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Oxtail-tacos-with-ackee-two-ways

Braised Oxtail

Chantal
There’s a meme floating around that basically says Caribbean people don’t measure seasoning, they simply shake till they hear the whisper of their ancestors saying “that’s enough my child”. I will admit that this statement is 100% accurate for me which is counter to everything I do as a baker since precision there is key. All this is said to say, the recipes below is a guide and can and should be adjusted to suit your palate. If I have a bottle of red wine open or a bottle of stout (Guinness or Dragon Stout) I typically use that and lessen the stock. Finally, I usually use store bought browning, but when I don’t have it, I make my own by heating brown sugar in the pot first, which is described below
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Marinating 1 hour
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs Oxtail

Overnight seasoning:

  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Celery Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Onion powder
  • 3 cloves of Garlic finely minced
  • Fresh ginger about an inch knob, finely grated
  • Browning about a tablespoon if using

To cook:

  • 1 1/2 tbsps Brown sugar if you don’t have store bought browning
  • 1/2 large onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced (optional - I love garlic)
  • Few pimento Jamaican allspice grains
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 stalks of escallion green onions sliced
  • Scotch bonnet pepper to taste
  • 1 quart Beef stock
  • 3 tbsps tomato paste
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place a heavy bottomed dutch pot over medium heat and spread brown sugar evenly.
  • Cook until it starts smoking slightly and bubble, it will be very dark
  • Quickly swirl the pan then add the oxtails (no oil is required as the oxtails are fatty)
  • Mix to coat the oxtails in the browning, cook and allow the fat to render off the meat.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside
  • Cook onions and garlic till soft.
  • If using any wine or stout, add it at this point. You could also use a mild good flavored vinegar (just a splash, this is to get the nice caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot)
  • Return the meat to the pot then pour over the stock and remaining ingredients.
  • Bring to a boil then turn down to a gentle simmer
  • Allow to braise till tender, it should fall off the bone easily when gently prodded with a fork
  • If you still have a lot of liquid remaining when the meat is tender, remove the oxtails from the pot and reduce the gravy till thick, pull the meat of the bones and add to the gravy.
  • Remove the stalks from the thyme.
  • Set aside till ready to assemble tacos