Crock Pot Oxtail Stew

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/18/22
Crock Pot Oxtail Stew

The Spruce Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 hrs 10 mins
Total: 10 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
957 Calories
50g Fat
31g Carbs
87g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 957
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 50g 65%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 278mg 93%
Sodium 464mg 20%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 87g
Vitamin C 46mg 229%
Calcium 121mg 9%
Iron 7mg 42%
Potassium 1889mg 40%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This crock pot oxtail stew is brimming with flavor thanks to a tasty mixture of red wine, beef broth, and tomato sauce, along with potatoes, carrots, and a variety of herbs and seasonings. The oxtails are placed in a large skillet and browned on both sides before being added to the slow cooker. They come out so delectably tender after cooking on low in the crock pot for 9 to 10 hours. It's a wonderful meal to come home to after a long day at work or a school event.

Enjoy this oxtail stew by itself, over steamed rice or mashed potatoes, or with some homemade crusty bread that you can dunk into the stew.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 to 4 pounds oxtails, disjointed

  • 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 2 potatoes, cut into chunks

  • 2 carrots, chopped

  • 3/4 cup dry red wine

  • 1 1/2 cups beef stock

  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce

  • 6 peppercorns

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 dried red chile pepper, seeded and chopped

  • 2 whole cloves

  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for crock pot oxtail stew recipe gathered

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  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; brown oxtails on all sides.

    Heat oxtails in skillet

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  3. Reduce heat to medium; add onions and cook for 5 minutes longer.

    Heat onions in skillet with oxtails

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  4. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

    Add garlic to onions and oxtails in skillet

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  5. Sprinkle flour over meat, onions, and garlic, and stir to blend. Cook for 2 minutes longer.

    Sprinkle flour over oxtails and vegetables

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  6. Put potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot along with carrots.

    Put potatoes and carrots in crock pot

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  7. Add oxtail mixture.

    Add oxtail mixture to crock pot

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  8. Deglaze pan with red wine and pour over oxtails in the slow cooker.

    Deglaze pan with wine and add to oxtail mixture

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  9. Add beef stock to slow cooker, along with tomato sauce, peppercorns, oregano, chile pepper, cloves, bell pepper, and parsley. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

    Ingredients in a crock pot: beef stock, tomato sauce, and seasonings

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  10. Cover and cook on low for 9 to 11 hours, or until the oxtails are very tender.

    Crock pot oxtail stew in a dish plus bread

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Tips

  • While oxtails used to be considered "throwaway" meat, often free for the asking or close to it, it is now one of the higher-priced cuts of meat, reaching several dollars a pound. You may also have to put an order in ahead of time—the availability will depend on supply and demand in your area. After all, there is only one tail per cow. (If you have difficulty finding oxtails in your locale, you may substitute meaty veal or beef neck, short rib, shank, or other various soup bones, but do not expect quite as robust a flavor.) 
  • For a stovetop version, try this homemade oxtail soup recipe.