Winter is the perfect time of year for soups and stews, although I make oxtail all throughout the year, nothing lends itself better to stew than oxtail.
Part of living a Paleo lifestyle involves, not just eating animals, but eating them “nose to tail”. That means including all the odd bits and organs many Americans have gotten away from eating.
Where To Find Oxtail
You might have a harder time finding oxtail as opposed to the easily accessible ground beef, but once you find it, you can usually get a pretty good deal. Oxtail is not an in demand cut and for that reason you’ll find it to be quite budget friendly.
Start by talking to your butcher or the folks in the meat department at your local grocer. Having access directly from the farmer is always the best but I’ve found them in the frozen meat section and have ordered them online as well.
Cooking Oxtail
Because oxtail is mostly bones with a little bit of meat, it’s best when slow-cooked to help break down the toughness, or in this case, pressure-cooked to speed up the process. It makes the meat tender and helps bring out the flavor and nutrients of the bones.
Get More Than One Meal Out of Your Oxtail Dish
I grew up eating bones with my dad and grandpa. My dad can polish off a chicken carcass until there’s nothing left and I’m the same way. As a kid, at our Sunday dinners Poppa & I used to have bone cleaning contests, seeing who could clean their oxtail bones off the best.
Not only are oxtail one of my favorite foods because they taste delicious and remind me of good times spent with my family, when you prepare oxtail they’re also multi-purpose!
Even if you don’t polish off your bones like I do, you can get another dish out of them by making bone broth with the leftover bones!
Change It Up With Herbs
You probably know by now how much I like cooking with herbs and spices. They’re a simple, inexpensive way to make your meals pop. When you let them simmer with other ingredients, like I did with this recipe, they can provide even more powerful flavor.
Give yourself some time to prepare this dish because the longer you let the sauce simmer, the better it gets. It will all come together in a few hours on the stovetop and you’ll have guests asking what your secret ingredient is. :)
