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Oxtail and Butter Beans
Updated May 17, 2024
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- Total Time
- About 3½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4pounds oxtails
- 2teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 2teaspoons black pepper
- ¼cup vegetable oil
- 4scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 2large yellow onions, chopped
- 2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2tablespoons Jamaican curry powder
- 2teaspoons smoked paprika
- 12whole pimento seeds (allspice berries)
- 4fresh thyme sprigs
- 2Scotch bonnet peppers, pierced through the flesh with a paring knife
- 2tablespoons chicken stock concentrated paste or 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 4teaspoons browning sauce, preferably Grace brand
- 4large garlic cloves, grated
- 1teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2(15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
Preparation
- Step 1
Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Step 2
In a large pot over medium, heat oil. Add the oxtails in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, and brown, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes per side. (You want a deep-brown crust to form on the outside.) Drain some of the oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan, and move oxtails to a plate.
- Step 3
Add scallions, onions, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, paprika, pimento seeds and thyme, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add Scotch bonnet peppers, bouillon, tomato and browning paste, and stir for 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Step 4
Add oxtails to the pot, along with enough liquid to completely cover the meat. Bring to a boil and let simmer until tender (depending on the oxtail size and preference), about 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Step 5
Once oxtails are tender, add butter beans to heat through, about 5 minutes and up to 10 or 15, if you like a more tender bean. Remove the thyme sprigs and Scotch bonnet peppers; remove the pimento seeds as you see them, or if you like. Taste and adjust seasoning, and serve hot with rice and peas, and sweet plantains.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I don't often see oxtails at the market. What do you suggest as a replacement?
Jamaican here. No need to add curry as an ingredient. I like browning my oxtails without oil. Naturally, oxtails have a lot of oil. Once the oxtails are browned…place oxtails with the seasonings in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes…remove the natural juices and place in freezer to coagulate oil from gravy for 15 minutes. Continue the recipe with gravy and oxtails as shown in the recipe. A touch of Sweet Baby Ray is the key…
Browning the oxtail is simply oil in the pan add the oxtail and stir a few times for about 5-10 minutes this helps to release the natural flavor of the oxtail during the process of boiling it after to tenderness. Trust me this step is crucial and will provide an even more delicious taste. I'm Jamaican, take it from me and you don't need to add any curry powder and you can use molasses instead of worcestsire and browning sauce for a true authentic Jamaican country style oxtail. ketchup instead
Short Ribs are a decent substitute for Oxtails
I am Jamaican born living in the us we use a whole scotch bonnet pepper in everything we cook my advice don't cut them two scotch bonnet in 4 lbs of oxtails is a very spicy pot use them but don't burst them . as i said before i cook with pepper but don't cut it open .your family not gonna enjoy that oxtails there mouth will be on gire instead.
I have also used short ribs or lamb shanks instead of oxtails and dried lima butter beans which were soaked overnight. I use a Dutch Oven start on the stove and after I bring it to a boil place it in a 325 F oven for 2 1/2 hours. I don't add the brown sauce or scotch bonnets. I use 2 tablespoons better then boullion beef paste instead of chicken and add two diced carrots. Very hearty and tasty. delicious the 2nd day.
English cut short ribs with the bone should work just fine.
When I lived in MA, just outside Boston, The local Whole Foods Market had a freezer of 'dog food'. In there, I found oxtails, liver, kidneys ... all the offal that Americans tend to feed their animals, but not themselves. the oxtails were cheap, and very good.
A good oxtail needs to be slowly cooked for much longer than this recipe suggests. Four hours on Saturday, overnight in the fridge and three hours on Sunday. Low temperature the whole time.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it and found it to be delicious with both oxtail and beef short ribs. It took a bit longer than the three hours to get the fall-of-the bone tenderness with the oxtail. I use habaneros or serranos is place of scotch bonnet peppers. I like to add an extra can of butter beans and serve with coconut rice. Makes fantastic leftovers! This is a fan favorite amongst my circle of friends.
What would be a reasonable substitute for "Jamaican curry powder"? What gives a curry powder a Jamaican flavor?
I have the same question (kosher kitchen here, so can't get anythign from the back end of the cow); I am contemplating (extremely non-traditional) flanken, as being beefy, fatty, and bony like oxtail.
Flanken would be good instead of oxtail. Beef shank? Short ribs? And instead of canned butter beans, make your own and add some of the bean cooking liquor to the stew!
Beef neckbones are a great substitute for oxtail, and FAR cheaper. Easy to find at any Asian supermarket I’ve been.
I use beef neck bones instead of oxtail.
Gravy master browning sauce
Delicious!!! The Jamaican spice really adds something to the flavor. I never considered piercing the Scitch Bonnets before, but that a great way to add the heat!
Reading the notes below I see someone who lived outside of Boston bought oxtails from the Whole Foods in the “dog food” freezer. Having worked in the meat industry I can tell you first hand that ANY meat marked “dog food” often comes from cows with cancer or other diseases and is very old or border line rotten. Never buy “dog food” for human consumption.
I made these for my husband. I substituted jalapeño for the scotch bonnet (I don’t like it too spicy) but everything else was the same. It was DELICIOUS and my husband almost burst from the amount he ate! But he was happy 😊
I live in Orange County, CA where it can be difficult to find certain ethnic items. However, oxtails are easy to find in Mexican markets and I've even been able to find goat meat in a couple of places. Strangely enough, it's the butter beans I can't find anywhere.
You can use similar beans as a substitute of course. I’m English and that’s what we call them in England. I’m guessing that in the US they are called Lima beans, almost the same
As others have said, you don't need all the oil to start. Also, be sure you have all your ingredients measured and prepped because once the browning paste goes in, things begin to burn quickly. We only used one pepper and that was plenty of heat.
This my 2nd time cooking the oxtails using Chef Millie Peartree’s recipe. I had never cooked oxtails before finding this recipe. My husband said they were delicious and I agree. I even made a beef stew with the remaining gravy. Scrumptious! Thank you, Millie. Sincerely, SylviafromdabronxviaOakland
Finally made this today. Well worth searching out oxtail. I used an Indian curry powder since that is what I had. I also used fresh chipotles instead of the scotch bonnet chilies. It had enough heat and plenty of umami. Will make again during the February blizzards.
For a different twist on oxtail stew I suggest Craig Claiborne's recipe from NYT cookbook. It is not Jamaican style but it is the best oxtail recipe I have eaten, restaurans included. I say different twist because it has no hot peppers or curry. Any good meat market can order oxtails, and they are fun to eat. A favorite.
Has anyone tried this recipe with dried butter beans rather than canned? Please share your process! We can now get large dried lima beans, and we love 'em!
I used fresh Lima beans my 2nd time around. I cooked them before adding to the oxtails. Delicious.
The best substitution for oxtails are trimmed short ribs. Once the meat is cooked properly, they are tender and extremely flavorful. No other better substitution if you really know about oxtails. You can criticize me eccentric whatever but you gotta understand the star ingredient before giving your opinion.
Is there a slow cooker version of this?
We will be having this tonight. One thing the recipe does not mention is that while cooking it should be covered!
Add glass of Cabernet Sauvignon for extra refinement
I get beef soup bones and make a stock the day before. Slow cooking the oxtail in homemade stock is a game changer. Seasoned the oxtail well the night before (skipped the curry powder). Cooked for about six hours on 275.
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