Best Oxtail Ragu Recipes

OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking pan large enough to hold the oxtails in a single layer.
• Place chopped onions and garlic in prepared pan. Rub oxtail sections with olive oil; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange on top of onions. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Turn oxtails and continue roasting until well browned, another 20 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
• Pour in wine vinegar, tomato sauce, chicken stock or water, rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, and red chili flakes to the baking pan; stir. Pour the entire mixture into a large pot. Place over medium-high heat until sauce begins to simmer. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until meat easily separates from the bone and is very tender, about 4 to 5 hours. Skim off fat before serving.

BEEF SHANK AND OXTAIL RAGù

Steps:

• Heat the oil or fat in a heavy pot. Salt the meats lightly, and brown on all sides. Remove the meat (or push it aside if your pot is big enough), and sauté the onion and carrot for a few minutes. Splash in the red wine and reduce for a minute, then tuck the meat back in among the vegetables, nestling in the herb packet as well. Pour on enough water to cover the meats by 2 inches, and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2hours. Add the additional vegetables, and a little more water if they are not well covered, and simmer until tender-about 20 minutes.
• For my first meal, I have the shank surrounded by the vegetables with a little of the cooking liquid on top. If I have some on hand, a Winter Green Sauce (page 159) is particularly good with this. I reserve for later any meat I can't finish.
• Second Round: Oxtails with Grits or Polenta
• Spoon most of the oxtails into a warm wide, shallow bowl into which you've dished up a generous serving of grits or polenta (see pages 196 and 193). Pour a small ladleful of the flavorful beef broth over, thickened, if you like, with a little cornstarch or instant flour. If you want to jazz up the dish, make a small amount of the gremolata (see page 249) that is used for veal shanks-just a teaspoon sprinkled on top is enough.
• Third Round: Penne with a Meaty Sauce
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and start cooking 2-3 ounces of penne or ziti. Meanwhile, scrape off from the bones whatever meat remains, and chop it up. Strain the rich cooking broth into containers for freezing, reserving the vegetables. Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet, and lightly sauté a thin-sliced garlic clove for a minute. Add the strained veggies, the chopped-up meat, and about 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or, if you don't have any, use a tablespoon tomato paste and some of the pasta water). Scoop up the pasta when done, and mix it with the sauce in the skillet, adding more pasta water if needed. Turn off the heat, and fold in a small handful of grated Parmesan.

SEMOLINA GNOCCHI WITH OXTAIL RAGù

Steps:

• For ragù:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Sprinkle oxtails with salt and pepper, then flour. Heat oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over high heat. Add oxtails; cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add celery, carrots, and onion to pot. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté until vegetables brown, about 15 minutes. Add wine and tomatoes. Boil until thickened to chunky sauce, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in garlic. Tie parsley, rosemary, and bay leaves with kitchen string and add to pot. Return oxtails to pot in single layer. Add all broth; bring to boil. Cover pot; place in oven.
• Braise oxtails until very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer oxtails to rimmed baking sheet. Using potato masher, crush juices and vegetables in pot to coarse sauce. Pull meat off oxtails and add to sauce. Season ragù with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing.
• For gnocchi:
• Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Bring milk, butter, and salt to simmer in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in semolina. Stir until semolina is very thick and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in yolks, 1 at a time, then 1 cup Parmesan. Place pot over low heat and stir 2 minutes. Spread semolina in prepared dish. Cover and chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Preheat oven to 475°F. Butter 15x10x2- inch glass baking dish. Using 1 3/4-inch round cutter, cut out as many semolina gnocchi as possible; arrange in prepared dish. Top with warm ragù sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

OXTAIL RAGù WITH SEMOLINA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Ragù:
• Toss oxtails, flour, pepper, 2 Tbsp. or 1 Tbsp. salt in a large bowl until oxtails are evenly coated. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Working in batches, cook oxtails in a single layer, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 15-20 minutes. Transfer oxtails to a plate as they're done.
• Cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and rosemary in same pot, stirring often, until vegetables are browned around edges, 10-15 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, vinegar, and honey, stirring and scraping up browned bits; bring to a boil. Season with several generous pinches of salt and return oxtails to pot. Pour in water just to cover oxtails; bring to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and cook, reducing heat as needed to keep at a bare simmer, until meat is falling off the bone, 3-3 1/2 hours. Let cool; cover and chill at least 12 hours.
• Gnocchi and assembly:
• Line a 13x9" baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Bring milk, butter, and several pinches of salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium. Gradually whisk in semolina and cook, whisking, until very thick and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add 1 cup Parmesan and whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg yolk and scrape gnocchi mixture into prepared pan; smooth top. Cover and chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Meanwhile, remove ragù from fridge and skim fat from surface. Warm ragù over low until heated through, then transfer oxtails to a plate. Increase heat to medium and bring braising liquid to a simmer. Cook until reduced to the consistency of gravy, 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Pick meat from bones and shred into small pieces. Return meat to ragù; discard bones. Transfer 2 cups ragù to an airtight container and save for later. Cover pot; keep remaining ragù warm over low heat.
• Turn out gnocchi mixture onto a clean surface and remove parchment paper; slice into about 1" squares.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add half of gnocchi to skillet, arrange in a single layer, and cook, undisturbed, until browned and crisp underneath, about 3 minutes. Toss to turn and cook until other side is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Spoon into pot with ragù. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Gently toss gnocchi in ragù; season with more salt if needed. Divide among bowls; top with parsley and more Parmesan.
• Do Ahead
• Ragù can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 4 weeks.

STROZZAPRETI WITH OXTAIL RAGù AND HORSERADISH CRUMBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high and cook oxtails until deeply browned all over, 15-18 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
• Meanwhile, finely chop onion, carrots, and celery in a food processor.
• Cook vegetables in same pot, stirring often, until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return oxtails to pot and add wine, broth, and 2 teaspoons rosemary. Oxtails should be just covered; top off with water if needed. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise, checking halfway through to make sure oxtails are covered at least two-thirds of the way up, until meat is falling off the bone, 2-2 1/2 hours. Remove oxtails from liquid. When cool enough to handle, shred meat and return to sauce; discard bones.
• Meanwhile, toss breadcrumbs with remaining 2 tablespoons oil on a rimmed baking sheet, squeezing bread to help it absorb oil. Bake until golden brown, 5-7 minutes; let cool. Stir breadcrumbs, horseradish, and remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary in a medium bowl.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (pasta will still be opaque and very firm in the center). Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Bring ragu to a simmer over mediumhigh heat. Add pasta and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and cook, tossing often and adding more cooking liquid to help finish cooking pasta, until pasta is al dente and sauce is thickened and coats pasta, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve pasta topped with horseradish breadcrumbs.
• Do Ahead
• Ragù can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

BRAISED OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Pat the meat dry with paper towels then dust with the flour, tapping off any excess. Season with salt and pepper on all sides. Place a 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and when glistening, add the meat (metal tongs come in handy here) and sear on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and nutmeg. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the meat and enough water to just barely cover meat. Return to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bones. Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the pieces of meat to a plate. Skim any visible fat from the surface of the sauce. Pick the meat from the bones, pulling away and discarding any pieces of fat, and then return the meat to the pan. Pluck out the bay leaves, and sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Serve atop gnocchi or any pasta meant to withstand a hearty sauce. The ragù can be made a few days ahead; keep covered and refrigerated, then reheat over medium-low heat. This is a hearty, chunky sauce. If you prefer something more uniform in texture, blend a portion or all of the sauce in a blender.

OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the oxtails and dredge oxtails in flour. Sear until well-browned on all sides. Remove oxtails.
• Add onion and cook until lightly browned, a few minutes. Add red wine, scraping up the browned bits, followed by the chicken stock, tomato sauce and fresh thyme. Bring to a boil.
• Add back the oxtails and their juices to the pot and put into a 375 degree oven for 3 hours.
• Once oxtails are tender and falling off the bone, remove from sauce and let cool. Strain the sauce or blend all ingredients to achieve a smooth consistency.
• Once the meat has cooled, pull meat apart from bones and shred into small pieces. Add back into sauce.
• Cook pasta according to directions. In a saucepan, add meat and sauce to warm. Once pasta is a couple of minutes away from being done, drain and place pasta in saucepan with enough pasta water to maintain desired sauce consistency. Cook sauce and pasta together until well-incorporated and pasta is done. Plate and grate cheese over the top.

GNOCCHI WITH OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake until soft for 1.5 hours. While hot cut in half and scoop out. Let cool completely. Pass through a food mill into a bowl. season with white pepper. Beat the egg yolk and drizzle over the potatoes. Measure 1.25 cups of flour and sprinkle over the mixture. Using pastry cutter, cut until it resembles coarse crumbs. Form mixture together in a ball. Sprinkle a .25 cup of flour on work surface. Place mixture over flour and sprinkle another .25 cup on top of the ball. Using your hands, knead and foldmixture until the flour is incorporated. If it still feels tacky, add more flour and repeat. Roll dough into a log and dust the outside with flour. Let rest for five minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece into a long worm about 1.5 inches thick and cut into lengths about 1 inch long. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil drop gnocchi in water and cook untill they float to the surface- 2-3 minutes. Rinse oxtail in cold water and dry. Trim off all excess fat and sinew. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oxtail pieces and brown all sides of meat, about 10 mins. Remove to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the pancetta and fry, removing all brown bits 4mins. Add the celery, garlic, onion, carrot and parsley, cook until the vegetables are soft. Place oxtail bones in pot. Add white wine and bring to boil. Add tomatoes, crushing them with your hands. Stir in tomato concentrate and add salt. Place the cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth with the bay leaf and put in pot. Pour in beef stock to cover oxtails. Lower heat to medium. Simmer covered for at least 3.5 hours. Pull the meat off the bones and place back into sauce. Stir and add in salt or pepper according to taste.