Oxtails...I know I throw out the odd stuff!!

[La Quinta]

Have some oxtails and wondered if anyone has had any smoking "time" with them? We have tripe in the freezer too...so...you know we're a half a bubble off!!!

[Gizmo]

Gee and I almost picked up some Kangaroo medallions today.  Those may have been a great compliment to the ox tails.  Settled for the pork belly instead.

[3rensho]

Tripe is a common menu item in restaurants in this neck of the woods.  Fixed several ways.  Ox tails too are common.  I haven't smoked any though.  I just brown them in the oven and make soup. 

Tom 

[Habanero Smoker]

I love ox tails but never smoked them. Now I have another thing on my list to do. I would either cold smoke for an hour, or if you can't cold smoke, smoke them in the smoker with the heat element unplugged using the cold smoke setup. Then use them in your recipe as you usually would do.

If you want I have a great ox tails and beans recipe.

[manxman]

I have smoked oxtails previously, threw some in the BS when I was hot smoking some brisket.

See:

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=3376.0

Sorry I cant be more specific but it was a good while ago.

[3rensho]

HS. please post the ox tail and beans recipe.  That sounds like a great dish for winter.

Tom

[iceman]

HS. please post the ox tail and beans recipe.  That sounds like a great dish for winter.

Tom

I agree. Please post that one for us Hab.

[Habanero Smoker]

I'll post it either later this evening or tomorrow morning. I'm looking at the recipe right now and the person I got it from didn't give amounts for certain ingredients, so I have to rack my brain to try to remember the amounts I used. I know I have that information somewheres. If not I will probably see him next Wednesday at a Christmas party, and he always brings this dish. I will try to pin him down on the amounts, but either way I will post the recipe by tomorrow morning, and if needed make adjustments after I see him.

It's a real good recipe. I don't like cabbage, but this recipe has cabbage in it and I can't get enough of this dish.

[La Quinta]

Thanks Habs!! Last time I made them I was a little disappointed. Would love a new recipe!!

[Habanero Smoker]

I'm including his original recipe, and my recipe. This is a home dish from his home town, in a region of Burkina Faso. There is not much difference in the two, except I try to pin down the amounts. But to be truthful, I could never get mine as close as his. So I suspect he is holding out on a secret ingredient.

Oxtail Recipe (original)
1 pack Black beans
2 packs of Ox tails (only use the thickest part of the tail)
1 Bunch of Scallions
1 Medium Onion, diced
Fresh garlic, minced
2-3 Bay leaves
4 Beef bullion cubes
1 head of Cabbage coarsely chopped
Black pepper
Soy sauce
Hot sauce

Wash and soak beans overnight in water. If ox tails are not already separated at the joint, do so. Trim off excess fat, rinse and put ox tails in a Dutch oven or a 5 – 6 quart heavy stock pot, with enough water to cover the top of the meat. Add bay leaves bullion cubes, hot sauce, soy sauce, black pepper (basically season it to your taste, you might have to add salt) and cover. Cook over medium fire for at least 2 1/2 hours till meat starts to get tender, add onions garlic and cabbage and let cook for about 15 min. Take out meat & cabbage and just leave the soup. Drain beans and add the beans to the soup; if needed add more water to just cover the beans. Let that cook, when the beans are just about done then you add  the meat and cabbage back in and let it all cook together at a low heat for about 1/2 hour. Then you can have it as soup or eat it over rice. Remember the more beans you add the thicker it will get.


Oxtail Recipe (reworked)
1 lb.  Dry black beans
2 - 2.5 lbs.  Ox tails (only use the thickest part of the tail)
1 Bunch of Scallions
1 Medium Onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Bay leaves
4 Beef bullion cubes
1 head of Cabbage coarsely chopped
1/4 - 1/2 C. Soy sauce
Hot sauce to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt (optional)

Wash and soak beans overnight in water.

If ox tails are not already separated at the joint do so; trim off excess fat, and rinse. Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or a 5 – 6 quart heavy stock pot, and heat over medium high flame. Place ox tails in pot and brown on all sides. You may have to work in batches, adding more oil when needed.

After browning add enough water to cover the top of the meat. Add bay leaves bullion cubes, hot sauce, soy sauce, black pepper and salt to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat for at least 2 1/2 hours till meat starts to get tender.

Add onions garlic and cabbage and let cook for about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove meat & cabbage and just leaving the soup (stock).

Drain beans and add the beans to the soup (stock); if needed add more water to just cover the beans. Continue to cook, when the beans are just about done then you add  the meat and cabbage back in and let it all cook together at a low heat for about 1/2 hour.

Then you can have it as soup or eat it over rice. (I prefer it being served over rice).

Optional: To make it thicker, remove 1 cup of the beans prior to adding the cabbage and meat back into the soup (stock). Put beans in a blender and puree until smooth. Add puree into the pot and stir until well blended. Then add the meat and cabbage back into the pot.

PS
He always told me don't mess this recipe up, and if I did don't go around telling people it was his recipe. ;D

[3rensho]

That sounds great HS.  Many thanks for sharing the recipe.  I gotta give that a try in the next week or two.

Tom

[iceman]

Thanks Hab. I'll be trying that this winter for sure.

[La Quinta]

Thanks Habs...I'm going to try it this weekend!! Looking at the ingredients...I think I could cold smoke the tails for a bit. Smoke likes beans and onions and garlic right? Just maybe the cabbage might not but what the hell...I'll let you know how it comes out!!

Thanks again. :)

[Habanero Smoker]

La Quinta;

After you started this thread, I was thinking of giving the oxtails a light smoke before adding them to this recipe. If you smoke them, let me know how they turn out. I went out yesterday looking for ox tails, the only ones I could find were from the tip of the tail. Those are not worth buying.

[La Quinta]

Yeah Habs...know what you mean...I get mine from an Asian market..really nice and meaty. I'll let you know. Could I half presurre cook the tails in everything except the beans? Thicken the sauce and then add the beans and finish them (the beans) off in the pot, on the stove (just to save time?)