Oxtail stew
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 55 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Oxtail stew
This stew – often considered the national dish of Jamaica – is a must-try if you love meltingly tender meat packed with the classic seasonings of the Caribbean. Serve with white rice, or Jamaican-style rice and peas
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 55 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
514Kcal
Fat
23gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
27gr
Sugars
15gr
Fibre
7gr
Protein
46gr
Salt
3.4gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1.2kg oxtail (smaller chunks work best)
- 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning blend
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp grated root ginger
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp ground allspice
- 2 red peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilli pepper
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 600ml beef stock, made using 2 stock pots or cubes
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 x 400g tin butter beans, rinsed and drained
- squeeze of lemon juice
- handful of parsley, finely chopped
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the stew up to 2 days ahead, cover and chill, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the hob in a lidded pan, adding a splash of water, until piping hot.
- Season the oxtail well with salt, pepper and all-purpose seasoning. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar into a large Dutch pot or a casserole and place over a medium heat, swirling the pan once melted. When it has turned dark – this will take 5-6 minutes – carefully add 2 tablespoons of water (it will sputter) and stir until combined. If it clumps together, melt back down over a low heat.
- Dust the oxtail with flour then add to the pot, stirring to coat in the caramel. Fry for 2-3 minutes until well browned and caramelised. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add a splash of water to the pan and deglaze, scraping up the caramelised meaty bits. Add the oil then stir in the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, ginger and half the spring onions. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Add the tomato purée and allspice and cook for 1 minute until the mixture is thick and darkened in colour.
- Return the oxtail and any juices to the pot, adding the peppers, Scotch bonnet, thyme and bay leaves. Stir in the stock, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce; the oxtail should be almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook gently, covered, for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and stir in the remaining spring onions. Continue to cook, covered – but this time leaving a gap to vent – for another 40 minutes until the meat is tender and the gravy has thickened. Add the butter beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Discard the Scotch bonnet, thyme and bay then stir in the lemon juice and parsley, adjusting the seasoning to your liking.
