Though a humble cut, oxtail segments braised in a rich broth with root vegetables makes a sumptuous, comforting soup.
Is Oxtail Soup Really Made Of Oxtails?
The name of this soup is a little misleading. Though, long ago the meat cut did come from the tail of an ox, today it comes from cows. So, it’s beef and its taste is often compared to that of short ribs. It’s a bony, fatty cut perfect for braising. And because the meat is gelatinous, the resulting broth is rich and lush.
Where Is Oxtail Soup From?
Several cultures have a version of this soup including Korean, Italian, Chinese, and Jamaican so you’ll find plenty of variety in recipes.
My favorite version has its origins in Britain. The oxtails are braised in a rich tomato and beef broth and studded with potatoes and carrots.
How To Make British Style Oxtail Soup
The preparation for this dish is simple. It’s the long braising time of 3 hours that develops the complex, savory flavors and tenderizes the meat.
An important step in the preparation process is browning the meat. Don’t get impatient during this step. When you sear the meat make sure to let a brown, crisp crust form. It takes about 5 – 6 minutes per side in a medium-high heat.
Remove the browned meat from the soup pot or Dutch oven and drain half of the rendered fat from the pot. Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Next stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and sherry or water to deglaze the pot. Add the seared oxtail segments back to the pot along with the herbs and beef broth. Then, sit back and enjoy the aroma of braising oxtails.
After 2 and ½ hours of braising, add the root vegetables and allow to cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
Serving The Oxtail Soup
Remember to remove the bay leaf from the soup. I like to spoon a tail segment into each of the serving bowls, surround it with the vegetables and then ladle the broth over all.
If you prefer, you can remove the oxtail segments and shred the meat from the bones and then transfer the shredded meat back into the soup and serve. Garnish with parsley and serve with a crusty loaf of bread to sop up all of the broth.
If you manage to have any leftovers, store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
More Beefy Soup Recipes
If you want another way to make this decadent cut of meat, you should definitely try braising the oxtails like this. But, if you want different kinds of beefy soups, I have just the recipes for you!
And, if you’re just plain always in the mood for soup, you have to go browse through my soup recipes here, there are over 70 delicious recipes to choose from!
Podcast Episode: Making Oxtail Soup
Listen to learn how to make this recipe, along with some great tips from me along the way!
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Oxtail Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
DESCRIPTION
Though a humble cut, oxtail segments braised in a rich broth with root vegetables makes a sumptuous, comforting soup that I know you’re going to make over and over again. Enjoy! -Christine xo
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. oxtail cut into 3-inch segments
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, canola
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup sherry, optional
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat oxtail segments dry and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large heavy soup pot of Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add oxtail segments, without crowding. Cook the meat undisturbed for 5 – 6 minutes, until a dark brown crust develops. Turn and continue searing all sides.
- Transfer the meat to a clean bowl. Drain 1/2 the fat from the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and celery, and cook until the onions and celery have softened, 9 – 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add sherry if using or 1/3 cup broth. Stir to combine.
- Add the oxtail segments and any juice that has accumulated on the plate back into the pot.
- Add the thyme, bay leaf, and broth. Stir to combine. Bring the broth to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add the carrots and potatoes. Cover the pot and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. The meat should fall from the bone and the vegetables tender.*
- To serve, spoon a tail segment into a large soup bowl, surround with the vegetables and ladle broth over all. Garnish with parsley.
- Alternatively, remove the oxtail segments from the soup and shred the meat from the bone. Return the shredded meat to the soup and serve in large soup bowls.
Notes
*Because oxtail is a fattier cut of meat, you will sometimes get some fat across the top of the broth that has rendered during cooking. If you want to remove that, you can spoon it off. However, I find it more effective to pour some of the broth into a gravy separator, allow the fat to rise to the top, then return the broth to the pot.
Guess I’m going against the majority but I didn’t really like this. Major disappointment after so much time & work. I’m used to my dad’s recipe. It’s simpler without so many ingredients, much more meat flavor forward. All the ingredients in this version mask the taste of the meat, the best part! No tomato paste, thyme Worcestershire sauce or bay leaves is necessary. Keep it simple & let the meat’s flavor shine!
No, no, no. It has to come from actual oxtail. Nothing else compares. The challenge can be finding it and, for some, the price. Any good Asian market should have it and if you have never shopped a large Asian market, you’re missing out on some wonderful foods.
Christine,
The name of this soup is not misleading….ox is simply the old fashioned name for a domesticated bovine. and please remember that “cow” is not an animal, but a gender, i.e female cattle. Male cattle are “bulls” and their tails make equally succulent oxtail soup. In fact when you get an oxtail from your butcher, you don’t know whether it came from a cow or a bull. Certainly when the word oxen is used today, its mostly in the context of a working, dray animal, not a food source. But where I’m from, in the British rural countryside where also the soup and the words to describe it are from, in the past oxen (ie domesticated cows and bulls) were both used as work animals and food. So, oxtail soup is a completely accurate description for the soup you make today from the tails of cattle – cattle tail soup just does not sound good at all!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Iain!
Made it this weekend. Exactly like how my mom’s used to taste. As with so many of the dishes like this, the leftovers are even better than when it is first made. I wish I’d doubled the recipe!
Bev, I’m so happy that you like it. And I agree! The oxtail gets even more tender and delicious after a night of being in the soup in the fridge. I think I’m going to make a double batch next time too!
just making this for the first time! 70year old former farm and rancher and never had the opportunity to eat oxtail soup.. If am excited, wife is still coming on board. I like you recipe and with a winter storm coming in I can hardly wait for Soups ready…. You better be a damn good cook!
Doug, I hope you and your wife enjoy it. Come back and let us know what you think!
About to try this beauty, tonight
Paul, Make sure to come back and let us know what you think :-)
Can’t wait to make it 4 my baby
Enjoy, Carol!
Delicious….the only change I made was adding mushrooms and replacing the Potatoes with barley. So good!!
Thank you for sharing that adjustment with us, Patt! So happy that you enjoyed.
This is my go to recipe for Oxtail. We love it simple and easy to follow
I’m so glad to hear that, Paula! Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment.
This is one my go recipe for Oxtail. We love it simple and easy to follow
I made this today. After browning the oxtails, I added the garlic, deglazed my pan with sherry and put everything along with the celery and onion into my crockpot. 5 hours on high and totally delicious. Thank you!!
You’re welcome! Thank you for sharing with us.
Just made this soup, it’s on the stove cooking right now. I added beef stew to the oxtail but then again i like alot of meat in my soups. I will let you guys know how it turns out!
Hope you loved it, Joshua!
First off, for those who whine about the greasiness. Just spoon off the oil on top or make it a day ahead and once in the fridge you can remove it after it congeals. It’s not the recipe, it’s the cut of meat. Good thing those who can’t handle that live in modern society rather than back when you had to eat whatever animal you could kill. Many can be greasy. I know. I hunt and eat all kinds. If chicken, beef, and fish is all you’ve had. You are really missing out.
I cooked my oxtail just how you said. I had to substitute the wine with another red wine I had around. But, everyone loved it and my wife ran out and bought more oxtail because, everyone loved it so much. Thanks for making me the dinner delight.
So happy you enjoyed, Aaron!
Great
I’m so sorry yours ended up too greasy for you, Patricia!
We liked the oxtail soup. I will try all your recipes. Thank you, Christiane
You’re welcome, Christiane! So happy you enjoyed.
Try your oxtail soup recipe with diced tomatoes and tomatoes past salt and a little sugar and stir in vegetables and a little okra and diced potatoes. Have hot water corn bread on the side
Thanks for sharing with us, Margery!
This soup was a sumptuous work of art, thank you so much. Added some parsnip & turnip instead of potato. My 88 yr old father said it tasted just like his grandmother’s oxtail soup…High Compliment Indeed!!!
That’s so wonderful, Karen! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Odd that when I was young, my mother made oxtail soup because the meat was so cheap – it really wasn’t good for much else besides soup. But, today, oxtails are hard to find in supermarkets and when you do see them, they are ridiculously expensive. Im about to make soup with just under 2-1/2 lbs of them: the cost was just under $20.
Thank you for this recipe! I read several before coming here and your post was the only one that had all the details necessary for a first time oxtail souper!
Thank you! We will have this tonight for dinner!
You’re very welcome, Anna! Enjoy!