Slow Cooked Oxtail with Ale

3:10 pm on 4 May 2012

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg oxtail (cut into segments)
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 25gm seasoned flour, mixed with 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 medium carrot, sliced
  • 2 inner sticks celery, sliced
  • 1 medium parsnip, diced roughly (or Jerusalem artichoke)
  • 2 bay leaf
  • about 6  chestnuts (roasted and peeled)
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 600ml ale
  • salt and black pepper

Method

Coat oxtail pieces in seasoned flour, brown quickly on all sides in the hot oil, remove with a slotted spoon to a casserole. Adding a little more oil as necessary, fry the vegetables for 2 minutes and distribute them in the gaps between the meat. Add bay leaf, chestnuts, thyme and mild, cover and cook in the bottom of a very slow oven ( 150ºC) for 4-5 hours or even longer, until the meat is utterly tender and the stock has a marvellous dark sheen and spicy aroma, with salt and plenty of black pepper.

Serve with fresh bread or mashed potato.