‘O for Oarsome’ Oxtail in Apple Cider & Bone Broth (AIP)

“The best oxtail in the world is meaningless if it doesn’t show up.”
– Anthony Bourdain

After two weeks without an oven, we’re back in business! Oh, happy day!

Can I say – life on AIP with no oven is a disaster!

To celebrate, I’ve made LM some Frenchie-inspired oxtail for dinner. I might even have even danced around the kitchen a little while I prepared it. Pretty sure nobody could see me… (Bella doesn’t count)

We recently picked up just over 1.5 kilos of happy oxtail from the lovely Lauren and Greg at Linga Longa Farm and I’ve been waiting for the just right reason to make it. Today was the day.

This recipe has my Dad’s name written all over it. He loves ox tail. Loves it with a capital L! But, then he pretty much loves any unctuous, slow-cooked melt-in-your-mouth numbers. Guess that’s where I get it from.

What is oxtail, you ask?

Oxtail is exactly what it sounds like it should be! – the tail of a cow or a steer.

It’s a bony yet gorgeously gelatin-rich meat, usually slow-cooked or braised as a stew or soup.

And, although I’m partial to the more traditional preparations of slow cooking when braising meat, it is entirely possible to take a shortcut by cooking this baby in a pressure cooker. It’s what I would have done if my oven fix-it man hadn’t turned up.

Like most of my cooking, this dish is really easy. It just involves pulling all the ingredients together, a bit of chopping and browning, before the oven does all the work. The apple cider adds another dimension. You could almost believe you’re in France…

And, for those of you worried about the alcohol content in the cider, after 2.5 hours of cooking, only five percent of the alcohol will still be present. (i) And, that means the amount of alcohol in an individual serving will be miniscule. The Paleo Mom has no issue with a little alcohol in cooking, but if you are still concerned, just substitute in some cold pressed apple juice for the cider.

Whatever you decide, one thing is for sure…

It will taste delicious!

Oxtail in Apple Cider & Bone Broth (AIP Compliant)

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 30 mins

 

Adapted from a recipe by Delia Smith

Author: Joanna Frankham

Recipe type: The main event

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1.5 kilos oxtail
• Beef tallow (or fat of choice)
• 3 rashers (strips) bacon
• 3 large carrots
• 2 large onions
• 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
• 500ml bone broth (or good stock)
• 500ml apple cider
• ¼ teaspoon each - oregano, rosemary, thyme
• 3 cloves garlic
• bay leaf
• salt
• flat leaf parsley (for garnish)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150C / 300 F.
2. First up prepare all your vegetables. Peel and roughly chop your carrots. Peel and slice your onions. Peel your garlic and put aside for mincing.
3. Pop a large casserole over a medium flame. Melt your fat.
4. Brown your pieces of oxtail in batches. As each batch is nicely caramelised, pop it into a large bowl.
5. Brown the bacon and carrots. Add them to the bowl with your meat.
6. Now add your sliced onions to the casserole. Fry until softened and lightly caramelised.
7. Turn the heat to low and add your tapioca starch. Stir and allow the remaining juices to soak up the flour.
8. Add the stock and cider, and return the meat, bacon and carrots to the casserole. Add your herbs and bay leaf. Now, mince the garlic directly into the dish, as well.
9. Pop on the lid and place the casserole in the oven. Walk away for three hours.
10. (Optional) I like to remove the bones from my oxtail before serving. It's a little fiddly, but it saves dinner guests from having to do it.
11. Skim off any fat from the surface and garnish with chopped parsley.

3.3.2998

E N JO Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable

(i) drweil.com