Oxtail just sounds cool. It is really just the tail of a standard beef cow, cut into vertebral sections. There is actually quite a bit of meat on these pieces typically, and the bone is porous - allowing the marrow to escape easily into your stew.
I found a local meat market that provides the unusual cuts that you won't find in a common grocery chain. Besides the oxtail, they had lamb leg, offal, and scraps of bacon fat (often called 'bits' or 'ends'). Unusual cuts (and offal) are basically considered waste by the big butchers, so they are usually very inexpensive.
I was interested in trying the oxtail because my wife spent much of her childhood in England, and oxtail soup is a staple there. Bolstered with barley and reduced down more than a soup, my recipe is below the squiggle.
This recipe is actually very similar to my Guiness Stew in terms of techniques used. Although the ingredients here are mostly different, it wouldn't hurt to review some other stew recipes before diving into your own.
Serves 6
2 pounds oxtail (about 8 pieces)
2 cups soft potatoes (yukon gold or fingerlings), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 sticks carrots, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups stock
2 tablespoons barley, uncooked
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make (or warm up) stock in a sauce pan.
In a large cast iron dutch oven (mine is 6-quarts) heat a dribble of oil to lubricate the bottom just slightly. I don't list the oil as an ingredient because you want to use so little that even a teaspoon is more than necessary. Render some of the oxtail fat by rolling the pieces on their side slowly through the oil. Then, season the pieces with salt and pepper and sear. Set aside the oxtail on a plate for now.
Add potatoes and stir to coat with the rendered fat. Don't worry about the fond (brown bits on bottom) just yet. Give the potatoes about 3 minutes head start, then add the onions, celery, and carrots. Stir to coat and mix. Let sautee until the onions begin to lose their water. Season with salt and pepper and use a wooden spoon to loosen the fond. The liquid from the vegetables should be enough to deglaze. If not, use a tablespoon of the stock.
Once vegetables have become just slightly softened and the potatoes are cooked through, add the tomatoes and garlic. Stir and cook for about a minute then add the stock. Stir in the barley, return the oxtail to the dutch oven, and braise at 325 degrees for about two hours or until the meat can be separated from the bone easily. Remove the bones and serve over rice.
Rice or pasta or whatever you may want to pour this on (cornbread anyone?) is optional but makes for a yummy thickener. Feel free to add more stock if you want it to be a looser 'stoup' (ala Rachel Ray). With just my wife and I, this makes several meals. I leave it in the dutch oven and just rewarm it with a little more water or stock the next day. You will want to refrigerate it if keeping it longer than overnight.