Jamaican Oxtail Food

JAMAICAN OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Season oxtails aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke ­- about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.
• Add the oxtails to the pot, working in batches, stirring each time to cover them with blackened sugar, then allowing them to cook, turning occasionally, until they are well browned. Remove oxtails to a bowl and keep warm.
• Add half of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with the pepper, the thyme, the allspice and a third of the scallions, and stir to combine. Allow to cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
• Return the oxtails to the pot along with any accumulated juices and put water into the pot so that the oxtails are almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook, covered, approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add remaining onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with another third of the scallions. Add sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the meat is yielding and loose on the bone, approximately one hour longer. Remove approximately one cup of liquid from pot and place in a small bowl. Add flour to this liquid and stir to combine, working out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add this slurry to the pot along with ketchup, then stir to combine and allow to cook a further 15 minutes or so. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Fold butter beans into the stew and allow these to heat through. Scatter remaining scallions over the top. Serve with white rice or rice and peas.

JAMAICAN OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Clean and trim excess fat off oxtail. Stem and seed habanero peppers.
• Combine onions, bell peppers, 1 habanero pepper, scallions, ginger, thyme, garlic, and beef bouillon in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until a paste-like consistency is achieved.
• Season oxtails with 1/2 cup of the blended mixture, jerk seasoning, browning sauce, and soy sauce. Massage mixture deep into oxtails; cover, refrigerate, and allow to marinate, 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator and let stand until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Remove oxtails from the mixture, reserving marinade.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add oxtails, turning and browning on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add 90% of the reserved marinade, ketchup, and cover. Cook until oxtail has created its own juices, about 15 minutes. Add water, remaining habanero pepper, allspice, and bay leaf. Cook over medium heat until tender, stirring often to prevent sticking, 2 to 3 hours.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Reduce heat and let simmer, 15 to 20 minutes. Add beans and tomatoes; let simmer, 5 to 10 minutes more.

OXTAIL

Steps:

• For the spinners: Place the flour in a bowl and slowly pour in enough water to make a firm dough. On a lightly floured surface with floured hands knead the dough. Pinch 1 tablespoon portions of the dough and roll them into tiny logs or tiny cigars. You should have at least 24.
• For the Oxtails: In a blender blend 2 of the onions, 2 cloves of the garlic, 1 sprig of the thyme, 1 of the scallions, 1 tablespoon of oil, a generous sprinkle of salt and a 1/2 cup water.
• Pour half of the marinade over the oxtails and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reserve the remaining marinade for later use.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep frying pan with the remaining cloves of garlic and 1/2 a teaspoon of the allspice. Brown the oxtails on both sides for 20 minutes.
• Place the oxtails in a pressure cooker with the remaining onion, thyme, scallion, ginger, a sprinkle of salt and 4 cups of water (make sure that the oxtails are fully covered with water.) Set pressure cooker on high and cook until the oxtails are falling off the bone, about 1 hour.
• Add the carrot, scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaves, sugar, butter, remaining allspice, reserved marinade and the spinners to the pressure cooker. Simmer on the stovetop until reduced, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the butter beans and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve with Jamaican rice and peas and fried ripe plantains!

JAMAICAN OXTAIL (STEW)

Steps:

• Trim the extra fat from the meat if there is any. Wash oxtails in cold water/vinegar solution. Put the oxtails in the pressure-cooker with the browning, paprika, and salt.
• Add 4 cups of water to the pot. Place the pot on the fire and turn the fire to high.
• Allow the meat to cook under this high pressure for a limited time. Here's how, wait until the pressure builds up to its maximum point (threshold), and use your timer or clock to measure two minutes cooking time at maximum pressure.
• Turn off the fire and wait another minute. DO NOT REMOVE THE POT COVER.
• Slowly remove the pot from the heat source. You can also put the pot in the kitchen sink and run cold water on it; let it cool fast.
• When the pot is cool enough, carefully remove the cover and pour the contents into a saucepan. Turn the fire to medium and cook the oxtails until they are medium soft, or soft.
• Taste the gravy, now add salt to taste if needed.If the textures of the oxtails are the way you want them to be, add the rest of the ingredients, except the butter beans.
• The butter beans should be added two minutes before you finish making this stew.When the stew is ready, you may serve it with White Rice, Rice and Peas, Pasta, Bread, or Yams and Dumplings.

OXTAIL STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the oxtails with a good pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add half of the oxtails to the hot oil and cook until well browned on each side, about 8 minutes total. Use tongs to remove the seared oxtail to a large plate or bowl, then repeat with the remaining oxtails; remove.
• Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pot and cook until just tender, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it turns brick red in color, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, then stir until combined. Stir in the beef broth, allspice, thyme, bay leaves, brown sugar, and Worcestershire until combined. Cut an "X" in the pointy end of the chile (opposite the stem) with a small paring knife, then add to the pot.
• Return the browned oxtails to the pot, making sure all the pieces are submerged in the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, until the meat is very tender and nearly falling off the bone, about 3 hours.
• Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Skim the excess fat from the top of the stew with a small ladle, then stir in the butter beans until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with scallions and serve with white rice.

JAMAICAN OXTAIL

Steps:

• Place oxtail in a shallow dish. Combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, sugar, garlic and herb seasoning, browning sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Rub both sides of oxtail with marinade; pour out excess.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear oxtail in hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a small plate.
• Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the same skillet until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Add oxtail, with its juices, and butter. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until oxtail is fork tender, about 3 hours.
• Uncover skillet and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.