Our Southern oxtail recipe features oxtails smothered in gravy with green bell pepper, onion, and soul food seasonings. They're cooked in the oven low and slow so they come out fall-off-the-bone tender!
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Recipe Highlights
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 3 – 4 hours low and slow for fall-off-the-bone tenderness
- 🍽️ Serves: 4 (perfect for a Sunday dinner)
- 👩🏽🍳 Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- 🎯 End Result: Rich, soulful gravy with melt-in-your-mouth oxtails
This oxtail recipe is perfect for Sunday soul food dinner and goes good with other side dishes like collard greens and ham hocks, Southern pinto beans, and Southern baked mac and cheese.
Marrekus grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where his grandma made oxtails all the time, so this recipe brings back those memories and captures the same down-home taste he grew up on.
If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to try our smoked oxtails and oxtail chili cheese fries!
And for more dinner ideas like smothered chicken and rice and smothered pork chops recipes next, check out this Soul Food Sunday dinner ideas roundup.
Reader Reviews
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Made these for Juneteenth and they are delicious. This is the real deal oxtails . Everyone loved them. Thank you for sharing." (Monique P.)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Followed step by step. Best oxtails I’ve ever made!!!" (Ms. Moye)
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Outstanding and tender. Right amount of gravy; and oh so good! Thank you." (Juanita)
Why You'll Love This Oxtail Recipe
- It’s Southern comfort food: This oxtail recipe is cooked low and slow in the oven until tender, then smothered in rich, savory gravy for that true down-home flavor.
- It’s fall-off-the-bone tender: The meat is so succulent, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- The flavor is rich and soulful: These oxtails have delicious beefy flavor that soak up all the seasoning from the peppers, onions, and soul food spices.
Jump to:
- Recipe Highlights
- Reader Reviews
- Why You'll Love This Oxtail Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make This Southern Oxtail Recipe (Step-by-Step)
- Optional: Slow Cooker Oxtail Recipe
- What to Serve with Oxtails
- Expert Cooking Tips
- Common Oxtail Recipe Mistakes (and Fixes)
- Southern Oxtail Recipe FAQs
- More Southern Dinner Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- Southern Oxtail Recipe
Ingredients
- Oxtails: Look for well-trimmed oxtails with more meat and less fat. They braise down beautifully and create a rich, flavorful dish without being overly greasy.
- Beef broth: We’ve tested a few, and our favorite is Bonafide Provisions organic beef bone broth (found in the freezer section). You can also use regular beef broth or stock.
- Bell pepper and onion: These are must-haves in our kitchen. They add savory flavor and a hint of sweetness that complements the oxtails without overpowering them.
See the recipe card below for full information on the ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Southern Oxtail Recipe (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Season with oxtail seasoning. Sprinkle flour over oxtails, making sure the pieces of oxtail get a good coating. Shake off any excess flour.
Step 2: Sear oxtail pieces in hot oil (vegetable oil or olive oil) over medium-high heat until they're browned on all sides. Then remove from pot and set aside.
Step 3: Reduce to medium heat, then whisk in flour
Step 4: Then add beef stock or beef both. Stir in more seasonings, and whisk until a smooth rich gravy develops that is a caramel brown color.
Step 5: Add sliced onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Then, place seared oxtails back in the pot stir
Step 6: Slow cook oxtails in the oven for several hours, until they're fork tender. The cooking time may vary, but takes about hours.
Tip: When oxtails are done cooking, the meat will be tender and pull away easily from the bone. To check, poke the meat with a fork or knife. If it goes in and out easily, then you've got tender meat and oxtails are ready! You can also check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to make sure they are at least 190°F to 200°F.
Optional: Slow Cooker Oxtail Recipe
You can also make this oxtail recipe in a crockpot! After searing the oxtails (see Step 5 in the recipe card), transfer them to your slow cooker. Add the beef stock and oxtail seasoning, then stir to combine. Mix in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours, or until the oxtails are fork-tender. To thicken the gravy, turn the heat to high, then mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water to make a slurry. Slowly stir in a little of the slurry at a time, letting it cook for a few minutes in between, until the gravy reaches your desired thickness.
What to Serve with Oxtails
This oxtail recipe pairs perfectly with classic soul food sides. Serve them with collard greens cooked with ham hocks, our Southern pinto beans, and this Southern cabbage, recipe. Instead of serving oxtails rice, you can also swap it for these creamy mashed potatoes with gravy.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Use quality ingredients: You want your oxtails to have a nice size (think larger pieces) and a good amount of meat on them.
- Sear thoroughly: Make sure to get a good sear on all sides of the oxtails. This browning develops rich flavor through the Maillard reaction and helps lock in juices, making your dish more delicious.
- Stir the gravy: When adding the flour to make the gravy, do it gradually to prevent lumps. Continue whisking until the consistency is smooth and it has a nice golden brown color.
- Low and slow cooking: Cook oxtails in the oven at 325°F to help tenderize the oxtail meat. This allows the collagen in the oxtails to break down and makes it more flavorful.
Common Oxtail Recipe Mistakes (and Fixes)
Here are a couple problems you might encounter when making Southern oxtails:
- Gravy is too thick: Gradually add more beef stock to the gravy, stirring constantly until you reach your desired consistency.
- Oxtails are too salty: Taste and adjust before adding more seasoning or salt during cooking, and taste the gravy and adjust as needed. You can always add more salt later if needed, but it’s really hard to fix a salty dish.
Southern Oxtail Recipe FAQs
Oxtails come from the tail of a cow. They have a rich, beefy flavor and a tender texture when cooked for a long time, very slowly. It's often is used in recipes like oxtail stew, oxtail soup, and oxtail chili, basically dishes that have to cook for hours. Oxtails have been a staple in soul food cooking for generations because it was really cheap back in the day, and considered a "throw away" cut of meat.
Southern oxtails are smothered in gravy with bell peppers and onions, and seasoned with seasoned salt, black pepper, etc. They're usually served with rice, mashed potatoes, or cornbread.Jamaican oxtails are cooked with Caribbean flavors like allspice and scotch bonnet peppers, which make them a bit spicier. They're served gravy, carrots, rice, and peas or butter beans (lima beans).
Oxtails take several hours to get tender. This Southern oxtail recipe takes about 3 hours in the oven to get fall-off-the-bone tender, which is how we like it.
Oxtail has a rich and beefy taste. When you cook it low and slow, oxtail the meat gets incredibly tender.
More Southern Dinner Recipes
Looking for more Southern dinner ideas? Try these:
If you tried this Southern Oxtail Recipe or any other recipe on our blog, consider leaving us a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments!
📖 Recipe
Southern Oxtail Recipe
Equipment
- Large heavy duty roaster or dutch oven
- Balloon whisk or sauce whisk for mixing the gravy.
- Chef's knife for chopping vegetables and trimming the oxtails if needed.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef oxtails
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour divided
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil e.g. vegetable oil, olive oil
- 3 cups beef stock or beef broth
- ½ sweet onion sliced (or 1 small yellow onion)
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- Cooked rice for serving
Oxtail Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt start with less and adjust to taste if using any other type of salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of Sazón
Instructions
Make Oxtail Seasoning
- In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, pepper, seasoned salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion, lemon pepper, ground white pepper, Italian seasoning, and Sazón. Stir all the ingredients together until well combined.
Prepare Oxtails
- Season oxtails with 2 tablespoons seasoning mixture.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup flour over oxtails; shake off any excess flour.
- Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large heavy-duty roaster or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once oil is hot and shimmering, add seasoned oxtails.
- Sear and turn oxtails until they are browned on all sides. Then remove them from pan and set aside.
- Leave oil in the pan and whisk in ½ cup flour.
- Pour in beef stock and add 1 tablespoon of oxtail seasoning. Keep whisking until gravy is smooth and takes on golden brown color.
- Lower heat to medium and add onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
- Return seared oxtails back to pot and give them a gentle stir.
- Cover pot and place in preheated oven set at 325°F.
- Cook oxtail, letting them simmer and stew in oven for 2 hours and 45 minutes up to 3 hours. Oxtails are typically done when they reach an internal temperature of 180-200°F (82-93°C).
- Remove oxtails from oven and spoon gravy generously all over.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes then serve over white rice.
Video
Notes
- Substitutions/Variations: If you don’t have beef broth, use Better Than Bouillon beef base or any quality stock; any bell pepper color works, and yellow onions can be swapped with white or Spanish onions.
- Equipment: If you don’t have a large, heavy duty roaster or dutch oven, sear the oxtails and make the gravy in a large skillet, then transfer everything to a baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and finish in the oven.
- Use quality ingredients: You want your oxtails to have a nice size (think larger pieces) and a good amount of meat on them.
- Sear thoroughly: Make sure to get a good sear on all sides of the oxtails. This browning develops rich flavor through the Maillard reaction and helps lock in juices, making your dish more delicious.
- Stir the gravy: When adding the flour to make the gravy, do it gradually to prevent lumps. Continue whisking until the consistency is smooth and it has a nice golden brown color.
- Low and slow cooking: Cook oxtails in the oven at 325°F to help tenderize the oxtail meat. This allows the collagen in the oxtails to break down and makes it more flavorful.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Let your cooked oxtails cool to room temperature before storing. Transfer them and the gravy to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days.
- For longer storage, freeze the oxtails in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months. When reheating, thaw overnight in the fridge, then wrap in foil and warm in the oven until heated through.
Tammy says
I've only had oxtails once before but I would love to try this. My mom grew up eating oxtails so I think she would appreciate this dish. Looks so good!
Jacqueline Debono says
I'm a big oxtail fan and often make it the Roman way and use it as a ragu for pasta. I enjoyed trying out a different recipe this time. Super good and so tasty! The meat just fell off the bones and was so tender!
Jamie says
Amazing recipe! I haven’t tried this but i will soon! It looks really good!
DK Park says
This is an amazing recipe! Gotta try making this one tomorrow and enjoy it for myself, thank you for this!
Lauren says
My husband was really excited to make this oxtail recipe because he enjoys oxtail but had no idea how to make it. He said this recipe was exactly what he was hoping for. It turned out tender and savory!
veenaazmanov says
This dish brings old traditions and memories back. A dish perfect to have when the entire family is together. My comfort meal for sure. Yum
Yu says
I usually braise the oxtail in a savory soy-based broth until it achieves a tender texture. I have yet to try the Southern style, but it sounds delicious. I can't wait to give it a try soon!
cooks with soul says
Thanks, Yu! Oooh, the soy-based broth for oxtails sounds delicious!
Colleen says
I've never tried oxtail, but this post has me determined to! It looks so comforting and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Nelson leonard says
Love ox tail recipes. I cook soul food along for family.thank you.
cooks with soul says
That's awesome! We will add more oxtail recipes soon 🙂
Donna says
I would love to see more recipes,Thank You so much
Juanita F Dembo says
Found this recipe back in March, and it is unbelievably good. Making a batch today. My best friend asked for the recipe last week, so I gave her your information; and she has printed out a copy of the recipe. From New Orleans, and just can't get enough. The meat is tender and juicy. The seasonings you selected for this dish are perfect. Thank you both for sharing such a great recipe!
Gregory Alexander says
I really think this recipe sounds excellent and I’m going to add it to my oxtail recipes
Bae says
Well cooked oxtail makes my head big and my ego even bigger. Do not refrigerate or freeze. Must be served smoking hot.
Terra Brown says
Awesome recipe. I have been cooking my oxtails in the oven for years. For easy clean up I use a oven bag.
Ms Trent says
Goya aint southern!!! sorry. But it does make the food taste good.
Deborrah says
Sure it is. All over the south people cook differently. New Orleans vs Memphis vs Houston vs Jackson Mississippi, the same dish will be prepared using different seasonings. There is no one "southern" style cuisine. Each region is influenced by settlers in that area as well as regional food availability.
Jeanette says
Very tender and creamy. As you said, these are the best yet good job.👍🏽💯🫶🏼🙂
Donna Fisher says
Love rhis recipe
Neeya says
You know what you doing when you added that Goya pack. Back then your grandmother didn't use that. Nowadays we use that, so that was an added bonus from you