Today I'm making stewed oxtails. This is a recipe inspired by our Jamaican neighbors in
the Caribbean. The only differences are
Trinis burn their sugar from scratch,
instead of using browning from the
bottle and I love using fresh
ingredients. This recipe requires a few
simple fresh ingredients: oxtail, lemon or
lime for washing the oxtail, green
seasoning, onion, tomato, ketchup, hot
pepper and pimento pepper, brown sugar
celery, carrots, then there's pimento
seeds, red bell pepper and thyme. Firstly,
trim any excess fat from the oxtail,
wash with the juice of a lime or lemon;
you can soak it for a couple of minutes
rinse several times with running water and drain.
Burning sugar is usually the starting
point of our stews, our famous pelau and
some soup dishes.
It is not burnt like the color of
charcoal, but it is mainly a method used
to develop the sugar to the right color,
to add color and an exceptional depth of
flavor. Stewing of meat using burnt sugar
is believed to be a West African cooking
style brought to the Caribbean by the
African immigrants.
I have added the sugar to the oil and, some don't use oil,
it's up to you and now I'm allowing the
sugar to froth, bubble, expand and darken.
Once it begins to darken and the bottom
starts to look like the color of
browning, it's time to add your seasoned
meat. I'm going to add a little bit of
ketchup at this point: a trick or tip I
learned from my sister-in-law who makes
the most amazing stewed chicken.
I'm adding the meat at this point but I'm
not going to stir it because I wanted the ketchup to cook a little more so that
it is no longer ketchup. I'm going to stir
it for a minute or two to thoroughly
coat it then I'm going to cook it on high for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
I'm gonna cover and cook it for 10 to 15
minutes to allow meat to release its natural juices.
At this point I'm going to add the carrots, the celery, the red bell pepper, thyme and
pimento seeds.
At this point you have two options continue to cook it until all
the liquid has evaporated cook for one
to two minutes more to develop the
flavors, then add enough water to cover
and cook for two to three hours until
tender or to your preference.
The second option is to cook it in a pressure
cooker. I'm using my insta pot because it
cooks in only 35 minutes. If the meat has
released a lot of liquid there is no
need to add any additional, but if not,
add water broth or coconut milk.
35 minutes later and your oxtails are done.
The most delicious, tender ox tails you've
ever had in your life, in such a short
time!
I like releasing the pressure, but this
usually happens for itself,  but I just
couldn't wait today.
If it doesn't have
enough sauce for you, place it back in a
pot, add 1 to 2 cups of water bring to a
boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes
until the sauce thickens. More liquid
means that it will require more salt so
add salt to your liking.