Oxtail Braised in Red Wine

Oxtail Braised in Red Wine

Typically red wine is cooked down to tame the flavor before using it as a marinade. However, in her book All About Braising, Molly Stevens says “With oxtails I like the more rugged character of raw wine. Its agressive characters works well with the bold taste of oxtail. After marinating, the wine is substantially reduced down to become the base for the a very concentrated braising liquid. In the end, the aromatic vegetables and the braising liquid collapse into a savory compote that is perfect with the tender meat.” This recipe is a slow carb version of Molly’s recipe for Oxtails Braised in Red Wine.

Oxtail

Oxtail

Oxtail often gets unfairly grouped with other unusual cuts of meat like tongue, heart, and liver. Oxtail isn’t the easiest ingredient to find; however, it is an ideal cut of beef for braising. Braised oxtail is succulent pulled beef that develops a wonderful flavor during the braising process. If you like braised beef and you haven’t had braised oxtail, you are missing out!

A whole oxtail typically weighs about 2.5 pounds. There is a high meat to bone ratio in oxtail. A serving of oxtail is around 3/4 to 1 pound per person. If the oxtails are sold whole, ask the butcher to cut them into 1.5 to 2 inch pieces. If the oxtail is already cut up, make sure to get a mix of meaty and not so meaty pieces. The not so meaty pieces add a lot of flavor to your braising liquid. Some places sell oxtails already trimmed; however, other places will sell the oxtail with an outer layer of fat that must be cut away. If the fat hasn’t been cut away, I’d recommend getting the butcher to do it for you to save yourself some time in the kitchen.

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