Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup – a hearty stew with rich broth and succulent tender meat that’s comforting and perfect any time of the year cold and warm season.
Who says soups are only good during winter? I don’t know about you but anything that is hearty, and elicits mouthwatering, lip-smacking gelatinous flavors… count me in. I can’t wait for a certain time of the year to indulge. Sorry, when it comes to food, patience is not one of my strong suits.
I have had tons of requests for a slow cooker oxtail soup/stew and since YOU, my lovely readers, have a space in this lady’s heart, I’m granting your request while I also satisfy my oxtail craving. Win-win, right?
Slow cooking is THE absolutely best way of cooking oxtail. AND you are not going to get all sweaty from hours of cooking. You know why?
A slow cooker doesn’t heat up the house as much as a stove or oven would.
If you’ve never tried oxtail before then you are seriously missing out. YES. The cow’s tail is full of bones and connective tissues that when cooked for hours give off that rich, luscious, soupy flavor.
And don’t forget the bones, you really want to nibble down the bones and enjoy every flavor there is! No worries, I don’t judge.
This Oxtail Soup is seriously packed with flavor; with a tasty broth mixture along with a variety of herbs and seasonings. The combination of beef broth and tomato paste makes a flavorful and savory combination for this often neglected main dish. If they only knew! Well, I’d rather have it this way, if not the price would go through the roof. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but oxtail prices have been creeping up lately.
I digress. Back to this oxtail soup, like most of my stew recipes, I preferred to brown the oxtail first on the stove rather than throwing everything in the slow cooker. The extra 10 minutes is for the oxtail caramelized surface which will lend a rich flavor to the finished dish.
Oh, don’t forget to serve with a loaf of bread, preferably a baguette. You’re definitely going to need it to soak up the soup.
Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can, get oxtails that are well-trimmed, if not, remove as much visible fat as you can before cooking it.
- Oxtail soups tend to be too oily for some folks, so towards the end of the cooking process use a spoon to spoon off any extra fat at the top of the dish.
- Also, another way is to cook the dish a day ahead, refrigerate and remove visible fat at the top.
Watch How To Make It
Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 pounds oxtail cut up medium pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
- 5-6 whole pimento seeds, (allspice)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 tablespoon ketchup /tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon bouillon powder or cube, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon curry or more, adjust to preference
- 1 pound carrots
- 15 oz cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
- 2 large potatoes, cut into chunks
- 4-5 cups water
Instructions
- Season oxtail with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large cast-iron or saucepan, heat oil (about 2-3 tablespoons) over medium heat, until hot. If using a cast-iron, only use about a tablespoon of oil. Add the oxtail and sauté stirring frequently any browned bits off the bottom of the pot until oxtail is brown. Drain oil if necessary (leave about 1-2 tablespoons).
- Add onions, green onions, garlic, thyme, allspice, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, and stir for about a minute. Throw in scotch bonnet pepper, tomato paste, bouillon, curry powder, and stir for another minute.
- Then add to crockpot/slow cooker, together with carrots, beans, and potatoes.
- Deglaze pan with about 2 cups of water, gently pour into the slow cooker, add about 2-3 cups. You may adjust for with more or less water at the end.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 7-8 hours or until desired tenderness has been reached. Remove and serve with rice and or baguette.
Tips & Notes:
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. Please keep in mind that it is a rough estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition Information:
How to Make Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
Fred says
Whatever the green garnish is is not listed among the ingredients, unless those are scallion tops, which they may well be. Parsley would also work I imagine.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, I used parsley for this one. 🙂
Sharon says
Can this delicious sounding recipe be cooked in a Dutch pot? If yes for how long? I don’t have a slow cooker, but would love to cook this…
imma africanbites says
Hi Sharon. Yes, you can use a Dutch or any large pot you have. Depending on the oxtail size and your preferred consistency, I’d say cook for about 2- 3 hours while occasionally stirring the saucepan.
Sharon says
Can this delicious sounding recipe be cooked in a Dutch pot? I don’t have a slow cooker, but would love to cook this…
Ashleigh T says
So delicious and so easy.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Ashley! Have some Mississippi Mud Cake for dessert, too! 🙂
Dan says
An amazing meal, now a family’s favourite.
Immaculate Bites says
Yay! Thank you, Dan 🙂
Karen/andy says
We loved this recipe, we will have it many more times. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Narisa Akara says
First tine I try your recipe it was amazing and instead of the chili you have I used red dry chili since I don’t have the same chili. Highly recommend
Immaculate Bites says
Thanks so much, Narisa! 🙂 I’m happy you enjoyed this!
Angela Boettcher says
I am going to make this soup after I pick up some of the ingredients tomorrow. I am very excited to make it. Thank you so much and I will let you know how it turned out.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you Angela! Yes please share with us how it turned out 🙂
Mary says
Skipped the allspice because I didn’t have any… Added a tiny bit of Fish Sauce (which is in one of my insta pot stew recipes) and It was great!
Immaculate Bites says
Still a good substitute, Mary! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Bob Siebel says
Just like Oma used to make
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Bob!
ann f says
First time making any recipe with ox tails. Hubby and son were very skeptical. Both loved the soup!!
Thank you!
Robert C says
Made some adjustments; fried on both sides for 10 mins; added 2 cans of stewed tomatoes slow cooking now for 4 hrs going to add frozen vegg4
Nancy K says
This was my very first slow cooker recipe and we loved it! I had to omit the thyme & Scotch bonnet pepper since I didn’t have those, but it still turned out so yummy! I used baby carrots instead of regular carrots which I didn’t have. I also used more potatoes than the recipe called for. My boyfriend liked it so much that when I asked what he would like for dinner on his bday coming up soon, he asked for this! Thank you so very much for making my first slow cooker experience easy, tasty & rewarding!
imma africanbites says
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Nancy. I’m happy that you guys like it.
B says
This was DELICIOUS. I had to make one substitution (used a serrano pepper instead of a scotch bonnet pepper). I will absolutely make this again – it’s perfection over some rice on a cold night!
rob says
this is amazing. i gravitate toward hearty, savory, African, Latino, and Asian dishes, and this is right in that vein. Lots of umami with worcestershire and browned oxtail; and just a hint of sweet tang with ketchup. skipped the scotch bonnet because my family does not like heat. i added some Aleppo pepper as a good substitute. next time I would do more beans and fewer potatoes, Short ribs would also work really well here. will definitely make this again. thank you!
Paula says
I made this recipe the other day my husband love it and it was easy
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the feedback!
Len Hornidge says
This is the best oxtail soup recipe I’ve ever made thank you so much.
Danh says
You cook carrots and potatoes that long? From the video, it looks like they are almost mush when done. I hate mushy carrots and potatoes.
ImmaculateBites says
Adjust to desired tenderness by adding it later during the cooking process.
sandy says
we made it with small waxy potatoes and with regular russets .. neither were mush ..try it . Its a favourite with my family here in Canada and in the UK ..
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks so much.