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
Units
Scale
- 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.