Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup – a hearty stew with rich broth and succulent tender meat that’s comforting and perfect anytime 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 flavours 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 strong suits.
I have had tons of request 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?
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 variety of herbs and seasonings. The combination of beef broth and the tomato paste makes a flavorful and savory combination for this often neglected main dish. If they only knew ! Well, I rather have it this way, if not the price would go through the roof. I don’t know if you’ve notice 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 of the oxtail caramelized surface will lend rich flavor to the finished dish
Oh, don’t forget to serve with a loaf of bread , preferably baguette . You definitely going to need it to soak up the soup.
Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can get oxtails that well trimmed , if not remove as much visible fat as you can before cooking it.
- Oxtail soups turn 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.
- 1-2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 - 3 pounds oxtail cut up medium pieces
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ketchup /tomato paste
- 1 Whole Scotch bonnet pepper
- 2 green onions chopped
- 5-6 Whole pimento seeds (allspice),
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1- teaspoon curry or more adjust to preference
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 Tablespoon bouillon powder or cube (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 15 oz Cannellini Beans , drained, rinsed
- 2 Large potatoes, cut into chunks
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Season oxtail with salt and pepper. Set aside
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In a large cast iron or sauce pan 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 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)
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Add onions, green onions, garlic, thyme, all spice, Worcestershire, smoked paprika and stir for about a minute. Throw in scotch bonnet pepper, tomato paste, bouillon, curry powder and stir for another minute.
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Then add to crockpot/slow cooker, together with carrots, beans and potatoes
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Deglaze pan with about 2 cups water, gently pour into slow cooker, add about 2-3 cups . You may adjust for with more or less water at the end .
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Cover and cook on Low for about 7 -8 hour, or until desired tenderness has been reached. Remove and serve with rice and or baguette.
Imma,
When do you add the beans?
I add the beans together with the potatoes and carrots. And it works out just fine- like you see in the pictures. Slightly mushy but firm. You may add about 2 hrs before removing from the slow cooker if desired.
I’m trying it with lentils—will let you know how it turns out.
Awesome! Can’t wait!
I presume the beans are thrown in close to the end of cooking?
Will be trying this. Thank you.
You can throw it in the beginning or towards the end. It’s a matter of preference . It your like your beans with a slight chew then throw it at the end. Happy Cooking!!!
Yeah, I presume the beans is added at the end to warm thru as well so they retain their texture. Nice dish and recipe. For me, I’d add a few BayLeafs and a littlebit of Cloves to up and add to the flavors with that long slow cooking.
Thanks for the ideas. Bayleaf sounds like a great addition.
Nkwobi for the win!
Hello. I was wondering why you wouldn’t deglaze with red wine ore even beef stock.. I will be trying this recipe. Thanks!!!;
Hey Andrew ! You sure can! No particular reason why. Feel free to deglaze with stock or wine. Do let me know how it works out for you.
Under cook time it says 3h 10m, but in the instructions it says 7-8 hours. Which is it?
If you are cooking on high , then it’s about 3 hours on low it’s double the amount of time.
Does the scotch bonnet pepper add too much heat for some folks.
Not that much. You may throw it in the last hour of cooking .
I like adding different vegetables like corn, lima beans,okra, cabbage, potatoes,carrots,onion of course have you ever heard of using other vegetables than that of carrots. Also I like adding stewed tomatoes instead of catsup or tomato paste does either of those make a difference in taste. ( catsup in tomato paste).
Awesome! Thanks for sharing !!!
I added Mushrooms to this, the dish was fabulous!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!!!
I was out of Allspice so I threw in some cinnamon and a little nutmeg after browning meat but before adding water. Also, im slow cooking this recipe in an intant pot on the slow cooker setting. Hope it works!
It sure will! Bon Apetit!
I made this a few weeks ago and cannot wait to make it again. I used jarred jalapenos instead of the Scotch Bonnet (couldn’t find it in the market and thought it might be too spicy for us) and it was so delicious that I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for the great recipe.
M pleasure ! So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
I added celery…thanks for the receipt
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
Simply delicious! Kids loved it too ! Cant wait to try another one of your recepies. I will definitely be making this oxtail again!
That’s Wonderful to hear Michelle! Thank you so much!!!!
What would you recommend in lieu of scotch bonnet, if I can’t find it in my local store? Would like to try this for me and my boo this week.
You can use habanero pepper or cayenne pepper to taste . Happy Cooking !!!!
Hi. If I were to use ground allspice instead of the seeds how much would i use?
I boil the oxtails up and let simmer for 1 hour the night before ,let it cool then remove the jelly like fat from the top .Use the water it simmered in as the broth, if you want to brown them off do so then add to crockpot and do what you do.
Thanks for sharing!!!
The all-spice REALLY gave my ox-tail stew what it was missing! Great easy recipe. Much better than standing over stove all day!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
It tasted tangy, similar to a delicious Ethiopian beef stew by adding fenugreek seeds, cardamom pods, dried Italian herbs, fish sauce, chopped greens, bay leaf, Bailey Irish cream, cloves, fish sauce.
Oh Wow! Did you say Bailey Irish cream?
What kind of bouillon cube did you use? Chicken? Beef? I’m assuming beef but wanted to make sure…
HI Lauren. Yes, I used beef cubes fore this recipe.