Thursday, July 28, 2011

My Ox Tail Experience

I was very hesitant about trying this meat. I am not the hugest meat eater. After bring a vegan/vegetarian for several years, I am wanting to try foods that I did not eat before because I think it is important to try everything at least once.

Ox Tail
Well, today I learned I actually like the taste of ox tail. The meat taste similar to roast The main issue I had was not cooking the meat long enough. It is a very fatty and tough. For those trying this for the first time, cook the ox tail in a slow cooker for several hours because it will turn out much better.

I am going to share my recipe. I think the ingredients I used to season the ox tail are great. It provided the ox tail a great flavor.



My Recipe for Ox Tail


My lunch. Ox tail with red beans and rice.
Ingredients 

  • 2 lb of ox tail
  • 1 tbsp of fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp of kosher salt
  • 1 tsp of olive oil
  • 4 cloves of fresh garlic
  •  2 tsp of truffle oil




Preparation
Crushing my herbs in my mortar and pestle

First, I recommend to marinate the ox tail for an hour. Put the kosher salt, thyme, and olive oil into a mortar and pestle. Grind up the ingredient and rub on the seasonings on the meat. Then, rub on the crushed garlic on to the ox tail. Allow the meat to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour. 



Marinated ox tail


Preheat the oven at 375 degree. Put the ox tail in oven proof dish. Add truffle oil along the top and cover the dish. I cooked the ox tail for an hour in the oven. This is where I went wrong. I recommend cooking the ox tail for two to three hours at 325 degrees. Or, I think another great suggestion is to put the meat into a slow cooker for 4 hours with a cup of beef broth. 




I plan to continue trying to make this again and better next time. A twitter follower recommend for me to make Osso Bucco. I think I will try to take on this challenge. If you are brave and want to try something different, I think you should try making ox tail. 
 
On a side note, my pets enjoyed eating some of the leftover ox tail and bones. Must be good if the animals are fighting to get to try it. :)


Benny obediently awaiting for his share. 
Mr. Pigglesworth is eating his share. 





4 comments:

  1. sounds deelish, I've often wondered what this tastes like =)

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  2. Love the pix of our animals at the end. :)

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  3. mmm... this reminds me of an Ox tail dish once prepared by a friend of mine on facebook.. the pics are available on this link https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Kana/201969273159739#!/pages/My-Kana/201969273159739

    Check it out!
    ps. the pets - Cute!!

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  4. Don't give up on oxtail. Treat it like a short rib. Braise it in a good dry red wine with carrots, celery and onions (mire poix) at 200 degrees for 3 hours. The key to a good braise is pat the oxtail dry with a towel then sear it on all sides. Never sear wet proteins the moisture causes steam. Let me know how it turns out.

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