Oxtails in Red Wine Sauce
Submitted by bopezaha
Oxtails braised in red wine with celery, leeks, carrots, and a French-style sauce made from the reduced braising liquid. Rich, fork-tender, and worth every one of the 4 hours.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
4 hrsBraised oxtails are one of those dishes that reward patience, and this one does not cut corners.
The oxtails get browned hard first - a full 12 minutes to build the deep fond that flavors everything that follows. Then the vegetables sauté until golden, the red wine reduces by half, and the whole thing braises for an hour and a half until the meat is falling away from the bone.
What sets this recipe apart is the sauce. Rather than serving the braising liquid as-is, the recipe calls for a proper brown sauce: the skimmed surface fat builds a roux, the strained cooking liquid gets whisked in, and everything reduces for another 45 minutes to a glossy, coat-the-spoon consistency.
Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta and don’t skip a drop of that sauce.
Chef Tips
- Brown the oxtails in batches if needed - overcrowding steams instead of sears
- Skim the fat from the braising liquid carefully before making the sauce; this step is what gives it a clean, rich finish
- This dish improves overnight - make it a day ahead and reheat gently
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat.
Season oxtails with salt and pepper.
Add to Dutch oven and cook until brown on all sides, about 12 minutes.
Transfer oxtails to platter.
Add celery, carrots, leeks, onion and garlic to pot and saut? until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Arrange oxtails over vegetables.
Add wine, thyme, parsley, cloves and bay leaves.
Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
Add stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover Dutch oven tightly and simmer until meat is very tender, about 1½ hours.
Remove oxtails from cooking liquid.
Tent with foil to keep warm.
Strain cooking liquid. Skim fat from surface and reserve.
Transfer 2 tablespoons skimmed fat to heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add flour and stir until mixture browns, about 10 minutes.
Whisk in cooking liquid. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat back of spoon and is reduced to 2 cups, stirring frequently, about 45 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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