Best Traditional Oxtail Recipe from Spain

For all those people needing to feel at home, Spanish recipes will take you there with just one bite, and they’ll also tuck you in before you go to sleep.

Do you think there’s no chance a dish can have such power? Or do you want to know which one can achieve that task? Then we invite you to prepare our traditional oxtail recipe.

In this article, we’ll show you everything about the best recipe for oxtails: from information on how it was created and an explanation of how you can prepare it, to tips on how to store, serve, and customize it.

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

• Tender oxtail recipe

• Oxtail spaghetti

• Oven baked oxtail recipe

Background of the Dish

The traditional oxtail recipe was the first recipe of its kind to be created in Andalusia: it was developed centuries ago by the lower classes of Southern Spain, which is why it only calls for basic and cheap ingredients.

As time went by, different alternatives of this dish were created, like the traditional oxtail soup or the red wine oxtail stew, but no other has the same level of simplicity as this one.

Nowadays you can find Spanish oxtail recipes that give all sorts of twists and turns to this kind of meat, but if you are feeling like going back to basics and enjoying a classic, then you can’t go wrong with this traditional oxtail recipe.

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Things You’ll Need for Traditional Oxtail Recipe

To make the traditional oxtail recipe you will need oxtail, beef broth, carrots, onions, garlic cloves, red wine, and tomato sauce as the main ingredients.

For the equipment you just need a heavy pot or a Dutch oven, the cooking time is low and slow, but we have some oxtail recipes that can be done faster, such as the oxtail stew with vegetables or the oxtail pasta recipe, so if you are in a rush feel free to check those.

Ingredients

• 2kg oxtail
• 1 cup (240ml) red wine
• 1 cup (240ml) tomato sauce
• 2 cups (480ml) beef broth
• 1/2 cup (60gr) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (120ml) olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

How to Make Traditional Oxtail Recipe – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this Spanish-style oxtail recipe, you have to peel and chop the onions, carrots, and celery stalks into small squares. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Set them aside.

2. After that, pat the Spanish oxtails dry with paper towels, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and season with salt and pepper on each side. Dust the pieces with flour, shaking off excess.

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

4. To that same pot, add chopped onions, minced garlic, diced carrots, and celery. Sauté for just 5 minutes, as they’ll finish cooking later on this Spanish oxtails recipe.

5. For the next step in this simple oxtail recipe, pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Allow the wine to simmer for a few minutes.

6. Then, stir in the tomato sauce and beef broth. Return the browned oxtail to the pot. Also, add bay leaf, Spanish smoked paprika, and dried thyme. Bring the stew to a simmer.

7. Now, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 3-4 hours or until the oxtail is tender, stirring occasionally. Once the oxtail is tender, remove the bay leaf.

8. For the final step on this amazing oxtail recipe, you just have to serve the traditional oxtail stew hot, optionally garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Substitution of Ingredients

This is the best oxtail recipe because it gives you a base that you can later build on, customizing the ingredients to your liking.

For this traditional oxtail recipe, you can use your favorite mix of veggies, adding potatoes (Yukon gold or red), bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, cabbage, etc.

To stay on the old-fashioned oxtail recipe route, make sure that you use beef or vegetable broth, and the red wine is a must (though you could replace it with white or Sherry wine).

If you want to give this southern-style oxtail stew recipe a bolder twist, then you can add a few tablespoons of soy sauce, fish sauce, and grated ginger, copying other Spanish-Asian recipes.

Don’t hesitate to try our smothered oxtail recipe, a simple and hearty Spanish oxtail dish.

For the fans of spicy dishes, you can draw inspiration from the spicy oxtail recipe or the Portuguese oxtail stew and add a few tablespoons of hot or piri piri sauce, with more peppers to this dish.

Tips on Serving Traditional Oxtail Recipe

With this Spanish oxtail recipe, you will have a delicious stew ready to be served as a main dish for lunch or dinner.

If you are having a fancy dinner at home or you want to impress your guests, an easy way to do it is to top the stew from this traditional oxtail recipe with grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs (they add colors, flavors, and textures).

The meat from this authentic oxtail recipe would go really well paired with cooked rice or pasta, just like the beloved and traditional Andalusian dish oxtails and rice.

If you want to serve a smaller portion of the stew, then you can copy the oxtail stew with potatoes and serve this one with roasted or boiled potatoes.

How to Store Traditional Oxtail Recipe

As soon as you finish making this easy oxtail recipe you can either serve the stew right away or store it for later.

If you choose the latter, simply let the Spanish-style oxtail stew cool to room temperature and put it in a covered container (with a lid or plastic wrap).

Then, you will be able to store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for 45 days (you should label it so you don’t go over that time).

After that, you should thaw the Spanish-style oxtails in the fridge overnight (or for 12 hours) and then reheat it in a skillet or in the oven over medium to low heat (adding more liquid if it needs some extra moisture).

Besides this traditional oxtail recipe, we have other similar ones that you can prepare and store for later, such as the delicious Basque oxtail stew and the famous oxtail ragu recipe.

Recipe Card: Traditional Oxtail Recipe

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