Oxtail Ragu
Ragu’s are best when made slow on a low temperature. Oxtail ragu is no exception to this rule. If you are wondering what exactly oxtail is, it’s the tail of a cow and it’s a completely under respected piece of meat in the states. It has an amazing amount of flavor and is relatively inexpensive.
I feel that the meat and bones from the oxtail infuses so much flavor into the sauce, that I don’t necessarily need to load the ragu with 8 different herbs and 10 different spices. I believe it’s best to allow the meat to be the star. Red wine, stock, tomato, thyme, garlic, onions and oxtail. It works!
Cooking Note: You could use a slow cooker for this recipe, but you aren’t going to get the sauce to condense and develop all the flavor that you would in the oven.
Relates Recipe >>>> Pasta Bolognese
Oxtail Ragu
6
Print Recipe- 3 pounds of oxtail (the butcher should already have cut it)
- 1/2 - 3/4 cups of flour
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 3 cups of red wine
- 1 cup of chicken or beef stock
- 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 6-7 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Preheat your oven to 300F
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-high heat.
- While it's heating, seasoning the oxtail with salt and pepper. Then place the flour on a plate. Season that with salt and pepper. Dredge the oxtail in the flour mixture. Shake off any excessive flour. Pour in a tablespoon of olive oil into the pot and gently place the oxtail on top. Do not crowd the pot. You will need to sear the meat in batches. Each side will take around 5-7 minutes. Be vigilant though, you don't want it to burn.
- While you are browning the oxtail, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
- Once the oxtail is browned and set aside, add in the garlic. Sauté for a few minutes. Then add in the garlic for about a minute. Pour in the red wine, chicken stock and tomato sauce. Stir. Season with a pinch or two of salt. Add back in the oxtails, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and place in the oven for at least two hours.
- Once the oxtail is fall of the bone tender, remove from the oven and pull the meat out of the sauce. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat and place back in the sauce. Remove the thyme and bay leaves.
- Serve over rigatoni, penne, polenta or pappardelle.
Nutrition
With 2 Ounces Pasta
Dairy Free, Egg Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Soy Free, Fish Free, Shellfish Free, Pork Free, Crustacean Free, Celery Free, Mustard Free, Sesame Free, Lupine Free, Mollusk Free, Kosher
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