Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods because it makes meats taste so good. I especially love braising during the holidays. There’s nothing like cozying up to a nice stew and a glass of wine on a cold day with your family and friends. I am of the opinion that braised meat needs to be served with a glass of red wine like a cabernet or merlot. My favorite cab right now is the one from Cakebread Cellars. They sent me a few bottles of their cabernet sauvignon which I added to this braised oxtail recipe, and it’s just one of the best cabs I’ve ever had. It not only makes this braised oxtail better, but it also goes perfectly with the final dish. I can’t wait to have this wine with all my holiday celebrations this season!
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Oxtail – Oxtail is one of my favorite cuts of beef because of how good it tastes when cooked right. The best way to cook oxtail is braising it because of how tough the meat is. This recipe also works with short ribs if you don’t have oxtail.
- Leeks, onions, carrots, and garlic – These vegetables add sweetness and other yummy flavors to the broth. Leeks can be substituted with yellow onions. Other vegetables you can include are daikon and shallots.
- Soy sauce – Adds unami flavor to the braised oxtail. To make this dish gluten free, substitute soy sauce with tamari.
- Rice wine vinegar – The vinegar helps balance out the umami and rich flavors. If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, substitute with white distilled vinegar.
- Bay leaves and thyme – These herbs add more flavor to the dish. Other aromatics you can use are sage and rosemary.
- Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon – This cabernet sauvignon from Cakebread Cellars is the perfect wine to add to this braise. It has notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, and sweet oak that pair so well with the rich flavors of this oxtail stew. It can also be paired with other red meats.
- Beef stock – The oxtail needs to be submerged in liquid in order to braise, so I used beef stock for this purpose. You can also use chicken or vegetable stock as a substitute.
- Tomato paste – Tomato paste helps thicken and enrich the flavor of the stew.
- Italian parsley – Parsley is used for garnish to add a bit of freshness to the dish.
Making my wine braised oxtail recipe
This simple recipe cooks low and slow, so it takes awhile to make, but I promise you it will be worth it in the end! Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Season the oxtail liberally with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Sear the oxtails until brown on all sides. Once seared, transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the dutch oven. Then add the leeks, onions, garlic, and carrots. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until they start to become translucent. Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, bay leaves, and thyme and stir.
Deglaze the pan with Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Cook until the alcohol burns off. You can tell if the alcohol has burned off by smelling the liquid. If it doesn’t smell like alcohol anymore, it has burned off. Add the beef stock and tomato paste. Stir and cook until the liquid starts boiling. Lower to a simmer. Lastly, add the oxtail back to the dutch oven. Cover and let it bake for 3 1/2 – 4 hours until the oxtails are tender and easily come apart. Serve with rice or a baguette and a glass of red wine!
Tips on how to make the perfect wine braised oxtail recipe
What if I don’t have a dutch oven? What should I use instead?
Make everything in whatever pot you have, and then when you’re ready to move to the oven, transfer the dish to a large baking dish. Cover and bake for 3.5 – 4 hours.
What can I eat this braised oxtail with?
You can have this dish with rice or any grain you choose. Another good option is bread. I personally would prefer a baguette. Lastly, you can also toss the stew with some cooked pasta.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Wine Braised Oxtail
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb oxtails
- ½ cup leeks roughly chopped
- 1 cup yellow onions roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- ½ cup carrots roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves dried or fresh
- 2 sprigs thyme
- ½ cup Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
- 3 ½ cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
- Season the oxtail liberally with salt and pepper.
- In a dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Sear the oxtails until brown on all sides. Once seared, transfer to a plate.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the dutch oven. Then add the leeks, onions, garlic, and carrots. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until they start to become translucent.
- Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, bay leaves, and thyme and stir.
- Deglaze the pan with Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Cook until the alcohol burns off. You can tell if the alcohol has burned off by smelling the liquid. If it doesn’t smell like alcohol anymore, it has burned off.
- Add the beef stock and tomato paste. Stir and cook until the liquid starts boiling. Lower to a simmer.
- Lastly, add the oxtail back to the dutch oven. Cover and let it bake for 3 ½ – 4 hours until the oxtails are tender and easily come apart.
- Serve with rice or a baguette and a glass of red wine!
I came back to this recipe JUST to leave comments.
I’d never cooked oxtail in my life. I remember seeing it braised on an episode of Giada’s show on Food Network forever ago, and always wanted to try it.
I got my hands on some beautiful grass-fed oxtail. And was so excited to try it. I remember how rich and lovely it looked on TV. I was so tempted to go find the recipe I saw that first motivated me, but I decided first I would shop around. And BOY am I glad I did.
This is one of the single most delicious beef dishes I’ve ever made. NO exaggeration. Everyone in my family LOVED it. I served it over some homemade butternut risotto with a fresh green salad. It was devoured. This sauce is deep, beefy, and full of flavor. I did skim some of the fat off the pan sauce that was created as suggested and am glad I did. I also did not simply pull off everything from the bone. This is a FATTY cut. I removed the meat only and tried to avoid as much of the fat as possible. There was still plenty of deliciously tender shredded beef in this amazingly luscious sauce that had formed.
I still cannot believe how good it was, and this will become a regular dish in my house. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Amber! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment 🙂 Pairing this oxtail with butternut risotto sounds PERFECT. I have to try that some time!