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Traditional Jamaican oxtail slow-braised with classic Jamaican spices, butter beans, and a rich savory gravy, resulting in tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. Offers stovetop, slow cooker, oven, and Instant Pot cooking methods.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds oxtails, trimmed, rinsed, and dried
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 stalks escallion (green onion), crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped (optional, to taste)
  • 1 tsp browning
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp seasoning salt or all-purpose seasoning/spice blend
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1/4 cup beef broth (optional for pressure cooker method)
  • 1 can butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
  • 2–4 tbsp vegetable oil (for searing)

Instructions

  1. Trim excess fat from the oxtails using kitchen shears.
  2. Soak oxtails in cold water with a splash of vinegar or lemon; rub to remove debris, then rinse, drain, and pat dry.
  3. In a large bowl, toss oxtails with minced garlic, crushed escallions, grated ginger, chopped bell peppers and onion, browning, soy sauce, brown sugar, seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt; cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
  4. Remove marinated oxtails from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
  5. Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over high heat and add 2–4 tbsp neutral vegetable oil.
  6. Shake off excess herbs from the oxtails and sear them in batches, browning all sides; transfer browned oxtails to a plate and set aside.
  7. Add remaining vegetables and fresh herbs to the pot and sauté for 3–4 minutes.
  8. Nestle seared oxtails back into the pot; pour in about 4 cups water or enough stock to partially cover the oxtails; bring to a simmer; cover and cook over medium-high heat.
  9. Simmer for 1–2 hours, adding water as needed to keep the meat covered, until oxtails are fork-tender and meat easily pulls away from the bone.
  10. Stir in drained, rinsed butter beans and ketchup; adjust seasoning to taste.
  11. Simmer uncovered or partially covered until gravy thickens, skimming excess oil if desired.
  12. If gravy requires thickening, whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp cold water until smooth and slowly stir into simmering gravy until desired thickness is reached; return oxtails to gravy and gently coat.

Notes

Marinate the oxtails overnight if possible to develop deeper flavor., Searing the meat before slow cooking builds rich flavor through caramelization., Drain and rinse butter beans well before adding to avoid altering the flavor., Let marinated meat reach room temperature before cooking for even cooking., Leftovers taste better the next day as flavors meld., This recipe can be adapted for low-carb/keto by omitting sugar, browning, ketchup, and butter beans., Leftovers can be transformed into oxtail patties, sandwiches, or pizza toppings.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingcrumbs.com/authentic-jamaican-oxtail-recipe-stovetop/