Mom’s Oxtail Soup
I always loved when my mom made oxtail soup. It took hours to cook and the house smelled good all day. Oxtails were cheaper back then and we had the soup often. Now, I almost look at oxtails as a splurge. Still, life is too short not to enjoy the things we love.
Oxtails can also be braised and stewed. They hold up well to pressure cooking, too, so they are great cooked in an Instant Pot. They just need the time or proper cooking method to get tender. The stock their long simmering produces is so tasty. Great meal on a stormy, winter day.
As a child, I thought oxtails came off of an ox. Seemed to make sense to me. I pictured a huge, almost feral beast. I was kind of sad to find out they were just another part of a cow.
Wherever they come from, oxtails are one of my favorite meats ever. This recipe is how my mom made the soup. You can tweak which veggies you add, depending on what you have around. Just be patient and let the soup simmer long enough for the oxtails to get tender and the stock to get filled with all that flavor. Enjoy!!
Oxtail Soup
5-7 lbs. Oxtails
6 qts. Water or beef stock* see note
2-3 small onions, peeled and halved
¼ c. chopped parsley, or to taste
handful of celery tops or two celery ribs
1 large tomato, or three small, fresh or canned, cut-up
4 large cabbage leaves
1 lb. carrots, peeled and trimmed, leave whole
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown oxtails in soup pot in batches until browned. Add remaining ingredients, except carrots, to the pot with the oxtails. Simmer soup an hour, then add the carrots. Cook until meat is tender, about 2-3 hours longer. Remove meat and carrots from soup and strain stock. Return to kettle and skim off as much fat as you can. Adjust seasoning. Serve soup with cooked noodles and pieces of the carrots. You can eat the meat right off the bones, or remove some and dice it up to place in the soup. Makes 5-6 qts. Stock can be frozen and recipe can be halved.
Note: If you are using water, I would use Better Than Bouillon or another paste-type soup base to add extra flavor.
I got my Oxtails at Kocian Meats here in Cleveland. They were so well trimmed, I had very little fat in the stock. Thanks, Joe.
Mom’s Oxtail Soup
I always loved when my mom made oxtail soup. It took several hours to cook and the house smelled so good all day. Oxtails were cheaper back then and we had the soup often. Now, I almost look at oxtails as a splurge. Still, life is too short not to enjoy the things we love.
Oxtails can also be braised and stewed. They hold up well to pressure cooking, too, so they are great cooked in an Instant Pot. They just need the time or proper cooking method to get tender. The stock their long simmering produces is so tasty.
As a child, I thought oxtails came off of an ox. Seemed to make sense to me. I pictured a huge, almost feral beast. I was kind of sad to find out they were just another part of a cow.
Wherever they come from, oxtails are one of my favorite meats ever. This recipe is how my mom made the soup. You can tweak which veggies you add, depending on what you have around. Just be patient and let the soup simmer long enough for the oxtails to get tender and the stock to get filled with all that flavor. Enjoy!!
Oxtail Soup
5-7 lbs. Oxtails
6 qts. Water or beef stock* see note
2-3 small onions, peeled and halved
¼ c. chopped parsley, or to taste
handful of celery tops or two celery ribs
1 large tomato, or three small, fresh or canned, cut-up
4 large cabbage leaves
1 lb. carrots, peeled and trimmed, leave whole
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown oxtails in soup pot in batches until browned. Add remaining ingredients, except carrots, to the pot with the oxtails. Simmer soup an hour, then add the carrots. Cook until meat is tender, about 2-3 hours longer. Remove meat and carrots from soup and strain stock. Return to kettle and skim off as much fat as you can. Adjust seasoning. Serve soup with cooked noodles and pieces of the carrots. You can eat the meat right off the bones, or remove some and dice it up to place in the soup. Makes 5-6 qts. Stock can be frozen and recipe can be halved.
Note: If you are using water, I would use Better Than Bouillon or another paste-type soup base to add extra flavor.
I got my Oxtails at Kocian Meats here in Cleveland. They were so well trimmed, I had very little fat in the stock. Thanks, Joe Kocian.
