[Smashy the Hammer] [An Aspiring Luddite]
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An aspiring Luddite
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[Jeff Berry]
Jeff Berry is an early adopter of the Internet and the Web, a late adopter of Twitter, and declines to adopt Facebook. With the death of Google+, he migrated to the Fediverse. He admins a medievalist Mastodon instance. He hates cell-phones.

Oxtail Stew
18 October 2012
[Clafoutis]

The weather has finally turned, which means that it's really and truly slow-cooker season. (I have to emphasize the "really and truly" part since I cook with my crock pot all year long.) It's also time to eat more oxtails.

As some of you may recall, I've written before about Stewed Oxtails, and if you don't recall, shame on you for not studying the archives, which are mostly-handcrafted for your pleasure. In any case, this is a more stew-y variation, in which the oxtails are not quite so up front in the mix, although certainly present. Once again, it features an array of stunning seasonal vegetables.

[Lots of pictures]

Oxtail Stew

Begin by dicing the red pepper and putting it in the bottom of the crock pot. Dice and add the tomato. Put somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/4 or 1/3 cup or water in the pot as well. If your oxtail hasn't already been cut into chunks, I pity you, since it's a pain in the butt to hack it into chunks, but you'd best do so - unless the whole thing will fit into your crock pot as-is. Season the oxtails rather aggressively with salt, pepper and cumin. Arrange the pieces on top of the vegetables, set the crock pot to low and go away for a few hours.

When you return, the meat should be tender, but not exactly falling off the bone, although it's not really a problem if it is. This makes it a good time to add some vegetables. Cut the leeks, potatoes, carrots and fennel into chunks. I went for a bit more than bite-sized, but not huge. Chop the fennel green pretty small, though. Add the fennel green first, then the rest of the veggies. Give 'em a decent hit with salt, cover and let cook for another hour.

Now, with any luck, your oxtails should be about ready to fall off the bone. Fish them out of the crock pot, and remove the bones. Stir the veggies down into the broth and check for doneness. They probably need more time, so put the meat back in on top of the veg without stirring, put the lid back on and go have a cocktail. Every 45 minutes or so, check to see if the veggies are done. When they are, you can serve. Although it won't hurt it much to let it keep on simmering.

If the meat doesn't come off the bones without almost no effort on your part, then don't force it, just add it back to the pot on the bone, and the next time you check the veg, see if it's ready. Once everything is ready, if you're not, you can also turn off or unplug the pot; it'll stay warm for quite a while.


© 2012 Jeff Berry
The Aspiring Luddite