Oxtail Stew
Oxtail Stew | Pure Umami Origami
Stewed oxtail with beans (optional). An undeniable presentation of why umami wins.
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker (Instant Pot)
- 1 Large fry pan
- 1 large roasting pan (optional) (increase cook time to 2 hr)
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 slotted spoon
- 1 chef's knife
Ingredients
Protein
- 1 kg beef oxtails (ask your butcher to cut into medium 2 cm pieces) (2 lbs)
Aromatics
- 2 onions (diced) (360 g)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced) (40 g)
- 1 finger ginger (minced) (30 g)
Seasonings
- 5 tsp pimento berries (all-spice) (ground) (20 g)
- 10 cloves (ground) (10 g)
- 2 tbsp paprika (30 g)
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt (15 g)
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (8 g)
- 60 mL Browning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200 mL water
Instructions
Preparation
- Mise en place! Assemble all equipment and ingredients.
Searing
- Bring a large fry pan to medium and add 2 tbsp of olive (30 g).
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add 1 kg of beef oxtail pieces to the oil in a single layer and fry for 10 min until browned all sides, flipping at the 5 min mark.
- Add the seared oxtails to a pressure cooker pot and scrape the fond (seared meat bits) into the pot. Set aside.
Aromatics and Seasonings
- Using a chef's knife, dice 2 onions (360 g), 5 garlic cloves (40 g), and 1 ginger finger (30 g). Add to the pressure cooker alongside the oxtails.
- Grind and add all seasonings to the pressure cooker alongside the oxtails and aromatics: 5 tsp pimento (20 g), cloves (10 g) 2 tbsp paprika (30 g), 1 tbsp Kosher salt (15 g), and 2 tsp black pepper (8 g).
- Add 60 mL of liquid Browning and 200 mL of water to the pressure cooker alongside the oxtails, aromatics and seasonings.
Cook and Serve
- Seal the pressure cooker pot into a pressure cooker and set the pot to cook under pressure for 30 min (70 min total including heating and cooldown/venting).
- The oxtails should be tender, deep brown in colour and ready to serve! Enjoy heartily!
I love stews. Stew Pork, Chickens, Peas, Beans, Beef you name it. Deep, unctuous, rich flavours, simmering away to afford delectable, tender, juicy morsels and gravies. Most things stewed Jamaican-style are right up there as some of my favourite foods. The flavour development is unreal! At the top of the proverbial flavour development mountain is oxtail in my humble opinion. The amount of collagen in this oft-overlooked segment delivers an unrivaled amount of comfort and calm to any household. Lovingly accompanied with fresh aromatics and warm spices, simmered down to absolute stewed perfection.