These loaded oxtail fries feature black beans, pinto beans, and dark chocolate simmered in an oxtail and red wine demi-glace. Oxtail chili is smothered over crispy french fries and topped with cheddar, jalapeños, and a sunny-side-up egg. Don't forget the spicy mayo sauce for an extra kick!
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These oxtail chili cheese fries are AMAZING. Every bite is rich and succulent with the perfect amount of spice. Melt-in-your-mouth goodness. We've tested and tweaked this recipe over the last few years and it is (finally) perfection. Marrekus is already talking about entering this oxtail chili into our neighborhood's chili cook-off!
This recipe was inspired by a dish off of the menu at Bachi Burger, one of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas. We were so sad to learn that they are no longer open for business. However, their epic oxtail chili cheese fries (which were featured on Guy Fieri's Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives) will live on forever.
If you love oxtails or making award winning chili from scratch then we know you will appreciate this recipe. It's not quick, but it is fairly simple. Like all good things, this oxtail chili takes time to make (at least 12 hours), so it's not something you can rush. The best part: It's totally worth the wait!
Ingredients
Here are the shopping list ingredients you will need to make oxtail chili:
Meat, Dairy, and Produce
- oxtails
- bacon
- butter
- yellow onion
- jalapeño
- thyme
- bay leaf
Dry Ingredients
- dark brown sugar
- granulated garlic
- granulated onion
- oregano
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
- ground mustard
- whole peppercorn
- dark chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
- chili paste
- tomato sauce
- beer (stout or pilsner)
- chicken stock
- Worcestershire sauce
- red wine vinegar
- dry red wine (pinot noir or merlot)
Beans
- pinto beans (canned)
- black beans (canned)
Oxtail Stock and Red Wine Demi-Glace
Two major components of this oxtail chili are the oxtail stock and red wine demi-glace:
- The oxtail stock is the reserved liquid from slow cooker oxtails.
- Our red wine demi-glace is made with pinot noir or merlot, oxtail stock, butter, yellow onion, fresh thyme, whole peppercorn, and a bay leaf.
After slowing cooking the oxtail in a Crockpot, add all of the demi-glace ingredients to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for two hours, or until the sauce is reduced by half. You can stir it from time to time, but try to leave it covered as much as possible. As the demi-glace reduces, the flavor will intensify.
The demi-glace is then added to the pot along with the chicken stock, dark chocolate chips, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, beans, etc.
What is a demi-glace?
A demi-glace is a rich, dark sauce that is produced by combining equal parts brown stock and brown sauce, and then reducing it by half. Demi literally means "half" and glace means glaze or icing.
How to Make Oxtail Chili
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a separate large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bacon, and sauté until the onions are translucent about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Next, add the jalapeños, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion, black pepper, oregano, cumin, and mustard powder. Stir to combine.
- Then, stir in the tomato sauce, chili paste, two additional cups of reserved oxtail stock, beer, and chicken stock.
- Add the dark chocolate chips, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, pinto beans, and black beans.
- Mix in the prepared demi-glace and the pulled oxtail meat. Add salt and pepper and continue cooking until liquid cooks down and chili thickens, about 2 hours.
Loaded Oxtail Fries
Once the oxtail chili is complete, it's time to make chili cheese fries! We took a bag of frozen french fries and fried them so that they were extra crispy. We smothered the fries in oxtail chili, then topped it with cheddar cheese.
For additional toppings, we went with a sunny-side-up egg (in true Bachi Burger style), sliced jalapeños, and our signature spicy mayonnaise sauce. Trust me when I say, that runny egg will change your life!
Spicy Mayo Sauce
Our signature spicy mayo sauce is made using only two ingredients: Kewpie Mayonnaise and Louisiana Pepper Exchange Cayenne Pepper Puree.
Now, we know this is an odd pairing, because, what? Lol. It's like a Japanese and Cajun mash-up. But it works! It's amazing and it's truly representative of our style. Big, bold flavor. Unconventional. Outside of the box.
Marrekus came up with the idea and I was skeptical at first. He was literally like, "throw some of that on there..." I tried it and LOVED it. Just remember you saw it here first! LOL.
Recipe Tips
- After 8 hours of slow cooking, remove the oxtail from the crock pot and pull the meat from the bone. Transfer the pulled meat to a bowl, cover it, and set it in the refrigerator until later.
- The first and most important step in making oxtail chili is to slow-cook the oxtails in a crock pot for 8 hours. This long and slow cook method is the most important step because the meat takes a very long time to cook. You want the oxtail to be fall-off-the-bone tender.
- The leftover oxtail liquid, or stock, will be used to make both the demi-glace in the following step and used to cook the chili itself. Save at least 4 cups of oxtail stock from the pot of the slow cooker!
More Oxtail Recipes
📖 Recipe
Oxtail Chili Cheese Fries (Bachi Burger Copycat)
Ingredients
Oxtail Stock
- 1 pound oxtail
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- water
Oxtail and Red Wine Demi-Glace
- 2 cups reserved stock from slow cooking the oxtail
- 1 cup pinot noir or other dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons yellow onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Oxtail Chili
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- ¼ pound bacon uncooked, chopped
- 1 jalapeño chopped and seeds removed, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili pepper paste (Amore brand, etc.)
- 2 cups reserved water from oxtail braise
- 1 cup beer stout or pilsner
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 15 ounces pinto beans canned
- 15 ounces black beans canned
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper
- 32 ounces french fries freshly cooked
- eggs cooked sunny-side-up, for topping
Spicy Mayo
Instructions
- Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Place oxtails in a slow cooker, cover with water, and slow cook for 8 hours. After 8 hours, reserve at least 4 cups of braised water for demi-glace and chili. Pull oxtail meat off the bone and place it in a bowl, cover it, and transfer it to the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Prepare demi-glace by combining 2 cups of reserved stock from slow cooking the oxtail, pinot noir, onion, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf, and butter in a pot over medium-high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce and simmer, covered for two hours. Stir occasionally.
- Heat neutral oil in a separate large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and bacon, and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add jalapeños, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion, black pepper, oregano, cumin, and mustard powder. Stir to combine.
- Stir in tomato sauce and chili paste.
- Pour in 2 additional cups of reserved oxtail broth, stout, and chicken broth.
- Add dark chocolate chips, Worcestershire, red wine vinegar, pinto beans, and black beans.
- Mix in the prepared demi-glace and the pulled oxtail meat.
- Add salt and pepper and continue cooking until liquid cooks down and chili thickens, about 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Spicy Mayo. Mix ½ cup mayonnaise with cayenne pepper puree. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Smother the oxtail chili on top of french fries and sprinkle with cheese. Drizzle with spicy mayo and top with sliced jalapeños and a sunny-side-up-egg.
Travis says
I followed this recipe exactly as instructed and it turned out perfect! The longest part was cooking down the oxtail chili mixture, it took about 2-3 hours. It was worth the wait though! The runny egg on top was a nice final touch. My only advice is to make sure to pick some good fried french fries, ones that are nice, hot, and crispy.
Krysten Wilkes & Marrekus Wilkes says
So glad to hear it turned out perfect for you! You're right—the oxtail chili takes time, but that slow cook really builds flavor. And yes to the crispy fries and runny egg—that combo is hard to beat! Thanks so much for the helpful tip and for giving the recipe a try!
Gab says
Huge amount of work, but the result is delicious!
I used 27 oz cans of Pinto and Black beans and doubled the amount of oxtail meat. I also browned the oxtails on both sides before slow cooking.
The chili would've been too thin without the upgrades, as I kept the other amounts the same.
We also omitted chili paste, as the recipe lacked instructions on making or specifying a brand/chili paste type.
I would've appreciated more insight into that area, but my family jazzed up their sets with their favorite hot sauces.