Beef

Smoked Oxtail

  • Preparation
    30 minutes
  • Cook Time
    4-5 hours
  • Serves
    4
  • Difficulty
    8/10
Behind the Recipe

I Thought I’d Grilled It All

I’ve been grilling ever since I could grip a pair of tongs. Back in the day, I’d spend hours with my pops smoking ribs and brisket on the back patio. As I got older, I developed an appetite for trying different cuts of beef.

Every weekend it was something new. Shoulder tender, tri-tip, hangers, bavettes. Nose to tail, there wasn’t a cut the beef I didn’t have a recipe for… or so I thought. When my butcher casually mentioned he had fresh oxtail, I didn’t blink. “I’ll take a couple pounds of that,” I blurted out. That same weekend, pops came over for dinner. There we were again just like old times, but with a taste of something completely new. 

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 7 pieces of oxtail
  • ¼ cup of your favorite BBQ rub
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup red wine
  • ¼ Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. beef base
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup carrot, chopped
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch parsley

Preparation

  • Prepare braising sauce by heating olive oil in a large pan over medium heat on stovetop or side burner. Add onion, celery, and carrot, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper, continuing to cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Stir in Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, and red wine. Reduce for 3 minutes.
  • Add beef broth and beef base, stirring and continuing to reduce for 10 more minutes, then set aside.
  • Preheat your smoker for indirect cooking at 275 degrees, adding wood chips for extra flavor as desired.
  • Trim excess fat from outer edges of oxtail and generously coat all sides with your favorite BBQ rub.

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1

    Place seasoned oxtails on grill and smoke for 2 hours, or until the outside develops a deep mahogany color.

  2. 2

    Remove oxtails from smoker and arrange in a large cast iron skillet. Pour braising sauce over oxtail.

  3. 3

    Place cast iron skillet on smoker and continue to cook at 275 degrees for 2-3 more hours, or until oxtails are fork tender.

  4. 4

    As meat finishes, prepare long grain white rice according to directions on package. Arrange cooked rice on large serving platter.

  5. 5

    Remove cast iron skillet from smoker and place oxtail on top of rice. Strain braising liquid and skim fat from top.

  6. 6

    Ladle sauce over each piece.

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