I spent many years thinking that oxtail -or oxtail, which is prepared in a similar way although it has a more intense flavor- was not one of my favorite meats, something that does not make sense since that characteristic honeyed texture makes me mad . Until I tried it Cordovan style, stewed with fino from Montilla-Moriles and realized that what didn’t kill me was the red wine sauce with which it is usually prepared. From there I began to cook it at home and try different liquids and vegetables, until I found this recipe.
A minimal and very simple combination of ingredients that enhances the flavor of the meat to the maximum and with which a honeyed and thick sauce is achieved without adding flour or any type of thickener, only with the collagen of the meat, the evaporated beer and the onion . Despite the recipe’s minimalism, you can get a twist on its flavor by using different types of beer -although it’s better not to get creative with the most bitter ones-, different aromatic herbs or spices; but I recommend that at least the first time you try it as is.
The total time and the amount of beer needed can vary a bit depending on both the thickness of the cut and the container we use. It is important to try to get the amount right from the beginning -because the more you cook, the more the alcohol will evaporate-, but also be slopes to adjust the amount of liquid and the thickness of the sauce. Other than that, we just need patience; in fact, if we have enough we can eat it at its optimum moment: after it spends a night sleeping in the fridge. At the moment of eating it, we will need something to soak up the sauce: bread, mashed potatoes, rice, polenta, couscous or a short pasta will do that job perfectly.
Difficulty
The one to wait a day to eat it (and it is not mandatory).
Ingredients
for 4 people
- 1.5 kg of oxtail -or bull’s tail- chopped
- 3 onions
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- About 330 ml of beer (I used a toast)
Preparation
- Season the oxtail with salt and pepper and mark it all over in a pan with a little oil.
- Withdraw and reserve. In the same pan, fry the peeled and sliced onions until they start to brown.
- At this point, return the tail to the pot, add a can of beer, and bring to a boil, covered, over low heat, for 90 to 120 minutes.
- Keep watching after 60 minutes in case you have to add more liquid, or at the end of cooking in case you have to leave the stew uncovered so that the sauce thickens a bit.
- Serve with the desired accompaniment (ideally, after it spends a night resting in the fridge).
If you make this recipe, share the result on your social networks with the hashtag #RecipesComidista. And if it goes wrong, complain to the Defender of the Cook by sending an email to [email protected].
#Beer #oxtail