Best Oxtail Soup

Rich and flavorful, this Best Oxtail Soup simmers for hours, developing a deep, savory taste. With hearty chunks of celery, carrots, and potatoes, it transforms into a magnificent satisfying meal in a bowl.

Prep Time50

Cook Time2 30

Total Time3 20

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Brazilian, Caribbean, Jamaican

Keyword: Oxtail Soup, Oxtail Soup Jamaican

Servings: people

Author: Silvia Dunnirvine

Ingredients

3 lb oxtails
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion diced
4 carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 bundle thyme
2 bay leaves
32 oz beef broth
32 oz water
2 lbs potatoes cubed

Instructions

Season oxtails with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat oil in a large cast iron pot, then add the oxtails searing the meat on all sides. You may need to work in batches. Oxtails should have a golden sear to it as seen in this photo (about 20 minutes). Transfer oxtails to a plate.
To the heated pot add in onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté until veggies have softened (about 8 minutes). Once the veggies have cooked down, add the tomato paste.
Next stir in flour. Use a wooden spatula to stir making sure the flour is well incorporated into the veggies. Veggies will look like a dry lump at this point. This is a quick moving step (about 1 minute).
Stir in the wine, add a bundle of thyme fresh or home dried, or 1 tbsp of store bought dry thyme, and bay leaves.
Add the broth, then fill the broth container with an additional 32oz of water. Be aware that most of this liquid will evaporate and reduce by the end of cooking. Transfer the oxtails back into the pot. Stir well. Cover about 90% of the pot and cook on medium heat for about an hour.
After an hour of cooking, add in the potatoes. Stir well. Cook for an additional 1 and 1/2 hours. Total cooking time should be around 2 1/2 hours but it can go up to 3 hours. Decide whether your oxtail soup is done if the meat is tender and falling off the bone, also if the broth has reduced enough. If you want more broth add more water.
When done, transfer the oxtails from the pot to a cutting board or baking dish. Remove all the meat from the bones. Separate the fat from the lean meat, then give the lean meat a quick shred using two forks. Discard the bones and fat.
Use an immersion blender to blend some of the veggies to thicken the soup. This is optional but I like my oxtail soup a bit thickened so I always blend about 1/3 of my veggies.
Transfer the shredded oxtail meat back in the pot. Top with fresh thyme and serve.

Notes

Note: oxtails are full of collagen which means you will likely notice some gelatin consistency in the soup the next day, after some refrigeration.

Add broth/ water as needed to re-heat leftovers

Nutrition