The Most Authentic Jamaican Oxtail Recipe

This authentic Jamaican Oxtail Recipe yields the most flavourful, tender, fall-off-the-bone braised beef. Make this traditional Jamaican dish in the pressure cooker, slow cooker, stovetop, or oven.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Marinating Time8

Total Time1 30

Course: Christmas, Instant Pot & Pressure Cooker, Main Dishes & Entrees, Slow Cooker, Thanksgiving

Cuisine: Jamaican

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Servings: servings

Author: Taneisha Morris

Equipment

Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
Slow Cooker optional, for slow cooker method
Stovetop/Oven Friendly Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven optional, for oven or stovetop cooking method
Large Mixing Bowl to season and marinate oxtail

Ingredients

2 pounds Oxtails trimmed, rinsed and dried
4 cloves Garlic crushed
2 stalks Escallion green onion, crushed
1 tsp Ginger fresh, grated
3 sprigs Thyme fresh
1/2 Green Bell Pepper small
1/2 Red Bell Pepper small
1/2 Onion small
Scotch Bonnet Pepper finely chopped, optional, as desired
1 tsp Browning
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Seasoning Salt or all purpose seasoning/ spice herb blend
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Salt more or less to taste
1 tbsp Ketchup
1/4 cup Beef Broth optional (if using pressure cooker method)
1 can Butter (Lima) Beans drained and rinsed, optional
2-4 tbsp Vegetable Oil to sear oxtails

Instructions

Prep Oxtail I - Trim and Rinse

Using kitchen shears, trim any excess fat. Then, place oxtails in a large bowl and add cool water with either some vinegar or lemon juice. Using your hands, gently rub the pieces of meat together to remove any debris or excess fat. Then, rinse, drain and pat dry the oxtails.

Prep Oxtail II - Season

To the large bowl with the oxtails, add fresh seasoning - garlic, escallion, ginger, green and red bell peppers and onion. Then add the browning, soy sauce, brown sugar, seasoning salt or all purpose seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt. Cover and allow to marinate in fridge overnight, or at least a few hours.

Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Method

Set Instant Pot to "SAUTE" on HIGH and add vegetable oil. When hot, add your oxtails (shaking off the fresh seasonings and herbs), starting with the larger pieces first, flat side down and brown (sear) on each side, then remove and set aside.
When done browning your meat, change setting to "PRESSURE COOK" on HIGH for 45 minutes (see notes section) and add beef broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot insert and add and back all the oxtail pieces including the fresh seasonings and vegetables on top. Once timer has ended, very carefully turn the float valve to “VENTING”, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped. Then, remove the lid.
Remove oxtails and set the instant pot to "SAUTE" on HIGH. Once liquid begins to simmer, add ketchup and butter (lima) beans. Allow to simmer for a few minutes or until gravy has thickened to your liking and butterbeans are warmed through.
If needed, add in cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy, then return oxtails back to the instant pot, give a gentle stir to combine meat, gravy, and beans, serve while hot and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Method

Prepare oxtails as noted in steps 1 and 2. Then, heat a large shallow pan over medium high heat and add vegetable oil. When pan hot, place your oxtails (shaking off the fresh seasonings and herbs), starting with the larger pieces first, flat side down and brown (sear) on each side, then remove and set aside.
Place all the browned (seared) oxtail pieces into the slow cooker (larger pieces at bottom) then, add the fresh seasonings and vegetables on top. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6-8 hours or high heat setting for 4-5 hours.
When 1 hour remaining on the timer, open lid and carefully stir in ketchup and butter beans. Close lid and allow to continue slow cooking until timer ended. Then, if needed spoon off any excess oil, and add in cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy. Give a gentle stir to combine meat, gravy, and beans, serve while hot and enjoy!

Stovetop Method

Prepare oxtails as noted in steps 1 and 2. Heat a large dutch oven over high heat and add vegetable oil. When pan hot, add the oxtails (shaking off the fresh seasonings and herbs) and brown (sear) on all sides, then remove and set aside.
Add all the vegetables and fresh seasonings/herbs to the pot, saute for about 3-4 minutes, then add back the oxtails. Add 4 cups of water then cover and allow to cook on medium-high heat for approx. an hour to two hours. You will need to continue adding water gradually (up to 10 cups additional) until meat tender.
When the oxtail is fork tender, add in butter beans, ketchup and additional seasonings, to taste, if needed. Give a gentle stir to combine meat, gravy, and beans, simmer until gravy reduced and thickened, then serve while hot and enjoy!

Oven Method

Prepare oxtails as noted in steps 1 and 2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat and add vegetable oil. When pan hot, place your oxtails (shaking off the fresh seasonings and herbs), starting with the larger pieces first, flat side down and brown (sear) on each side, then remove and set aside if working in batches. This step is optional.
When all meat browned, add back to the dutch oven with all the vegetables and fresh seasonings/herbs. Cover with a heavy lid, and place in preheated oven for 2 to 3 hours. Periodically check back, to ensure the pot hasn't dried out. If it has, add a combination of beef stock/water until meat tender.
When the oxtail is fork tender, add in butter beans, ketchup and additional seasonings to taste. If needed, add in cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy, give a gentle stir to combine meat, gravy, and beans, serve while hot and enjoy!

Notes

Fresh Seasonings and Vegetables - when this is reference, I am referring to the seasonings and vegetables that the oxtails marinated in overnight.

Take the Chill Off - remove meat from fridge at least 30 minutes ahead of time, to take the chill off before cooking.

Sear the Meat - for whichever cooking method you use, always start by searing the seasoned oxtails first. Whether you sear in the pressure cooker on the "SAUTE" setting, or on the stovetop before moving on to the next step.

Add-Ins - you can add in carrots and spinners if desired. See above notes section for spinner recipe.

Instant Pot Method - 10 seconds after choosing the settings, the cooker will beep 3 times and display “ON” to indicate that the cooker has entered preheating cycle. This preheating cycle can last anywhere from a few minutes to 40 minutes for the pressure and the float valve to rise. Once the pressure is reached, the cooker will display the remaining cooking time and countdown.

Stovetop/Oven Method - when using the oven or stovetop, you will need to add additional seasonings (fresh herbs, dried spices etc.) to your meat one fork-tender. This is done to taste, add seasonings as desired.

Nutrition