Quick Oxtail Recipe from Spain

The Southern region of Spain is home to some of the best oxtail recipes, but some of them do require a long cooking time. 

However, there’s no need to give up on these Spanish recipes: The quick oxtail recipe is here to the rescue, providing the perfect option when you want a hearty stew that can be prepared quickly and easily.

Scroll down this article to learn everything there is to know about this Andalusian recipe: from how to make it from scratch to other cooking options, ways of serving, storing, and customizing it, and much more.

You, dear reader, support this blog. If you purchase through a link, we earn a small commission. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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

• Rabo de toro

• Mexican oxtail soup

• Spanish oxtail soup

Background of the Dish

There was a time when Spanish oxtail recipes were only made and eaten by the lower classes of Spain, as it is a cheap cut of meat that has the disadvantage of taking too long to cook to be tender.

What made this the best oxtail recipe is that it solved a problem that most regular or healthy oxtail recipes had: they take too long to finish cooking, and that became a thing of the past with this one.

The quick oxtail recipe is one of the newest additions to the family of quick recipes (as the pressure cooker became a mainstream kitchen appliance in the 20th century), but the oldest in this category is the braised oxtail recipe.

Pin for later!

Things You’ll Need for Quick Oxtail Recipe

The main ingredients for this quick oxtail recipe are oxtail, broth, carrots, onion, potatoes, garlic cloves, and vegetable oil.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker then you can make it in a regular pot (it would take up to 2 hours) or follow others of our oxtail recipes, such as the oven baked oxtail recipe and the fried oxtail recipe.

Ingredients

• 2.5kg oxtails
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine (optional)
• 3 cups (750ml) beef broth
• 1 can (450gr) diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion
• 4 potatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1.5 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

How to Make Quick Oxtail Recipe – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this Spanish oxtail recipe, peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Peel and chop the onion and carrots into small pieces. Lastly, slice the celery stalks, peel, and mince the garlic cloves.

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

3. For the next step in this beef oxtail recipe, grab a pan and heat olive oil over medium heat. Sear the oxtail pieces on both sides until golden and set aside. 

4. Then, using the same pan, add chopped onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Remember that they will finish cooking later in this Spanish oxtails recipe, so no need to saute them for longer.

5. As the optional step in this quick oxtail stew recipe, pour the red wine into the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. It is optional but it adds a lot of flavor.

6. Now grab the pressure cooker and add all of the cooked ingredients (oxtail, veggies, wine glaze), with the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir well.

7. For the next step on this Spanish-style oxtail recipe, close the pressure cooker lid and set it to cook at high pressure for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (or over medium-low heat at the stove). 

8. In the final 20 minutes of cooking release the pressure manually according to your pressure cooker’s instructions. Open the lid, add the potato chunks, and cook for 15 more minutes until the potatoes are tender.

9. For the final step in this quick oxtail recipe, taste the stew and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

10. Finally, all you have to do is place the oxtail stew into bowls and serve it hot.

Substitution of Ingredients

This quick and easy oxtail stew recipe only calls for a few basic ingredients, and the only irreplaceable ones are the oxtail and the beef or vegetable broth

With the listed ingredients you have a delicious oxtail recipe, but you can play with the flavor profile that you give to it.

For example, if you like Asian cuisine or if you want to use this meat as the filling for oxtail dumplings, then you can add grated ginger and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce (in the step where you add the herbs and spices).

You can also turn this quick oxtail recipe into a spicy oxtail recipe by adding 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, bell peppers, crushed jalapeño peppers, etc.

In the case that you like a simple flavor profile but still want to try new things, then you can add 1/2 cup of heavy cream in the last minutes of cooking for extra creaminess.

Give a go to our oxtail casserole and oxtail and butter beans, Spanish oxtail recipes that you’ll absolutely love.

Tips on Serving Quick Oxtail Recipe

Once you finish preparing the quick oxtail recipe you will have a delicious and hearty stew ready to be served for lunch or dinner.

Just like any oxtail stew with potatoes, adding grated parmesan or manchego cheese on top makes for a match made in heaven; it simply doesn’t get better than that.

If you want to try new things, then you can give a twist to this simple oxtail stew recipe by topping each stew plate with a drizzle of some sauce: hot sauce, aioli, basil pesto, some heavy cream, etc.

We encourage you to serve the dish from this oxtail recipe with a slice of your favorite bread so that you get to dip it in the sauce of the stew.

Lastly, you can use this cooked meat as the topping of other beef oxtail recipes, like the oxtail noodle soup and the oxtail pasta recipe.

How to Store Quick Oxtail Recipe

This quick oxtail recipe is truly amazing because it is simple and fast to make, but it also can be stored for a long amount of time without losing its flavor and texture.

To store this dish, let the stew cool to room temperature once you finish making the recipe (it can take from 30 to 60 minutes tops), and place it in a covered freezer-safe container.

Then, take the dish to the fridge where it can last up to 4 days, or the freezer so that you can store it for up to 45 days (label it so you don’t forget the preparation date).

To thaw you just have to place the stew in the fridge overnight, and you can reheat it in the microwave, in a pot on the stove, or the oven (in all cases you might need to add a bit of water if it evaporated).

If you like saving time and cooking dishes ahead, then other simple oxtail recipes are perfect for you too, such as the beef oxtail recipe, the old fashioned oxtail soup and the roasted oxtail.

Recipe Card: Quick Oxtail Recipe

---

---