This Slow Cooker Oxtail Stew is hearty, mouthwatering, and incredibly tender! Melt-in-your-mouth beef loaded with potatoes, carrots, and peas, all smothered in an incredibly tasty stew broth, this Slow Cooker Oxtail Stew is a comforting, delicious meal any day of the week. The recipe includes step-by-step photos, a how-to video, and lots of tips.
Table of contents: Everything You Need for This Oxtail Stew
Slow Cooker Oxtail Stew Recipe Highlights
Yes, Oxtail!! Are you intrigued? Keep reading to see how you can turn this underrated cut of meat into the most delicious beef stew ever.
I don’t know about you guys, but some days call for an extra dose of comfort. Luckily, this Slow Cooker Oxtail Stew recipe fits the comfort food bill big time.
This Slow Cooker Oxtail Stew is hearty, mouthwatering, and incredibly tender!
I mean… it’s a big pot of tender beef stew loaded with potatoes, carrots, and peas, all smothered in an incredibly tasty stew broth. Believe me…Few meals are as comforting as this.
What Is Oxtail?
Oxtail is nothing more than the tails of beef cattle. This underrated cut of meat is great for making soups and stews. It’s as meaty and rich as short ribs.
Many oxtail recipes are popular traditional dishes in South America. For example, in Venezuela, we use it to make soup: “Sopa de Rabo” and stews “Rabo Guisado”. Today, I’m sharing my tweaked version of the traditional Venezuelan stew recipe adapted to the busy lifestyle most of us have these days.
I love to make this recipe on a Sunday. I set my slow cooker Saturday night, then Sunday morning, after breakfast, I finish the stew. It doesn’t require anything all that difficult for the rest of the cooking time, so I can go on with the rest of my day, and at the end of the day, my family has a hearty and warm meal to enjoy.
There is nothing better than a big bowl of hearty beef stew to take the chill off during these cold winter months! Serve this comforting stew with some crusty bread or our favorite Easy Eggless Cornbread Muffins to soak up all the flavorful beefy sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Oil: To brown the oxtail. You can use olive oil, vegetable, or canola.
- Salt and black pepper: For flavor!
- Oxtail: You can substitute oxtail for beef short ribs on the bone or beef shank.
- Veggies: You will need leeks, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, and frozen peas.
- Red wine: For a little depth of flavor, the alcohol will cook off.
- Canned tomatoes & tomato paste: You’ll use some tomatoes (canned and paste) to add a nice tang of sweetness.
- Beef or chicken stock: I usually use chicken stock when making a stew; in my opinion, it’s more flavorful. But you can use whatever you have handy. You can also use my homemade Slow Cooker Beef Bone Broth.
- Worcestershire sauce: If you don’t have this, try balsamic vinegar.
- Herbs: You’ll need fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and bay leaves.
- All-purpose flour: To thicken the sauce. Make this gluten-free and swap the flour for a cornstarch flurry.
- Parsley to garnish: This is optional.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
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Step 1 – Season and Brown The Oxtail
Salt and pepper the oxtail and add to the skillet, and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
Step 2 – Add the Ingredients
Add leeks, onion, garlic, red wine, plum tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
Step 3 – Slow Cook
Cover and cook on low for 4 -6 hours or high for 2 -3 hours, or until the meat falls away from the bone.
Step 4 – Shred the Meat
Strip the meat from the bones and discard the bones and any excess fat.
Step 5 – Add Veggies
Add carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until vegetables are fork-tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Step 6 – Thicken the Stew
In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup stew broth. Stir in flour mixture into the slow cooker along with the frozen peas. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Why 3 Cooking Stages
I make this recipe in 3 cooking stages because the oxtail is a fatty cut of meat, and I like to remove large pieces of fat and the bones before adding the veggies, so it does not end up being a big greasy mess. If you don’t mind the extra fat, you can cook it all together from the beginning, about 6-8 hours on low. Then add the flour slurry and peas for the last 30 minutes of cooking. If you decide to make it in stages, like me, you can totally let the oxtail cook (step 5) overnight on low cooking mode. Then finish the stew the next day.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store
Stew leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze
The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oxtail is nothing more than the tails of beef cattle. This underrated cut of meat is great for making soups and stews. It’s as meaty and rich as short ribs.
It basically tastes like beef. It has extra fat and gelatin, so they produce an incredibly rich stock or stew. The meat, when stewed, has a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Back in the day, oxtail wasu0022throwawayu0022 meat, but it’s not the case anymore! Now, it is one of the higher-priced cuts of meat as more and more people are discovering how delicious it is. Due to its extra fat, and gelatin, they produce incredibly rich dishes.
First, brown the oxtail pieces in a skillet to lock down all the flavor. Then, place the oxtail in the slow cooker, along with broth and veggies, and cook until tender. The next step is to strip the meat and discard the excess fat. Finally, add some veggies, such as potatoes and carrots, and wait until the slow cooker do its magic.
Strictly speaking, meat doesn’t need to be browned before it’s added to the slow cooker, but it’s a step I find worth the effort. The caramelized surface of the meat will enhance the flavor of the finished dish.
More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love!
- Slow Cooker Easy Green Bean Casserole
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Bacon and Ham Breakfast Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Creamy Corn Soup
- Slow Cooker Spicy Pork Carnitas
Recipe Card 📖
Slow Cooker Oxtail Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 – 5 lb (2 – 2.5 kg) beef oxtail
- 2 medium leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (240 ml) red wine
- 14.5 oz (1 can of 411 g) plum tomatoes
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) tomato paste
- 3 cups (720 ml) beef or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves (freah or dried)
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup (35 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen peas (about 140 g)
- Fresh chopped parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Season the oxtail with salt and pepper to taste. Sear the oxtail in the hot skillet on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
- Add leeks, onion, garlic, red wine, plum tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 -6 hours or high for 2 -3 hours, or until the meat falls away from the bone. Note: you can also cook overnight on low.
- Strip the meat from the bones. Discard the bones and remove any excess fat.
- Add carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until vegetables are fork-tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup stew broth ultil no lumps. Stir in flour mixture into the slow cooker along with the frozen peas. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rumba Meats. All opinions are entirely my own.
The recipe was originally posted in November 2017, and video and more tips were added in January 2022. Updated again in September 2022 to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe.
