Don't Knock It Till You Try It

Some people might snub their nose at this dish. But, I can almost guarantee they would love it if they would only try it. Eating the tail of a cow seems a little taboo in America. Even though there are much more disgusting parts of a cow you can eat. Don't worry I will not ever go there on this blog. I only cook food that I will eat. If you are interested in that sort of thing you really need to watch Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. When cooked properly tails become the most tender and tastiest piece of beef you have e eaten. Even if you had no teeth you could still chew the meat. The best way to cook them is to braise them.
  

Braised Ox Tails

about 3 pounds of ox tails
1 tbs flour
3 strips of bacon, chopped fine
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups Tawny Port
2 cups beef stock or broth
35 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs dark brown sugar
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large oven-proof dutch oven add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Heat over a medium flame and cook bacon until crisp. With a slotted spoon remove the cooked bacon and reserve on a plate. Season ox tails with salt and pepper and toss with flour. * Add ox tails to pot and brown on all sides. * This is the most important step. This builds so much of the flavor for this dish. Be sure not to crowd the ox tails in the pot. You may have to brown them in two batches. When browned remove from pot and reserve. Pour out all but 2 tbs of grease from the pot. Then add the carrots, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables start to get tender about 7-10 minutes. Then deglaze the pot by adding the Tawny Port. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the beef stock, tomatoes, brown sugar, and Worcestershire. Add the ox tails and bacon back to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook in the oven for about 4 hours or until meat is falling off the bone. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve the ox tails over mashed potatoes or some creamy cheese grits.