Delightful Slow Cooker Oxtail Recipe

Are you looking for Spanish recipes, but your cooking skills are basic, or you simply don’t have time to stay in the kitchen to keep an eye on your meat while it’s cooking? Then get ready to meet your new favorite recipe.

Brace yourself to meet the slow cooker oxtail, a recipe where you just have to put all the ingredients in the slow cooker, add the settings, and wait for the appliance to work its magic.

Keep reading to learn how to cook oxtail in a slow cooker, with some unique tips to customize the ingredients, elevate your dish when serving, and information on how you can store it.

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

• Basque oxtail stew

• Oven baked oxtail recipe

• Red wine oxtail stew

Background of the Dish

Spanish oxtail recipes in general, such as the braised oxtail and the tender oxtail recipe, date back to the 1600s when this cut of meat was only given to the lower classes (it was a cheap cut, but it required slow cooking).

However, slow cooker oxtail recipes just came into existence in the 1970s, once this type of appliance became mainstream in Europe and reached more households.

The slow cooker oxtail was born as an alternative to other oxtail recipes since all of them take a long time to cook, but with the slow cooker, you can place all of the ingredients in the appliance and just forget about it until it is done, making it easier to prepare.

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Things You’ll Need for Slow Cooker Oxtail

The main ingredients that you will need to make the slow cooker oxtail are the oxtail, carrots, onions, garlic cloves, and beef broth.

Just like all of the slow cooker recipes for oxtails, you will need a slow cooker to make it, or you can switch the method for a pressure cooker one, or do it in a pot over medium-low heat.

Ingredients

• 2kg oxtail
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine (optional)
• 2 cups (480ml) beef broth
• 1 can (450gr) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (60gr) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Slow Cooker Oxtail – Step by Step Guide

1. The first step in this Spanish oxtail recipe is to prepare the vegetables that you will use. For that, you have to peel and chop the onions, carrots, and celery stalks into small pieces. Also, peel and mince the garlic cloves and set aside.

2. Now pat the Spanish oxtail dry with kitchen paper and cut it into bite-sized cubes. Season the pieces with salt and pepper on both sides and dredge them in flour, shaking off excess. For this oxtail slow cooker recipe, you can use gluten-free flour too.

3. After that, grab a large skillet and heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Then sear the oxtail on all sides until golden brown and transfer them to the slow cooker.

4. Using the same skillet, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery until the vegetables get a soft texture. Keep in mind that they’ll finish cooking later, so they don’t have to be fully cooked or soft.

5. For the next step on this oxtails slow cooker recipe, deglaze the skillet with red wine if using, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce slightly.

6. Now you can transfer the vegetable mixture to the slow cooker with the oxtail. Also, add beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

7. For the cooking step on this slow cooker oxtail recipe, cover and set the appliance to cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the oxtail is tender and falling off the bone.

8. Before serving the slow cooker oxtails, skim off any excess fat from the surface. Taste the slow cooker oxtail and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

9. Your oxtail recipe slow cooker is now done, you just have to serve the slow-cooked oxtail warm and enjoy. As a tip, you can serve it with roasted veggies, rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Substitution of Ingredients

The best part about the oxtail stew slow cooker recipes is that as long as you have oxtail and broth you can prepare it and you will have a delicious Spanish style oxtail as a result.

For example, the wine is completely optional on this slow cooker oxtail, and you can replace it with a different type of wine (such as Sherry or white) or with the same amount of beef broth).

You can also do the oxtail stew with vegetables and cut the veggies into chunks so they get a bit of the spotlight on this recipe or simply add your favorite mix of vegetables.

Give a go to our oxtail casserole and oxtail and butter beans, easy and delicious Spanish oxtail recipes you must try.

If you want to make a recipe that takes less time to cook than the slow cooker oxtail, then you can check our roasted oxtail and our fried oxtail recipe which are equally as delicious as this dish.

Tips on Serving Slow Cooker Oxtail

This slow cooker oxtail is the perfect main dish and you can serve it at lunch or dinner, all year round -although it truly shines during the colder months-.

To elevate the dish, serve it with fresh chopped herbs (such as rosemary, cilantro, dill, parsley, etc.), and always have a slice of your favorite bread to go with the stew.

To make it a more filling meal you can serve it with different sides such as a tortilla de patatas, Spanish mixed green salad, or Spanish mashed potatoes.

Try the flavorful curry oxtail recipe and serve with a bowl of fully white rice, perfect for dinner or lunch, or try the smothered oxtail recipe that’s just a delight.

You can use the meat as the topping for the tomato oxtail soup, or take inspiration from other slow cooker oxtail stew recipes such as the oxtail stew with potatoes and the oxtail soup with mixed vegetables and serve it with steamed or roasted veggies.

How to Store Slow Cooker Oxtail

The good news is that you can make the slow cooker oxtail and store it -both in the fridge or freezer- to enjoy later.

For that, let the oxtail cool to room temperature, which should take about 30 to 90 minutes, and then place it in an airtight freezer-safe container, covered with a lid or tight plastic wrap.

Then, you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 45 days, letting it thaw overnight or for 12 hours before serving it.

The slow cooker oxtail will continue to have its classic and delicious flavor, and it won’t lose its characteristic texture, so if you notice a change in any of these two things (or if you feel that it has a bad smell) the best thing you can do is avoid eating it.

There are other recipes for oxtails in a slow cooker, or with the classic cooking methods, that you can prepare and store too, such as the Spanish oxtail soup and the oxtail noodle soup.

Recipe Card: Slow Cooker Oxtail

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