← Nouns Cooking · Caribbean

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Oxtail, cut into rounds, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 Lime, juiced, for washing the meat
• 1½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp ground allspice (pimento)
• 1 tbsp Browning sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Spring onion, chopped
• 2 cm piece Ginger, grated
• 5 sprigs Thyme
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• 2 Tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 l hot water
• 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, left whole
• 2 Carrot, cut into chunks
• 1 can butter beans (400 g can), drained

Method

1. Rinse the oxtail with the lime juice and cold water, then pat dry. Rub with the salt, pepper, allspice, browning and Worcestershire sauce, scatter over the onion, garlic, spring onion, ginger and thyme, then cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Scrape the aromatics off the meat and keep them. Heat the oil and sugar in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat until the sugar turns dark amber, then brown the oxtail in batches for 8–10 min, turning, until deeply coloured all over.
3. Return all the meat, add the saved aromatics and the tomatoes and fry for 3 min, stirring, until soft and fragrant.
4. Stir in the ketchup and enough hot water to just cover the meat. Float the whole scotch bonnet on top, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2½ hours, stirring now and then and topping up with a splash of water if it catches.
5. Add the carrots and simmer for 20 min more, uncovered, until the meat pulls easily from the bone and the gravy is thick and glossy.
6. Fold in the butter beans and warm through for 5 min. Lift out the pepper and thyme stalks, taste for salt and serve with rice and peas.

Tips

• A pressure cooker cuts the braise to about 45 minutes once the meat is browned.
• Skim the fat off the top before adding the beans, or chill overnight and lift off the set fat; it tastes even better the next day.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

CaribbeanPot.com Jamaicans.com Jamaicans.com