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1
Season and Marinate the Oxtail
60 Mins • Hands Off
Fridge, 4°C (39°F)
Pat the oxtail dry and put it in a large bowl. Pour over the sour orange juice, lime juice and 30 ml of the rum, then add the minced garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper. Toss until every piece is coated, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — overnight is better.
Pat the meat dry first: a wet surface will steam instead of sear in the next step.
Done when: Every piece is coated and the meat smells of garlic, citrus and oregano.
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2
Sear Until Deeply Browned
15 Mins • Hands On
Stovetop medium-high, about 200°C (400°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Lift the oxtail out of the marinade (keep the marinade) and sear in batches, 3–4 minutes a side, until deeply golden-brown all over. Do not crowd the pot. Set the seared pieces aside.
Leave the pieces alone once they hit the pot — moving them stops the crust forming.
Done when: The oxtail is dark golden-brown on all sides and the pot bottom is coated in browned bits.
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3
Build the Sofrito Base
10 Mins • Hands On
Stovetop medium, about 175°C (350°F)
Turn the heat to medium. In the same pot, cook the onion and cubanelle pepper for 3 minutes until softened, then stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more. Add the tomato sauce and the reserved marinade and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
Cooking the tomato paste until it darkens a shade takes the raw edge off the sauce.
Done when: The base is fragrant, the paste has darkened, and the bottom of the pot is clean.
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4
Deglaze and Braise Low and Slow
135 Mins • Hands Off
Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Pour in the remaining 30 ml of rum and let it bubble for 1 minute. Return the oxtail to the pot with the beef stock, water, olives, capers, bay leaves, scotch bonnet and half the cilantro. The liquid should come about halfway up the oxtail. Bring to a boil, then drop to the lowest simmer, cover, and cook for about 2 hours 15 minutes, turning the pieces every 30 minutes, until the meat pulls away from the bone with a fork.
Keep it at a bare simmer — a rolling boil toughens the meat and clouds the sauce.
Done when: The meat falls off the bone with a gentle pull and the sauce coats a spoon.
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5
Add Carrots and Finish the Sauce
10 Mins • Hands On
Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir in the carrots and cook for 10 minutes more until just tender. Fish out the bay leaves and the whole scotch bonnet. Taste and adjust the salt — the olives, capers and stock already bring salt, so add it a pinch at a time. Stir in the remaining cilantro.
If the sauce is thin, take the lid off for the last 10 minutes so it reduces; if it is thick, add a splash of water.
Done when: The carrots are tender, the sauce is glossy, and the seasoning tastes balanced.
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6
Rest and Serve
10 Mins • Hands On
Resting, about 60°C (140°F)
Take the pot off the heat and rest it, covered, for 10 minutes. Spoon the oxtail and sauce over white rice or moro, with fried sweet plantains on the side.
Resting lets the sauce settle and thicken slightly instead of running thin on the plate.
Done when: The stew is steaming, the sauce clings to the meat, and the plate is ready.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Lift the lid, spoon the glossy sauce over the oxtail, and let the pot sit for 10 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens slightly and the meat relaxes.
Dominican Republic
3h 15m
