Sunday Supper: Red Wine and Tomato Braised Oxtails Recipe

By
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where she develops recipes and owns and operates three businesses: a bean-to-bar chocolate company, an ice cream company, and a collective food production space. Previously, she wrote brunch and British food recipe columns for Serious Eats.
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Updated Aug. 30, 2018
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Sydney Oland

The smell of meat braising on a Sunday afternoon gives the entire house a warm comforting feeling. And oxtails are a cut of meat that are especially well suited for long low braises. Oxtails have a lot of collagen, which after hours in a flavorful braising liquid, breaks down and becomes tender and succulent. Red wine adds rich flavor to the meat, and whole tomatoes break down in the sauce adding texture to the final product.

This simple braise really benefits from good quality ingredients, so use a red wine that you're going to be happy sipping while the braise sits in the oven for hours. Nice fluffy mashed potatoes are ideal, but for a quick leftover meal the following day, egg noodles with butter and parsley make a quick delicious side as well.

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Active: 25 mins
Total: 3 hrs 25 mins
Serves: 4 servings

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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds oxtails

  • Olive oil

  • 3 large shallots, thinly sliced

  • 1 cup red wine

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole stewed tomatoes

  • 1 large sprig fresh oregano

  • Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 °. Heat large braising dish over medium high heat, drizzle with olive oil, and season oxtails with salt and pepper. When oil is shimmering add oxtails to braising dish. Sear oxtails on all sides until deep golden brown.

  2. Once oxtails are brown remove from pan and reserve. Add sliced shallots stirring to scarp up brown bits from bottom of pan until shallots begin to take on some color, about 8 minutes. Add oxtails back to pan, pour over red wine and can of whole stewed tomatoes and bring to a simmer on stove top. Cover with lid and place in the oven until oxtails are fork tender, about 3 hours.

  3. Once oxtails are tender remove tails and sprig of oregano from braising liquid and reduce liquid over medium high heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Warm oxtails in reduced sauce before serving. Serve with fluffy mashed potatoes and more red wine.

Special equipment

Large braising dish with lid

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
614 Calories
29g Fat
29g Carbs
53g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 614
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 38%
Saturated Fat 11g 53%
Cholesterol 166mg 55%
Sodium 1181mg 51%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 11%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 53g
Vitamin C 24mg 119%
Calcium 143mg 11%
Iron 7mg 40%
Potassium 1380mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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