients and let them simmer for a good ten minutes. Place the cocotte into the oven at 140°C for approximately 3 hours or until the meat is ridiculously soft.
Serve hot with creamy mash potato and a sprinkling of chopped parsley
