Braised Oxtail

Oxtail is exactly what it sounds like - the tail of a cow. It looks a little odd but it's actually extremely flavorful. Oxtails have a lot of collagen and need to be cooked for a very long time, but when you do, the meat becomes extremely tender - like a very tender short rib - and the collagen melts and adds a ton of flavor to the meat.

I use this super simple recipe. My only challenge is sometimes finding the oxtails. You can sometimes find small amounts at normal grocery stores, although I have run into problems before where they're so unpopular that they've been sitting in the meat department for so long they've gone bad. Oxtails are actually much more common in Mexican and Chinese cuisine, so I've actually had better luck getting them at Chinese grocery stores.

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs oxtails
• 2 bay leaves
• Worcestershire or soy sauce
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Arrange the oxtails in a casserole dish.
3. Cover the oxtails with a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire or soy sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper. Pour water in the dish so the water line comes 1/4 way up the meat.
4. Cover the dish and bake for 3-4 hours, depending on the size of your oxtails - closer to 4 for larger oxtails.
5. Serve with a starch like egg noodles or rice. Spoon a little of the fat in the dish over the oxtails and the starch to add flavor. You can keep the fat and use it for roasting vegetables later.