Rabo Encendido (Cuban Style Oxtail Stew)
*Unless you have a pressure cooker, oxtail is a very time consuming dish in terms of waiting (3 to 3.5 hours cook time), but it only requires 30 to 45 minutes of active time. If you're going to have it with some kind of starch and/or other side, you'll have plenty of time to get that going once the oxtail's simmering.
Rabo Encendido (literally "oxtail on fire") is a slow-cooked Cuban oxtail stew that is worth every bit of work and wait.
Delicious over rice (traditional), pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta (and with a glass of red wine that will stand up to its rich, developed flavor), it's a wonderful meal for special occasions or a Sunday dinner.
I've heard a few theories as to the meaning of "encendido" in this context, but the way I learned to make this dish, it was explained to me that it comes from the heat of copious amounts of black pepper. I'm not a person who adds black pepper to everything as a default seasoning, but I do love it in this dish.
This recipe is for 4 servings (1 larger piece of oxtail is plenty for a moderate single serving because it is so rich and unctuous). If you double it, you might increase the cook time to 4 hours or so, and you will need an appropriately larger cooking vessel. For the 4 serving quantity, it's important you don't use too wide a pot because you want the liquid to almost completely cover the oxtail at the start of simmering so the oxtail will be submerged in the sauce after it shrinks a bit with cooking.
Rabo Encendido (Cuban Style Oxtail Stew)
*Unless you have a pressure cooker, oxtail is a very time consuming dish in terms of waiting (3 to 3.5 hours cook time), but it only requires 30 to 45 minutes of active time. If you're going to have it with some kind of starch and/or other side, you'll have plenty of time to get that going once the oxtail's simmering.
Rabo Encendido (literally "oxtail on fire") is a slow-cooked Cuban oxtail stew that is worth every bit of work and wait.
Delicious over rice (traditional), pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta (and with a glass of red wine that will stand up to its rich, developed flavor), it's a wonderful meal for special occasions or a Sunday dinner.
I've heard a few theories as to the meaning of "encendido" in this context, but the way I learned to make this dish, it was explained to me that it comes from the heat of copious amounts of black pepper. I'm not a person who adds black pepper to everything as a default seasoning, but I do love it in this dish.
This recipe is for 4 servings (1 larger piece of oxtail is plenty for a moderate single serving because it is so rich and unctuous). If you double it, you might increase the cook time to 4 hours or so, and you will need an appropriately larger cooking vessel. For the 4 serving quantity, it's important you don't use too wide a pot because you want the liquid to almost completely cover the oxtail at the start of simmering so the oxtail will be submerged in the sauce after it shrinks a bit with cooking.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Season oxtails with 1 teaspoon salt and dust with 2 Tablespoons flour.
- 2
Add 1 Tablespoon oil to your pot, bring it up to medium heat, and brown the oxtail on 2 sides for about 4 minutes per side. Take oxtail out of pot and set aside for next step.
- 3
Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to pot then add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and sweat for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
- 4
Add spices (oregano, cumin, all spice, bay leaf) and tomato paste, and stir to incorporate and caramelize tomato paste a bit.
- 5
Add oxtails back into pot along with liquid, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, give it a few gentle stirs, and bring it up to a boil, covered. (This should take 7 to 10 minutes.)
- 6
Once it comes up to a boil for a minute or so, lower the heat to low and simmer the oxtail for 3 to 3.5 hours, covered, stirring every 30 minutes or so to redistribute and keep the oxtail from sticking or burning. Adjust seasoning before the last 30 minutes of cook time.
- 7
ALTERNATIVE OVEN INSTRUCTIONS: If you have an oven safe pot, you can put it into a preheated 325F oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
- 8
Enjoy! :)
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Comments (13)
You don’t have to dredge the oxtails in flour. The heat comes from red pepper flakes not black pepper. About half a teaspoon. It’s not a super hot dish.
This dish also has potato chunks.
Traditionally you would put in a few Spanish olives.