Ox-tail in cooking refers to the tail of cattle. An ox-tail can weigh weigh 7 to 8 pounds, is jointed and bony, and each section has some marrow in the center. When sold, it is skinned and cut into short sections. 

Ox-tail is rich in gelatin and takes a long time to cook; therefore, it’s usually used for soups, braising, or stews. You could also use a pressure cooker if you wanted to save time. 

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

OX-TAIL
Cut the tail at the joint, so as to make as many pieces as there are joints. Throw the pieces in boiling water for fifteen minutes, and drain them. When cold and dry, put them in a saucepan with a bay-leaf, two onions with a clove stuck in each, two sprigs of parsley and one of thyme, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, half a wine-glass of white wine, and a few thin slices of salt pork. Cover with broth or water, and set on a moderate fire for two hours. Dish the pieces, strain the sauce on them, and serve with a garniture of cabbage, or with any purée.

STEWED OX-TAILS
Take two ox-tails and divide the tails in pieces about four inches long. Cut one large onion, half a small carrot, three slices of turnip, and two stalks of celery in small pieces. Let three tablespoons of butter get hot in the stew-pan, then add the vegetables, and when they begin to brown, add two tablespoons of flour. Stir for two minutes. Put in the tails, and add a pint and a half of stock or water, two cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently three hours. Serve on a hot dish with gravy strained over them.

OX-TAILS A LA TARTARE
Cut three ox-tails in four-inch pieces, and put them on to boil with one quart of stock, a bouquet of sweet herbs, and salt and pepper. Let them simmer two hours. Take up, drain, and cool. When cold, dip them in two beaten eggs and one cup of bread crumbs. Fry in boiling fat till a golden brown. Have Tartare sauce spread on the center of a cold dish, and arrange the ox tails on this. Garnish with parsley, and serve.

HARICOT OF OX-TAIL
Cut three ox-tails in pieces about four inches long. Cut two onions very fine, and two carrots, two small turnips and three potatoes into large cubes. Put three tablespoons butter, the meat and onion in the stew-pan and fry, stirring all the time, until the onions are a golden brown. Then add the two tablespoons flour, and stir two minutes longer. Add three pints of water, and when it comes to a boil, skim carefully. Set back where it will simmer. When it has been cooking one hour, add the carrots and turnips. Cook another hour, and then add salt and pepper to taste and the potatoes. Simmer twenty minutes longer. Heap the vegetables in the center of a hot dish, and arrange the tails around them. Pour the gravy over all, and serve.

BRAISED OX-TAILS
Soak two and one-half pounds of ox-tails in warm water for fifteen minutes, wash well, drain, and wipe dry. Roll in flour and then brown quickly in hot fat. Now lift to a deep saucepan and add three cups of boiling water, two cups of sliced onions, and two carrots, cut in dice. Cook slowly for one and one-quarter hours and then season with two teaspoons salt, one teaspoon of pepper, and four tablespoons of finely chopped parsley.

Now to serve, cook three-quarters pound of macaroni in boiling water for twenty minutes, drain and season, and place on a hot platter. Lay on top of the macaroni the cooked ox-tails and pour over all the gravy containing the onions and carrots. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve.

BRAISED OX-TAILS WITH BAKED DRIED PEAS
Soak one and one-half cups of dried peas over night and then in the morning parboil them. To prepare the ox-tails, have the butcher cut the tails in two-inch pieces and then soak for two hours in lukewarm water. Wash well and parboil for fifteen minutes. Place the peas in a baking dish, together with one-half cup of chopped onions, two green peppers, chopped fine, two prepared ox-tails, one cup of tomatoes, two teaspoons of salt, one-half teaspoon of pepper, and sufficient water to cover. Bake in a moderate oven for three hours.

OX-TAIL SOUP
Take two oxtails, cut them into joints, and cut each joint into four pieces. Put them into a pan with two ounces of butter and fry them for ten minutes. Slice two onions, one turnip, two carrots, and a dozen outer stalks of celery, and fry in the same butter, with three slices of bacon cut up fine. Fry to a light brown. Turn the ingredients into a saucepan with a quart of stock or ham water, and boil quickly for half an hour. Then add two more quarts of stock, a bouquet of herbs, two bay-leaves, a dozen whole peppers crushed, a few cloves, and salt to taste. Simmer until the meat is quite tender; then take it out, strain the soup, skim off the fat, and thicken with two ounces of flour. Return the meat to the soup, add a tablespoon of Worcestershire, and a cupful of sherry.

OX-TAIL STEW
Put two jointed oxtails over the fire in one quart of cold water, and scald them to remove the strong flavor. Then roll the joints in flour, season them with salt and pepper, and pack them in an earthen jar with one onion chopped, and one quart of potatoes peeled and sliced. Add one pint of water, put on the cover of the jar, and cement it in place with a paste of flour and water, which you must grease a little to prevent cracking. Then put the jar into a moderately hot oven, and bake it about four hours. With the addition of bread and butter, it makes a hearty meal. 

Images from Deposit Photos

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We’re all familiar with the prime cuts—the beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, and pork chops. But what about kidneys, tripe, liver, belly, cheek, and shank? Odd Bits will not only restore our taste for these cuts, but will also remove the mystery of cooking with offal, so food lovers can approach them as confidently as they would a steak. From the familiar (pork belly), to the novel (cockscomb), to the downright challenging (lamb testicles), Jennifer McLagan provides expert advice and delicious recipes to make these odd bits part of every enthusiastic cook’s repertoire.
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