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Oxtail braised in Guinness

Name: Oxtail braised in Guinness
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 1.6kg oxtail; 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and black pepper; 4 tbsp olive oil; 400g banana shallots, halved or quartered if large; 4 parsnips, cut into 3cm chunks; 2 celery sticks, cut into 1cm chunks; 3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and left whole; 440ml Guinness or other stout; 500ml fresh beef stock; 2 tbsp tomato purée; A few fresh rosemary sprigs; A few fresh thyme sprigs; 2 bay leaves; Nutmeg for grating; 2 tsp mushroom ketchup or to taste; Mashed potatoes and greens to serve; You’ll also need…; Large casserole with a tight-fitting lid

Published: 18 Jan 18
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Oxtail is slow-cooked in Guinness and good-quality beef stock until the meat becomes melt-in-the-mouth and the sauce turns dark, rich and gravy-like.

Easy
December 2017

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6
Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 2½-3 hours

Oxtail is slow-cooked in Guinness and good-quality beef stock until the meat becomes melt-in-the-mouth and the sauce turns dark, rich and gravy-like.

Dairy-free recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 566kcals
Fat: 29.2g (9.9g saturated)
Protein: 45.5g
Carbohydrates: 21.9g (10.9g sugars)
Fibre: 7.1g
Salt: 1.2g

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Ingredients

1.6kg oxtail
2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
400g banana shallots, halved or quartered if large
4 parsnips, cut into 3cm chunks
2 celery sticks, cut into 1cm chunks
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
440ml Guinness or other stout
500ml fresh beef stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
A few fresh rosemary sprigs
A few fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
Nutmeg for grating
2 tsp mushroom ketchup or to taste
Mashed potatoes and greens to serve

You’ll also need…

Large casserole with a tight-fitting lid

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Method

Heat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2. Dust the meat all over with the seasoned flour. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and brown the oxtail pieces in 2 batches. Transfer each batch to the casserole and set aside.
Add a splash more oil to the frying pan and cook the shallots, parsnips, celery and garlic for 10 minutes to soften and colour (don’t skip this step as it will give a deeper flavour to the finished dish).
Add the vegetables to the casserole. Pour a splash of the Guinness into the frying pan and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then pour into the casserole. Add the rest of the Guinness, the stock and tomato purée to the casserole along with the herbs and a good grating of nutmeg. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 2½-3 hours or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

Remove from the oven and use a slotted spoon to put the pieces of oxtail on a warmed platter. Season the sauce with the mushroom ketchup and serve spooned over the meat, alongside mashed potatoes and sautéed green vegetables.

Recipe from December 2017 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 566kcals
Fat: 29.2g (9.9g saturated)
Protein: 45.5g
Carbohydrates: 21.9g (10.9g sugars)
Fibre: 7.1g
Salt: 1.2g

delicious. tips

Replace the parsnips with canned pulses or add other root veg to the dish.
You can make this to the end of step 3 up to 24 hours ahead. Leave to cool, then cover and keep in the fridge. Or freeze in a freezerproof container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven until piping hot, then continue the recipe from step 4.