What does oxtail taste like?
Oxtail tastes like the deepest, beefiest pot roast you've had: slow braised until it falls off the bone, sticky with melted collagen, in a glossy, rich gravy.
Oxtail
sticky, beefy, fall-apart tender
Oxtail is beef tail, cut into round chunks with a bone in the middle. It's tough and full of connective tissue, so it needs hours of slow cooking, and that's the magic: the collagen melts into the sauce and makes it glossy and lip-sticking, and the meat gets so tender it slides off the bone. The flavor is pure, deep beef. Jamaican oxtail adds allspice, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper and butter beans; Korean oxtail soup is clear and gentle; Italian and Spanish versions braise it in wine. Expect to use your fingers.
Where you’ll see it
As Jamaican stewed oxtail with rice and peas, Korean oxtail soup, Roman coda alla vaccinara, Spanish rabo de toro, and as a ragu or dumpling filling on New American menus.
Order it if you love slow-cooked, sticky, rich meat and don't mind working around a bone.
Quick questions
- Is oxtail actually from an ox?
- These days it's beef tail from any cattle, not just oxen. The name just stuck.
- Is oxtail spicy?
- It depends on the cuisine. Jamaican oxtail often has some heat from scotch bonnet pepper. Korean, Italian and Spanish versions are usually mild.