Jamaican Me Not Oxtail Stew is a spin off of traditional Jamaican Oxtail Stew. It’s the same concept in flavor but without a few traditional ingredients such as Butter Beans, Curry Powder and Allspice. While I love the tradition, I always like to make a recipe my own.

Oxtails are simply what they are, tails of a cattle. Sounds crazy and don’t let it scare you away. They are absolutely delish when prepared in the many recipes all around the world. Oxtails require a lot of love and time to release their full flavor but is completely worth it at thee end. They are full of fat, collagen and have bone marrow properties that melts into the dish it is prepared with which adds additional flavor an added bonus.

It is important to understand how to cook Oxtails. It is commonly cooked using the braising technique since you want to seal in the flavor then stew it slowly to create a tender succulent yield. While I have slow cooked them in the oven as well before my Crockpot came into play, it is your preference on how you would like them. Using the Crockpot makes for an easy come together and allows the work to be done by it. Just throw it all in, cover, turn it on and walk away.

Jamaican Me Not Oxtail Stew incorporates Onions, Carrots and Sweet Potatoes along with some of the traditional seasonings. It is slow cooked over 6-8 hours on low allowing the flavors to come together. It is something that can be prepared to cook overnight or put on first thing in the morning to enjoy in time for dinner. Serve it over some White Rice and a side of fresh Cornbread or enjoy it alone.

Jamaican Me Not Oxtail Stew

Rich Oxtail Stew with Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Tomatoes and Okra Crockpot Style.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Crockpot
  • Cutting Board
  • Knife

Ingredients
  

Protein

  • 2 lbs Oxtails

Produce

  • 1 Yellow Onion Sliced
  • 10 oz Baby Carrots
  • 1 cup Fresh Okra Chopped to small bite size pieces
  • 1 Habanero Seeded and chopped
  • 1 Large Sweet Potato Peeled and cubed
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Minced

Condiments

  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Browning Sauce
  • 1 cup Dry Red Wine
  • 1 tbsp Beef Better Than Bullion May use Beef Broth in place should you choose
  • 2 tbsp Cornstarch

Canned Goods

  • 1 can Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Seasonings

  • 2 tbsp Garlic Herb Seasoning No Salt
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Dried Thyme
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions
 

Oxtail Preparation

  • Place Oxtails in a Mixing Bowl and season generously with Salt and Pepper. Using your hands, rub the seasoning into the meat.
  • Heat a skillet on medium/high drizzling Olive Oil to coat the bottom.
  • Add Oxtails in and begin searing on each side for 2-3 minutes to create a light crust to keep flavors in. Transfer into Crockpot.
  • Add Onions, Habanero, Garlic, Brown Sugar, Soy Sauce, Browning Sauce, Dry Red Wine, Bullion, Cornstarch, Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic Herb Seasoning, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cumin, Thyme and a couple of generous pinches of Salt and Pepper. Using your mixing spoon, give it a good mix to incorporate flavors into meat.
  • Fill Crockpot with water until it reaches right over the mixture giving it an additional stir.
  • Cover with lid and turn on Crockpot on low to cook for 6-8 hours stirring occasionally if you are around.
  • When there is 2 hours or so remaining, add the diced Sweet Potatoes, Okra and Carrots and give them a stir to incorporate into Oxtail mixture. Taste the sauce to see if additional seasoning needed. Continue cooking until the meat is tender and the vegetables are cooked through. Depending on how thick you want your stew, you can create a slurry of 1:1 ratio of cornstarch and water and add to stew to thicken more if desired.
  • Serve over white rice or enjoy on its own.
Keyword Crockpot, Oxtails, Stew