Homemade Oxtail Stew (it's So Much Easier Than You Think!) - LinsFood

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Homemade Oxtail Stew is a rich, flavoursome stew with meltingly tender, falling-off-the-bone meat that’s been slow cooked lovingly. So much better than anything shop bought!

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Table of contents

  • Oxtail Stew Variations
  • Homemade Oxtail Stew Recipe
  • Where does Oxtail Meat come from?
  • Can you Make Ahead Oxtail Stew?
  • How to Serve Oxtail Stew?
  • More Soups and Stews on LinsFood
Dark oxtail stew in grey bowl, with glass of red wine and peppe mill in background
Homemade oxtail stew

Oxtail Stew has got to be one of my all time favourites, perfect in cold weather, but I’ve been known to make this in summertime too!

I still remember the first time I had it, with my Dad, in Singapore, at a place called Captain’s Cabin, a bar/restaurant popular with Singapore Airlines cabin crew. Not that my dad worked for the airlines!

There really is something so satisfying about this dark, rich almost gelatinous stew that warms and fills. Freshly baked bread to soak up all that sauce is a must!

Oxtail Stew Variations

Needless to say, there are many variations of the oxtail stew and many theories as to its origin; French, American, British, Chinese, and so on. Each oxtail recipe has its own local slant, with different herbs, spices and flavouring.

One of my favourites is the Indonesian oxtail soup, made with cumin, coriander and cinnamon and served with sambal (spicy condiment, click for recipe).

The Indonesian Oxtail Stew is called Sup Buntut. Let’s translate that for a laugh.

Sup = soup

Buntut = one’s bottom!

Dark oxtail stew in grey bowl, with glass of red wine and peppe mill in background
Dark, rich and so, so good!

Homemade Oxtail Stew Recipe

Homemade oxtail stew is a very simple recipe. It may take a few hours, but the initial hands on time is just 20 minutes or so. The rest of the cooking time is just about leaving the stew to simmer, until the meat is tender and falling of the bone.

This is how we do it:

  1. We brown the meat and vegetables.
  2. Add the flour and wine (if using).
  3. Add the stock and cook away for 4 hours.
  4. Finish with parsley and some butter.

What did I tell ya?

Where does Oxtail Meat come from?

Oxtail meat used to come from the tail of the ox, hence the name. These days, it comes from the tail of the cow.

The tail is skinned, cleaned and chopped. Oxtails are bony, and sold, cut into sections. Each section has a certain amount of meat and fat surrounding it, with marrow in the bone.

The long cooking time allows the fibres in the tough meat to break down, resulting in a deliciously flavoured stew with tender meat. The fat and marrow contribute to the richness of the stew.

Yep, leave the calorie counter at the door!

Can you Make Ahead Oxtail Stew?

Absolutely! In fact, just like curries, it will taste so much better the next day, the second and the 3rd day!

Homemade oxtail stew will keep happily in a cold fridge for about 4 days. It also freezes well.

How to Serve Oxtail Stew?

With any of the following, although, it really is up to you:

  • Any kind of bread – baguette, ciabatta, sliced, rolls
  • Garlic bread – can’t be faulted!
  • Mash Potato – the perfect accompaniment
  • Rice – always works too

Shall we get our aprons on?

More Soups and Stews on LinsFood

Doro Wot (Ethiopian Chicken Stew) Doro Wot (or Doro Wat) is perhaps the most famous recipe to have come out of East Africa. It is a dry, deliciously sharp, aromatic and spicy chicken stew. Get the Recipe! Doro wot, Ethiopian chicken stew in a wide copper pan Green Chilli Chicken with Tomatillos Green Chilli Chicken recipe. You can make it with fresh tomatillos, with shop bought green salsa (salsa verde) or with tomatillos in adobo! Get the Recipe! Green Chilli Chicken with Tomatillo Smoked Fish Solyanka – Russian Smoked Fish Soup Smoked Fish Solyanka is a much loved Russian Smoked Fish Soup, with bold, sour flavours guaranteed to warm and fill you up! Get the Recipe!

If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood.Lin xx

Dark oxtail stew in grey bowl, with glass of red wine and peppe mill in background

Homemade Oxtail Stew (it’s so much easier than you think!)

Homemade Oxtail Stew is a rich, flavoursome stew, slow cooked, resulting in meltingly tender, falling-off-the-bone meat. 5 from 10 votes Print Pin Add to Collection Go to Collections Course: Main CourseCuisine: BritishKeyword: british, meat, stew Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours 25 minutes Servings: 6 (6-8) Calories: 604kcal Author: Azlin Bloor Cost: £2 ($2.64) per head (based on 6 servings)

Ingredients

  • ▢ 2 Tbsp  EV olive oil
  • ▢ 1 kg oxtails (about 4 large pieces) this weight is give or take
  • ▢ 1 large onion chopped
  • ▢ 1 leek chopped
  • ▢ 2 large carrots chopped
  • ▢ 2 celery sticks chopped
  • ▢ 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • ▢ 1 bouquet garni
  • ▢ 1 tsp mustard
  • ▢ 1 Tbsp AP flour
  • ▢ 2 Tbsp sundried tomato paste
  • ▢ 1 generous cup red wine
  • ▢ 500 ml 2 cups beef stock
  • ▢ 125 ml (1/2 cup) water
  • ▢ ½ tsp salt
  • ▢ freshly ground black pepper

To Finish

  • ▢ a handful of parsley finely chopped
  • ▢ 30 g (1 oz) salted butter
MetricUS

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil a large saucepan on high heat. Brown the oxtail pieces all over (top, bottom, sides) for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the vegetables and brown for a further 5 minutes.
  • Add the flour, giving everything a good stir, mixing the flour in.
  • When the flour is fully mixed in, add the red wine, stir then add the stock, mustard and tomato paste.
  • Let it come to boil, then simmer for about 4 hours, you want to get to the stage where the meat is falling off the bone. Give it more time, 30 minutes more perhaps, if the meat is not quite falling off the bone.
  • When the meat is done, check for seasoning, add some salt if needed and freshly ground black pepper to taste, because pepper makes everything taste better! 
  • Turn the heat off and leave to rest for 10 minutes. 
  • Stir in the tablespoon of butter and sprinkle the chopped parsley all over, and serve. You could also dish up, then drop a small amount of butter in each bowl, and top with the parsley.. Leave the diner to stir in the butter.

Notes

Nutrition is based on 8 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.6g | Protein: 30.7g | Fat: 47.2g | Saturated Fat: 19.7g | Cholesterol: 114.3mg | Sodium: 419.5mg | Potassium: 708.7mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 2.9g | Vitamin A: 221.3IU | Iron: 3.9mg Did you make this recipe?Mention @azlinbloor and tag #linsfood! Made it? Upload your photosMention @azlinbloor and tag #linsfood!

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Azlin Bloor
Azlin Bloor

I’m Azlin Bloor; born and bred Singaporean, adopted Brit, former chef and culinary instructor.

Articles: 607

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Azlin Bloor, LinsFood
Hey, I'm Azlin Bloor; born and bred Singaporean, adopted Brit, culinary instructor and food writer. Click here to read more about me.
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13 Comments

  1. 5 stars Very good and simple. I doubled the recipe and browned the oxtails in 2 batches. It was well worth the effort to brown the meat well because the soup really does have a rich taste. Very good and simple.

    • That’s great, Rachel!

    • I have 1 1/2 lbs of ox tails your recipe does not state how many pounds are used

      • Hi there, you’re right, have added the weight now. You’re looking at about 1 kg of oxtail in total, which is 2.2 lbs. But the weight doesn’t have to be precise, a little less or more is perfectly fine. When you buy from the butchers (as opposed to packaged from supermarkets), the weight is always dependent on the size of the oxtail pieces. So you can use the exact amounts here for your 1.5 lb of oxtails.

  2. 5 stars My mom use to make a variation of this when I was a child. It was tasting like a piece of heaven and the meant was simply melting in your mouth.

  3. 5 stars My grandmother used to make ox-tail stew. I had forgotten about it as I haven’t eaten it for years. It looks like a wonderful warming stew. I can just imagine it bubbling on the stove-top when it’s cold outside; filling the house with mouth-watering smells!

    • Totally, Lisa, the anticipation is half the fun. The Italians have a delicious version too, called Coda alla Vaccinara.

  4. 5 stars I can’t wait to try this recipe. Going out to get the meat now!

    • Excellent. Let me know how it goes!

  5. 5 stars I love oxtail stew and love to order it when I’m out. I would love to try this, as I’m trying to cook more at home. Are oxtails easy to get?

    • Hi Zia, I suppose it does rather depend on where you are. On average though, not so easy. I find requesting it from my butcher always works.

  6. 5 stars Got this going on the stove now for this evening, and the whole house smells amazing! Thanks!

    • I can just imagine!

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