Braised Oxtail “Al Pastor” Taco

  4.5 – 2 reviews  • Roasting
Level: Intermediate
Total: 11 hr 10 min
Active: 50 min
Yield: 25 to 30 servings

Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons butter
  2. 3 oxtails
  3. 4 teaspoons salt
  4. 4 teaspoons ground pepper
  5. 2 carrots
  6. 2 stalks celery
  7. 1 white onion
  8. 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  9. 4 cups root beer
  10. 2 cups ox or beef stock
  11. Splash root beer syrup
  12. Warmed corn tortillas, for serving
  13. Pineapple and Roasted Jalapeno Salsa, recipe follows
  14. Crumbled chicharrones, for serving
  15. Agave Hot Sauce, recipe follows
  16. Fresh cilantro, for serving
  17. 1 cup diced pineapple
  18. 1/6 cup chopped cilantro
  19. 1/6 cup fine diced roasted jalapeno
  20. 1/6 cup diced red onion
  21. 1 tablespoon diced garlic
  22. 1 teaspoon salt, or more as needed
  23. 1 teaspoon ground pepper, or more as needed
  24. Juice of 1 1/2 limes, or more as needed
  25. 2 cups hot sauce
  26. 1/3 cup agave syrup

Instructions

  1. Heat a flat-top griddle to 500 degrees F and preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter on the griddle. Sprinkle the oxtails with salt and pepper, then sear, about 3 minutes per side.
  3. Meanwhile, rough chop carrots, celery and onion (mirepoix).
  4. Remove oxtails and set aside.
  5. Put mirepoix and garlic on base of a hotel pan or roasting pan and place oxtails directly on top. Cover with root beer and ox stock (ensure meat is covered with liquid) and cover tightly with foil.
  6. Roast until meat is fall-off-the bone-tender, about 10 hours.
  7. Remove oxtails from pan, then let cool in a large bowl. Shred meat off bone, discarding bones and large chunks of fat; set aside bones for stock, if desired.
  8. For the taco assembly: Saute ox meat with the root beer syrup (just enough to hydrate, not enough to reseason meat) in a frying pan. Place on a warmed corn tortilla, top with Pineapple and Roasted Jalapeno Salsa, crumbled chicharrones and a drizzle of Agave Hot Sauce. Finish with cilantro and enjoy your trip to Flavortown.
  9. Mix together the pineapple, cilantro, jalapeno, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and lime juice in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper or lime.
  10. Mix together the hot sauce and agave in a bowl until incorporated well.

 

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