Start this dish the day before to give the rub a chance to do its thing. Serve the oxtails hot with greens and starch of your choice. At Jambo Cafe, this dish is served with collards and mofongo, a dish of mashed green plantains.
Jambo Slow Cooked Oxtail Recipe
INGREDIENTS
For the rub
2-3 green onions, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 tbsp jerk seasoning
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground coriander 1-2 tbsp olive oil (enough to form a rough paste)
For the slow cooked oxtail
5 lb of oxtails
Olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp jerk seasoning
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
4 cups chicken stock
2 tsp beef base (highly concentrated beef stock)
1-2 cinnamon sticks
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make the rub, mix the ingredients with the olive oil to create a paste. Rub over oxtails, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- To cook the oxtails the next day, heat a teaspoon or so of oil in a roasting pan or Dutch oven–enough to keep the oxtails from sticking. Sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add the spices and cook them for a few minutes so that you can smell their aroma. Stir the tomato paste into the mixture, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and beef base.
- Add the oxtails, cover, and roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and slow roast for 2 ½ -3 hours. The meat should fall off the bone.
Recipe by Chef Ahmed Obo of Jambo Cafe / Story and Styling by Julia Platt Leonard / Support from Alex Hanna / Photography by Kate Russell
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.