Go Back
–+ servings
A very pale brown ceramic bowl with a serving of rich, dark brown oxtail soup. In the centre of the bowl is a tempting mound of the finely chopped carrot and oxtail

Oxtail Soup

Savour the rich flavours of oxtail soup, a hearty classic prepared to perfection. Warm, comforting, and utterly delicious. Try it today
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 days 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 2 days 5 hours
Course Main Course, Soup, Starter, Winter Warmer
Cuisine American, Anglo
Servings 6
Calories 380 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 kg Oxtail (weight includes bones)
  • 1 large Onion (peeled and roughly chopped)
  • 1 stalk Celery (roughly chopped)
  • 1 large Carrot (roughly chopped)
  • 3 large Carrot (finely chopped)
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 3 tsp Thyme leaves
  • 10 Peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 300 ml Red wine (see Recipe Notes)
  • 1.2 litre Beef stock (homemade or the best shop bought stock you can find)

Instructions
 

Prep

  • 2 days before you want the soup, place the raw oxtails and the herbs in a bowl and cover with the red wine. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge over night
  • The next day we make the body of the soup. Prep the onion, celery and single carrot as suggested. The finely chopped carrots can be done tomorrow
  • Weigh/ measure out your other ingredients

To Make

  • Remove the oxtail from your marinade. Heat half of the oil in your stock pot over a high heat and brown the oxtails in batches. Brown each face of the oxtail for a few seconds, turning frequently and place in a bowl once browned
  • In the same pot, over the same high heat, add the rest of your oil and fry the chopped vegetable for a couple of minutes stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium high
  • Add the tomato puree and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently
  • Add the wine that you marinated the oxtails in and reduce by about half. Make sure you scrape the pot to deglaze all those delicious flavours
  • Return the browned oxtail and any juices to the pot. Add the stock, bring to a slow simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook the oxtails for 2½-3 hours on the lowest simmer possible. Partially cover the pan and stir occasionally
  • When tender, remove the oxtail with a slotted spoon and place to the side to cool
  • Strain the liquid from the pot and leave to cool then cover and place in the fridge overnight. Discard the vegetables
  • Once cooled enough to handle, strip as much meat as possible from the oxtail. Cut or pull into small pieces, cover and store in the fridge
  • The next day, using a large spoon, skim off the fat from the soup and discard
  • Place the chilled soup into your clean stock pot (it will be thick and gelatinous) and warm over a medium high heat. Once simmering, add the finely cut oxtail and carrot. Return to a simmer and on a low heat, cook for 10 minutes

To Serve

  • Serve in warmed bowls. I like to remove some of the carrots and oxtail from the soup before serving then add a few tbsp of the mixture in the centre of the soup. This is purely the way I present It, the choice is yours

Notes

  • Oxtail soup is a rich and hearty dish with robust flavours and so pairs well with red wines that have good acidity, structure and depth. I would suggest a Barbera or a Syrah/ Shiraz

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal
Keyword Beef Soup, British Recipes, Oxtail Soup, Soup, Step-by-step, Winter warmer
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!