Oxtails were often discarded by plantation owners, which meant enslaved people were given them to cook with. It turns out, they’re delicious when cooked properly, and they’re a favorite ingredient in Gullah cooking. The trick is to braise them low and slow like I do in this recipe. If you haven’t had them before, I encourage you to give them a try. I bet you’ll love them as much as I do.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 pounds oxtails, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons Miss Brown’s House Seasoning, recipe follows
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, halved
- 1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- One 32-ounce carton beef broth
- One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup cola
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons browning sauce
- 2 green onions, cut in half
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Toss the oxtails with the Miss Brown’s House Seasoning, brown sugar, allspice, red pepper flakes, celery seed and 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Brown the oxtails in batches, flipping occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Pulse the onion, green bell pepper and red bell pepper in a food processor until minced. Add to the pot and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and garlic. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, cola, ketchup, browning sauce and green onions. Add back the oxtails. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the oxtails are very tender, 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove the green onions. Serve hot and sprinkle each serving with fresh thyme.
- Stir together the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 620 |
| Total Fat | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 49 g |
| Cholesterol | 163 mg |
| Sodium | 1227 mg |
Reviews
Wow! These are fantastic. Kadea put her foot in these oxtails. After seeing this amazing episode—the museum is awesome— I decided to make these. They are phenomenal. I will be cooking them again. Thank you, Miss Brown. This recipe is a home run. Your recipes are fabulous. I am working through your receipes from your show. My family thanks you! Sonya, New Jersey
This is delicious! I did have a hard time finding oxtails on the West Coast, though. But I definitely recommend it.