Easy Estofado de Rabo de Toro Recipe

It is never too late to delve into the world of Spanish recipes, and we bring to you a staple dish that everyone needs to know how to make.

We are talking about the fantastic estofado de rabo de toro: a mesmerizing, hearty stew that will become your new favorite winter recipe.

Read this article, and you will learn how to make one of the best oxtail stew recipes, with some super helpful tips for storing, serving, and customizing this recipe.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish oxtail recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Braised oxtails in oven

• Portuguese oxtail stew

• Oxtail stew with potatoes

Background of the Dish

During the Middle Ages in Andalusia, oxtail was a cheaper and less desirable cut of meat.

Thankfully, resourceful cooks discovered that slow-cooking the oxtail could transform it into a flavorful and tender dish.

Following this discovery, Spanish oxtail stew recipes became mainstream, and people started incorporating more regional ingredients such as red wine, fresh herbs, and Andalusian spices.

Now, the estofado de rabo de toro is a dish that brings people together, so it is often prepared for special occasions like holidays, family gatherings, and date nights at home.

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Things You’ll Need for Estofado de Rabo de Toro

To make the estofado de rabo de toro you will need oxtail, onions, carrots, celery stalks, garlic cloves, and beef broth as the main ingredients.

For Spanish oxtail recipes with different cooking methods, you can check our fried oxtail recipe, our braised oxtail, and our oven-baked oxtail recipe.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg oxtail
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine
• 4 cups (1l) beef broth
• 2 large onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1 teaspoon dry rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Estofado de Rabo de Toro – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this rabo de toro recipe, peel and dice the carrots, celery stalks, and red bell pepper. Peel and chop the onion into small squares. Peel and mince the garlic cloves.

2. After that, pat the oxtail dry with paper towels, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

3. Now grab a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the oxtail pieces on all sides until they form a golden-brown crust. Remove the Spanish oxtail pieces and set them aside.

4. Using the same pot, add a bit more olive oil if needed. Sauté onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and red bell pepper until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes.

5. For the next step in this Spanish oxtails recipe, pour in red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Also, add beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary, and return the browned oxtail pieces to the pot.

6. Then, bring the Spanish bull tail stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours or until the oxtail is tender. Stir occasionally.

7. After that, do a taste test on the stewed oxtail and adjust the seasoning if needed. Lastly, remove bay leaves.

8. For the final step in this Spanish oxtail stew recipe, pour the estofado de rabo de toro into serving bowls and enjoy it warm.

Substitution of Ingredients

This delicious estofado de rabo de toro only calls for a few basic ingredients that everyone has at home, yet still, there are some changes that you can make to them.

For example, you can turn it into a keto-friendly dish by removing the carrots and replacing the flour with almond or coconut flour, and using low-carb wine (or you can follow our keto oxtail recipe).

The estofado de rabo de toro is a part of the red wine oxtail stew family, but you could skip that ingredient, or use white wine (in that case, use vegetable broth to fit the flavor profile).

For another winter staple, you can turn this dish into a sopa de rabo de buey by doubling the amount of broth that you use.

The oxtails on the stove recipe is another tasty dish that you can now add to you Spanish oxtail cookbook.

Tips on Serving Estofado de Rabo de Toro

Once you finish preparing this recipe for oxtails stew you will have a fantastic main dish ready to be served warm, at lunch or dinner.

We recommend that you have some slices of your favorite bread while serving the estofado de rabo de toro so that you get to soak them in the mesmerizing red wine sauce and cooking broth.

You can easily turn it into an oxtail stew with vegetables by serving it with a portion of roasted or steamed vegetables, like potatoes, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.

To switch things up, serve this estofado de rabo de toro with lighter side dishes, such as a mixed green salad or an ensaladilla rusa.

Besides that, the meat from this oxtail stew recipe makes for the perfect topping for other dishes, such as oxtail spaghetti or oxtails and rice.

How to Store Estofado de Rabo de Toro

Once you finish making this Spanish oxtail recipe, let the stew cool to room temperature (for 30 to 60 minutes) and place it in a covered freezer-safe container.

Then, you can store the estofado de rabo de toro for up to 3 days in the fridge or 45 days in the freezer; just make sure to add a label so you don’t exceed that time.

After that, thaw the oxtail stew in the fridge overnight or for 12 hours, and then reheat it in a pot on the stove or in the oven over medium to low heat for an hour or less.

Luckily, we have more easy oxtail stew recipes that you can make and store for later, such as the Basque oxtail stew and the traditional oxtail recipe.

Recipe Card: Estofado de Rabo de Toro

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