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Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails

Source of Recipe

From "I Heart Soul Food" by Rosie Mayes


Recipe Introduction

"When the onions and oxtails start simmering, my kitchen fills with the joyous smells of Sunday supper. These oxtails are weekend food through and through, because they have to cook low and slow until the meat slips from the bone and becomes one with the sauce. But even though I do these in the slow cooker now, which means I can go about my whole day and just know that the meat is turning tender and rich, it's still a special ritual to make them, reserved only for days of rest. It's like I can just sense the way the bones are flavoring the broth in that slow cooker and imagine how good it will be all spooned over mashed potatoes and rice. When it's done, the meat will just melt right in your mouth."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 ½ pounds oxtails
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly cracked or ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
â—¦ ¾ cup vegetable oil
â—¦ 3 cups beef broth or water
â—¦ 1 large yellow onion, sliced
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish


Recipe

In a large mixing bowl, season the oxtails with salt and pepper. Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce all over, and toss the oxtails to make sure they are coated. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the flour over the oxtails, and toss again to ensure even coating.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, pour in the vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the oxtails. Once they are nice and brown, remove them from the pan, and put them in a 6-quart slow cooker while you prepare the gravy. If there are burnt pieces of meat in the pan, pour out the oil, strain, clean the pan, then pour the strained oil back into the pan.

Over medium heat, start adding the remaining 1 cup flour into the pan, only a little bit at a time. Whisk continuously. Once the flour is brown, resembling chunky peanut butter, slowly pour in the broth. Whisk while you pour!

Make sure everything is lump-free, then turn the heat from medium to high. When the gravy reaches a full boil, reduce the heat to medium and add in the onions and garlic. Stir the gravy and do a taste test. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the heat off and pour the gravy into the slow cooker, covering the oxtails. Set the slow cooker on high and cook for 8 hours. Top with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Makes 4 servings