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
Manuela Jenner & Markus Molenda says
one of the best recipe in a long time. Had guests from England and they licked their plates. They will make that stew today for family back home. Made this dish once a week since 3 weeks and we can’t get enough. Live in Mexico and get lots of oxtail here for a very low price. Bravo!!!
Imma says
Woohoo!!! Thank you for sharing your story, it pays me well in terms of motivation 🙂
Becky Mills says
Going to make and wanted to know can I add rutabaga to soup with other vegetables ?
Imma says
You absolutely can. Just be aware that it will flavor the broth, not a bad thing. Please let me know how it goes.
Nicole C says
This recipe is the best I did exactly what the recipes said and it came out soooo good. Thank you so much!!!!
Donna says
Amazingly tender and flavorful. This recipe replaced the old one I had!!. Kudos!!
Shona says
Made this recipe for dinner last night. Followed recipe exactly, even used the cast iron pan to sear the ox tail, then transferred them to my insta- pot to cook. Cooked vegetables in a separate pot. Once the tails were cooked, put it all together. Wow! Family raved about this recipe and went back for seconds. Thought I had cooked a 2-day meal, no such luck. Will make this again and shy. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Amina says
Hi Shona,
sound amazing to hear about your experience. you are great!
Jim Ruda says
I am looking forward to making this. When do I remove the bone? Thanks
Imma says
I don’t usually remove the bones. However, you can let it cool enough you don’t burn yourself, then remove the bones, put the meat back in the pot, and reheat it.
Martha says
Lovely mixture of flavors, but found it a little bland, so doubled all spices. About 1 hour before finishing, I added 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar to brighten, and about 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with water to thicken slightly. I served it over fat egg noodles. YUM!! Great for a cold evening!
Imma says
Hi Martha, Happy that you adjust according to your taste. Happy new year!
Carissa Wright says
I want to make this, but I’m concerned about the scotch bonnet pepper. Those are HOT! Will it make my soup spicy? What would be a milder substitute that keeps the flavor similar?
ImmaculateBites says
Some would use serrano pepper, but you can definitely omit that if you are not in to spicy. 🙂
Milena says
What type of cannellini beans did you use? Was it canned or rows?
Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Milena, I used a 15 oz cannellini beans. 🙂
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!