Keto Oxtail Recipes: A Comprehensive Guide

Oxtail, a delicacy enjoyed worldwide, is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. While traditionally considered an inexpensive, throwaway cut of meat, oxtail is now a sought-after ingredient, though it can be somewhat difficult to find. This article explores various keto-friendly oxtail recipes, cooking methods, and tips for achieving the most tender and flavorful results.

Understanding Oxtail

Oxtail tastes similar to stew beef, pot roast, or short ribs. If you can get past the looks and texture, you are in for a treat and a boat load of collagen! Oxtail is a gelatin-rich meat from the tail of either beef or veal cattle (for Jamaican recipes, oxtail is only sourced from cows). Collagen is a protein that makes up most of the connective tissue. Due to the high amount of bone and cartilage, it needs to be stewed, braised, or slow-cooked, which releases amazing flavor.

Keto-Friendly Oxtail Recipes

Instant Pot Oxtail

The Instant Pot method significantly reduces cooking time while still yielding flavorful results.

Ingredients:

• Oxtail
• Onion and garlic
• Red wine (Merlot, Cabernet, or Pinot Noir)
• Beef broth or bone broth
• Bay leaves, fresh thyme, and fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Season oxtail with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Turn Instant Pot on sauté mode. Heat oil until very hot.
3. Add oxtails and sauté for 3-4 minutes on one side, then turn them over and sauté the other side. Transfer to a plate. To properly brown oxtails, the slow cooker (or pot) must be hot enough that the meat sizzles as soon as it’s placed inside. Let them cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes or until a light crust forms on the surface.
4. To that oxtail fat with brown bits, add onions and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
5. If using red wine, add that in now. Allow for it to reduce for 2 mins. Stir in tomato paste
6. Transfer the oxtails back to the pot. Season with oregano and thyme.
7. Pour beef stock or bone broth into the pot and add in bay leaves.
8. Cancel sauté mode and turn venting knob on lock position. Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes.
9. To thicken the red wine sauce, set your slow cooker to saute (or pour the liquid into a large saucepan) and bring it to a boil.

Jamaican Oxtail Stew (Keto-Friendly Adaptation)

This recipe adapts a traditional Jamaican oxtail stew to be keto-friendly by omitting sugar, browning, ketchup, and beans, and swapping them with keto-friendly alternatives.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds oxtails, trimmed of fat
• Vegetable oil or olive oil
• Fresh seasoning: garlic, escallion, ginger, green and red bell peppers, and onion
• Coconut aminos (substitute for browning and brown sugar)
• Seasoning salt or all-purpose seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt
• Beef broth
• Butter beans (lima beans), drained and rinsed (omit for strict keto)
• Ketchup (keto-friendly alternative)

Instructions:

1. Prep Oxtail I - Trim and Rinse: Using kitchen shears, trim any excess fat. Then, place oxtails in a large bowl and add cool water with either some vinegar or lemon juice. Using your hands, gently rub the pieces of meat together to remove any debris or excess fat. Then, rinse, drain and pat dry the oxtails.
2. Prep Oxtail II - Season: To the large bowl with the oxtails, add fresh seasoning - garlic, escallion, ginger, green and red bell peppers and onion. Then add the coconut aminos, seasoning salt or all purpose seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt. Cover and allow to marinate in fridge overnight, or at least a few hours.
3. Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Method:
   • Set Instant Pot to "SAUTE" on HIGH and add vegetable oil. When hot, add your oxtails (shaking off the fresh seasonings and herbs), starting with the larger pieces first, flat side down and brown (sear) on each side, then remove and set aside.
   • When done browning your meat, change setting to "PRESSURE COOK" on HIGH for 45 minutes (see notes section) and add beef broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot insert and add and back all the oxtail pieces including the fresh seasonings and vegetables on top.
   • Once timer has ended, very carefully turn the float valve to “VENTING”, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped. Then, remove the lid.
   • Remove oxtails and set the instant pot to "SAUTE" on HIGH. Once liquid begins to simmer, add ketchup (keto-friendly alternative) and butter (lima) beans, if desired.
   • Allow to simmer for a few minutes or until gravy has thickened to your liking and butterbeans are warmed through. If needed, add in cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy, then return oxtails back to the instant pot, give a gentle stir to combine meat, gravy, and beans, serve while hot and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Keto Braised Oxtails

This recipe utilizes a slow cooker for a hands-off approach to tender, flavorful oxtails.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. Oxtails
• 2 cups Beef Broth
• 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 3 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Minced Garlic
• ½ tsp. Ground Ginger
• ⅓ cup Butter
• 1 tsp. Dried Thyme
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• ½ tsp. Guar Gum (optional, for thickening)

Instructions:

1. Heat up the beef broth on the stove and mix in the soy sauce, fish sauce, tomato paste, and butter.
2. Place in the slow cooker with the oxtails. Season with spices.
3. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
4. Remove the oxtail from the slow cooker and set aside on paper towels to drain (if you are going to serve them dry).
5. Add 1/2 tsp. Guar Gum to the remaining juices.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend together the leftover juices in the slow cooker. Add 1/2 tsp.
7. Enjoy!

Keto Oxtail Soup

This recipe focuses on creating a nutritious and flavorful soup using oxtail and non-starchy vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1.6 kg oxtails (3.5 lb)
• 1/4 cup ghee (55 g/ 1.9 oz)
• 1-2 sprigs each rosemary and thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 - 2 1/2 litres / quarts water or bone broth
• 1 medium rutabaga, diced (300 g/ 10.6 oz)
• 1 large tin tomatoes, unsweetened (400 g/ 14.1 oz)
• 2 cups green beans, chopped (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
• 2 medium leeks, sliced (180 g/ 6.3 oz)
• 2 medium celery stalks, sliced (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
• Salt and pepper to taste (I like pink Himalayan salt)

Instructions:

1. Heat a large pot or a Dutch oven greased with ghee over a medium-high heat.
2. Pat dry the oxtails with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Add the rosemary, thyme, cloves, and bay leaves. You can make a bouquet garni by placing all the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and tying with an unwaxed kitchen string. This will make it easy to remove once cooked.
4. Add the lemon juice and water (or broth). Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.
5. After about 3 hours, use kitchen tongs to remove the meat from the pot.
6. While the meat is cooling down, prepare the vegetables. Peel and dice the rutabaga into about 1-inch pieces. … and sliced celery stalks.
7. Add the shredded meat and more water if needed.

Braised Oxtail (Paleo/Keto)

This recipe provides a classic braising method suitable for both Paleo and Keto diets.

Ingredients:

• Oxtail pieces
• Lard, tallow, or butter
• Carrots, celery, onions, and leeks
• Tomatoes
• Thyme
• Bay leaves
• Garlic
• Wine (optional)
• Stock

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Heat the lard, tallow, or butter in a pan and brown the oxtail pieces on each side.
3. Remove the oxtail and brown the vegetables for the main braising liquid (carrots, celery, onions, and leeks). Make sure you stir and scrape off any meat residue in the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Put the oxtail and browned vegetables in an ovenproof casserole and add the wine, if using.
6. Boil the wine at high heat until almost evaporated, and add enough stock to cover the oxtail entirely.
7. Bring the whole preparation to a simmer, then cover and put it in the oven to braise for about 1.5 hours to 2 hours.
8. At this point, most chefs will strain the liquid to remove the small pieces of cooked and mushy vegetables, so it looks better. I personally like to leave them in, but it's up to you. You should definitely remove the bay leaves, though. Even cooking for several hours will not soften a bay leaf.

Zero-Carb Carnivore Oxtail Stew

This recipe is a simple, zero-carb option using a slow cooker or regular pot.

Ingredients:

• Oxtail pieces
• Seasonings of choice

Instructions:

1. Sear the oxtail pieces to lock in flavor.
2. Add all recipe ingredients and cook very gently for several hours in a normal pot over minimal heat, or use a slow cooker.

Tips for Cooking Oxtail

• Searing: Sear the oxtail before cooking to amplify the flavor. To properly brown oxtails, the slow cooker (or pot) must be hot enough that the meat sizzles as soon as it’s placed inside. Let them cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes or until a light crust forms on the surface.
• Marinating: Marinate oxtail for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for best results.
• Low and Slow: Cook oxtail low and slow to break down the connective tissue, resulting in fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
• Skimming Fat: Skim the excess oil that collects on top of the stew during cooking.
• Thickening Sauce: Increase the heat to thicken the sauce/gravy after the oxtail is tender. To thicken the red wine sauce, set your slow cooker to saute (or pour the liquid into a large saucepan) and bring it to a boil.
• Cooking Time: On the stovetop, oxtail will take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to cook. In a slow cooker, cook on high for 4 hours. Using the instant pot method, the oxtail cooks in 50 minutes.

Variations and Serving Suggestions

• Similarly to stew meats, oxtail can be cooked with vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and served over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta (consider keto-friendly alternatives like cauliflower mash).
• Serve oxtail over rice and green vegetables on the side.
• For a Whole30-friendly option, serve oxtail ragu on zoodles, cauliflower rice, or paired with a green salad.
• Add whole scotch bonnet pepper and bell peppers for authentic Jamaican flavor (use caution with scotch bonnet peppers as they are very spicy).

Storing and Reheating

• Fridge: Cool, then add oxtails and gravy to an airtight container. It will last up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Cool, then place in a freezer-safe container.
• Stovetop: Heat a pot over medium heat, add meat, beans, and gravy.
• Microwave: Place oxtail, beans, and gravy in a microwave-safe dish.
• Transfer frozen oxtails to the fridge to allow it to naturally thaw.

Nutritional Information

Oxtails are high in gelatine and that's why I often use them when making bone broth, one of the keto essentials in my house.

N.B. Reported macros are averages as every ox tail will contain more or less fat and more or less meat.

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

tags: #keto #oxtail #recipe