Rich, slow-cooked, and fall-apart tender, these Braised Oxtails are baked low and slow, coated in a flavorful wine-infused gravy that fills the kitchen with the most irresistible aroma. There’s something truly comforting about slow-cooked oxtails, the way the meat becomes silky and tender, the sauce turns rich and glossy, and every bite feels like a warm, savory embrace.
If you’ve ever made one of my oxtail recipes before, like my Best Oxtail Soup, Slow Cooker Oxtail Recipe, or Instant Pot Oxtail, you already know that oxtails are one of my specialties. It’s also one of my favorite meals in the entire world, and if I am lucky to have strong teeth at old age, this will be my last supper request.
Over the years, these recipes have earned thousands of clicks, rave reviews, and loyal readers who come back time and again for their rich, slow-cooked depth of flavor. So I’m not exaggerating when I say this but these Braised Oxtails recipe might be my best one yet.
This version is slow-cooked in the oven. The kind of meal that perfumes your kitchen for hours and rewards your patience with tender, melt-in-your-mouth oxtails swimming in the most luxurious, savory gravy. It’s elegant, comforting, and deeply satisfying.
Watch how to make braised oxtails video here:
Ingredients
Although the ingredient list might look a little long, chances are you already have most of these staples in your pantry. And as for the few special seasonings, trust me, they’re absolutely worth adding to your collection!
- Oxtails – find in the freeze isle or ask the butcher
- Red wine – any red wine will work, get an inexpensive bottle and use to make all sort of braised beef recipes.
- Vegetables – for the veggies I used onion, a couple bell peppers, garlic and cilantro. Feel free to add other veggies such as mushrooms and carrots.
- Hot peppers – of choice (banana peppers, habanero, jalapeño, chili or the classic scotch bonnet pepper). You can always opt out of hot peppers. Depending on your choice of pepper, the dish will be more or less spicy so choose what you are comfortable with.
- Broth and umami sauce – beef broth or homemade bone broth are best to enhance the meat flavor. I also add a couple tablespoons of umami sauce (I can’t live without this sauce!) but you can simply substitute for soy sauce or worcestershire sauce instead.
- Seasoning – I used garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, Jamaican jerk seasoning and most importantly smoked maple rub. I recommend investing in the smoked maple rub, it adds so much flavor to meats. It’s what makes my brisket recipes so delish!
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour
Instructions
Step 1: Sear the oxtails
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the oxtails dry, season well with salt and pepper, then toss in flour and sear until browned on all sides. This step locks in flavor and builds the base of your sauce.
Step 2: Deglaze the pot
Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom to release all those flavorful brown bits. Let it simmer for a few minutes to reduce slightly.
Step 3: Build the aromatics
Add the dry seasoning and make sure the oxtails are coated evenly.
Step 4: Add in the veggies
Toss in the veggies chopped, arrange them around the oxtails.
Step 5: Braise low and slow
Add beef broth and umami sauce. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender and the sauce is rich and glossy.
✨ Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread and don’t be shy about spooning up every last bit of that gravy.
kitchen recommendations
For this recipe I used my Lodge 3.6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Oval Casserole With Lid.
You’ll also need Stainless Steel Kitchen Tongs Set of 2 – 9″ and 12″
Specialty seasoning needed; smoked maple rub and Jamaican jerk seasoning
I buy my Umami sauce at Whole Foods, this is the one I use and love.
Cooking oxtails isn’t just another recipe for me. It’s part of my culinary story. Over the past decade, I’ve developed multiple ways to prepare them: slow-cooked, pressure-cooked, and now oven-braised. Each method has its charm, but this one, baked low and slow in a rich sauce feels like the heart of comfort food.
Braised Oxtails Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs oxtails
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 hot peppers of choice
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 cup beef or bone broth
- 2 tbsp umami sauce
Dry Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp smoked maple rub
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning
Instructions
How to braise oxtails in the oven
- Place oxtails in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper on all sides. This is the only time I add salt and pepper so I tend to use a generous amount, although you can always adjust later if needed.
- Toss in flour and make sure the oxtails are well coated in flour.
- Heat oil in a large pan or skillet, preferable one that can hold all the oxtails and can go in the oven safely. Brown oxtails on all sides (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat and add red wine to deglaze the pan. Allow wine to reduce for about 2 minutes, tossing the oxtails in this rich red wine reduction. Use a kitchen tongs to move the oxtails around the pan, sort of collecting any brown bits from the pan.
- Off heat and in the same pan that will go to the oven, add all the seasoning at once and rub to coat the oxtails. Feel free to use gloves if the oxtails are too hot or kitchen tongs to toss them in the seasoning until they are evenly coated.
- Next add the veggies, that's the onion, bell peppers, garlic, hot peppers, cilantro, broth and umami sauce to the pan.
- Cover and cook at 325F degrees for about 3 to 3/12 hours. Keep an eye on the oxtails after hour 2 to make sure it's not sticking to the pan. Add broth as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I saved this recipe, oxtail is health, colágeno,
Yes!!!
Delicious oxtail, I tried, I loved!
That’s great, I am really happy you loved my oxtail recipe! xoxo