Oxtail and Butter Beans

Name: Oxtail and Butter Beans
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: caribbean
Ingredients: 4 pounds oxtails; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt; 2 teaspoons black pepper; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 4 scallions, trimmed and chopped; 2 large yellow onions, chopped; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 12 whole pimento seeds (allspice berries); 4 fresh thyme sprigs; 2 Scotch bonnet peppers, pierced through the flesh with a paring knife; 2 tablespoons chicken stock concentrated paste or 1 chicken bouillon cube; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 4 teaspoons browning sauce, preferably Grace brand; 4 large garlic cloves, grated; 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger; 2 (15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

By Millie Peartree

Updated May 17, 2024

Oxtail and Butter Beans — Yunhee Kim for The New York Times. Food Stylits: Victoria Granof.

Total Time: About 3½ hours
Rating: 4(703)
Comments: Read comments

This hearty, warming recipe is inspired by Jamaican and West Indian oxtail stews. Oxtail is a cut that benefits from a long cook time: Here, it falls off the bone and is surrounded by an incredibly rich gravy with a lot of body. Worcestershire sauce is traditional and balances the dish’s earthy, spicy and sweet flavors. The butter beans add a slight bite to counter the tender meat. But back to that gravy: Sop it up with naan or roti, or serve it over coconut rice and peas. (Watch the video of Millie Peartree making oxtail and butter beans here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

4pounds oxtails
2teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2teaspoons black pepper
¼cup vegetable oil
4scallions, trimmed and chopped
2large yellow onions, chopped
2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2tablespoons Jamaican curry powder
2teaspoons smoked paprika
12whole pimento seeds (allspice berries)
4fresh thyme sprigs
2Scotch bonnet peppers, pierced through the flesh with a paring knife
2tablespoons chicken stock concentrated paste or 1 chicken bouillon cube
2tablespoons tomato paste
4teaspoons browning sauce, preferably Grace brand
4large garlic cloves, grated
1teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2(15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

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Step 1
Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2
In a large pot over medium, heat oil. Add the oxtails in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, and brown, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes per side. (You want a deep-brown crust to form on the outside.) Drain some of the oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan, and move oxtails to a plate.
Step 3
Add scallions, onions, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, paprika, pimento seeds and thyme, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add Scotch bonnet peppers, bouillon, tomato and browning paste, and stir for 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté for another 30 seconds.
Step 4
Add oxtails to the pot, along with enough liquid to completely cover the meat. Bring to a boil and let simmer until tender (depending on the oxtail size and preference), about 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Step 5
Once oxtails are tender, add butter beans to heat through, about 5 minutes and up to 10 or 15, if you like a more tender bean. Remove the thyme sprigs and Scotch bonnet peppers; remove the pimento seeds as you see them, or if you like. Taste and adjust seasoning, and serve hot with rice and peas, and sweet plantains.

Ratings

4 out of 5

703 user ratings

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Comments

True yardie…3 years ago

Jamaican here. No need to add curry as an ingredient. I like browning my oxtails without oil. Naturally, oxtails have a lot of oil. Once the oxtails are browned…place oxtails with the seasonings in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes…remove the natural juices and place in freezer to coagulate oil from gravy for 15 minutes. Continue the recipe with gravy and oxtails as shown in the recipe. A touch of Sweet Baby Ray is the key…

JoJo3 years ago

I don't often see oxtails at the market. What do you suggest as a replacement?

Kikster3 years ago

Browning the oxtail is simply oil in the pan add the oxtail and stir a few times for about 5-10 minutes this helps to release the natural flavor of the oxtail during the process of boiling it after to tenderness. Trust me this step is crucial and will provide an even more delicious taste. I'm Jamaican, take it from me and you don't need to add any curry powder and you can use molasses instead of worcestsire and browning sauce for a true authentic Jamaican country style oxtail. ketchup instead

EmilyB3 months ago

Does anyone have a pressure cooker version? Also, if I wanted to use dried butter beans, can they be cooked together or is it best to make them ahead?

Tim Maguire5 months ago

This works very well. All I would suggest is that after cooking the oxtail, you take the meat out and strain all the delicious liquid through a sieve and reduce it for about 30 minutes to make a much thicker sauce. Add it back when you put the beans in, ideally the following day

leah5 months ago

Delicious! The aromatic base could easily be the start of a soup, as the flavors are so good. For anyone else who has a lower heat tolerance - I used 1 pepper, did not pierce it, and simmered it with the oxtail for 30mins only. Then I removed it. This still yielded a strong heat that was present when eating the dish (but also wasn’t too spicy for me to eat).

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