Beef
Smoked Oxtail
Recipe - No. 30
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cook Time
4-5 hours
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Serves
4
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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
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1
Place seasoned oxtails on grill and smoke for 2 hours, or until the outside develops a deep mahogany color.
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2
Remove oxtails from smoker and arrange in a large cast iron skillet. Pour braising sauce over oxtail.
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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.
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4
As meat finishes, prepare long grain white rice according to directions on package. Arrange cooked rice on large serving platter.
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5
Remove cast iron skillet from smoker and place oxtail on top of rice. Strain braising liquid and skim fat from top.
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6
Ladle sauce over each piece.

Recipe - No. 30
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