This rich and flavorful slow cooker oxtail is lovely on a bed of mashed cauliflower and makes the perfect comfort food meal! The leftovers keep well for several days and taste better the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to meld together.
Just like pot roast and beef back ribs, slow cooker oxtail is the perfect comfort food. It features wonderfully fatty, tender meat that literally falls off the bone. It's one of my favorite winter meals. You will love this recipe if you like rich and aromatic beef stews. And the fact that you can make it in your slow cooker - pretty much set it and forget it - is a huge bonus.
Ingredients
Here's a look at the ingredients needed to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below:
- Bone-in oxtails: I usually get them at Whole Foods. Sometimes, I need to special-order them. They're also available online.
- Soy sauce: Or you can use a gluten-free alternative.
- Sesame oil: I like to use toasted sesame oil in this recipe. It's so flavorful!
- Rice vinegar: White wine vinegar works too. I don't recommend using distilled white vinegar. It's too acidic.
- Honey: Just one tablespoon. It doesn't make the oxtails sweet - it merely balances out the other favors. You can use a sugar-free alternative if you wish.
- Hot sauce: Much like the honey, this is not about making the dish spicy. It's more about adding a layer of flavor. I like to use sriracha sauce.
- To season: Kosher Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. You can substitute the garlic powder with three cloves of fresh minced garlic.
- Cornstarch: A small amount to help thicken the stew.
Variation
Sometimes, when pressed for time, I don't bother using the Asian-style ingredients listed in the recipe card. Instead, I sprinkle the oxtails with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground cumin.
I place them in the slow cooker pan, add ¼ cup of water, close the lid, and cook on low for 8 hours. The result is just as good, although it has a different flavor profile.
Instructions
The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Place the oxtails in your slow cooker pan.
Whisk the remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch. Pour them over the oxtails. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Reduce the cooking liquids over medium heat, adding a slurry of cornstarch and water to help them thicken.
Serve the oxtails with the rich sauce.
Expert Tip
Since the oxtail is the tail of cattle, the pieces you'll get at your butcher's come in different sizes - the larger pieces are from the top of the tail, while the smaller ones are from its end. You can see the difference in the photo below.
Despite the difference in sizes, you can cook all these pieces together, and they'll all come out perfectly tender.
Recipe FAQs
No. Simply place them in the slow cooker pan without browning them first. They come out perfectly cooked and wonderfully tender.
This meat is tough, but slow cooking makes it tender, and the fat softens and melts. I cook oxtails in the slow cooker on the low setting for 8 hours.
The middle of an oxtail has the tailbone and bone marrow, surrounded by meat and fat. As you can see in the photo below, the fat is trimmed by the butcher, but there's still a fair amount surrounding the meat. In addition, you can see the marbling - the intramuscular fat inside the meat. 
Serving Suggestions
Slow cooker oxtail is a wonderfully saucy dish, so I like to serve it on top of something that would absorb those delicious cooking juices, such as:
- Mashed cauliflower
- Cauliflower rice
- Zucchini noodles
- Spaghetti squash noodles
- Mashed butternut squash
I also like to add a green vegetable, such as:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. In fact, like many slow-cooked dishes, they taste better the next day since storing allows the flavors to meld.
I reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can freeze the leftovers for up to three months.
More Slow-Cooked Recipes
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Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Oxtail
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds oxtails - raw, bone-in
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce - or a gluten-free alternative
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce - such as sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Moton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Place the oxtails in a 6-quart slow cooker pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, hot sauce, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Pour over the oxtails and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the meat is very tender.
- Temporarily transfer the cooked oxtails to a platter. Strain the liquids from the slow cooker into a measuring cup. Return the oxtails to the slow cooker, cover with the lid, and set to WARM.
- Skim the fat layer off the top of the cooking liquids. Pour them into a medium saucepan. Heat the cooking liquids over medium heat. Whisk the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and stir it into the saucepan. Keep cooking the sauce, whisking often, until it has thickened into a rich glaze, 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the oxtails from the slow cooker onto a serving platter. Top them with the sauce and serve.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 20 ounces of cooked meat without bones.
- If too much fat remains in the cooking liquids, the glaze will separate when you try to reduce it. Sometimes, I place the cup with cooking liquids in the freezer for a few minutes. It enables the fat to solidify somewhat, and then it's easier to remove.
- If your slow cooker is larger than 6 quarts, you would need to add extra liquid or reduce the cooking time.
- Sometimes, when pressed for time, I don't bother using the Asian-style ingredients listed in the recipe card. Instead, I sprinkle the oxtails with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground cumin. I place them in the slow cooker pan, add ¼ cup of water, close the lid, and cook on low for 8 hours. The result is just as good, although it has a different flavor profile.
- If you use less than three pounds of meat, you will need to reduce the cooking time.
- The leftovers keep well in the fridge, in a sealed container, for 3-4 days. In fact, like many slow-cooked stews, they taste better the next day since storing allows the flavors to meld. I reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can freeze the leftovers for up to three months.
Nutrition per Serving
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Shawn says
Delicious! It didn’t taste Asiany at all. Just very flavorful. Another commenter said she was sucking on the bones, same here! So good.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Shawn! I agree, the seasonings simply give it depth of flavor.
Christopher Michael Buchanan says
wonderful recipes
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Christopher! Thanks for the review.
Tess says
The taste is great but 8 hours in the slow cooker burnt the meat.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Tess,
Sorry about that! Let's troubleshoot.
1. Did you use a 6-quart slow cooker? If your slow cooker is larger, you would need to add extra liquid or reduce the cooking time.
2. Did you use three pounds of meat? If using less meat, you would need to reduce the cooking time.
Glad you liked the flavor!
Brianna says
Lovely stew, lots of flavor, minimal work! I serve it with mashed potatoes. Mmm good!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you like it, Brianna! Thanks for the comment.
JBL says
Made it today and we all loved it. Next time, i will probably add carrots and potatoes.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it.
Jan says
Hi,
I’m just wondering, due to the ingredients, is this an Asian-inspired version or does it taste more like a beef stew I would make? Sorry to be a pest! 🙂 It looks wonderful!! Many thanks in advance!
Vered DeLeeuw says
No worries, Jan! That's a great question. It doesn't taste like an Asian dish. I use Asian ingredients to add a rich, umami flavor.
Chanel says
Hi!
If I don’t have a slow cooker can I use a porcelain croc pot in the oven? What temp would I use?
Thanks!
Chanel
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Chanel,
I'm sorry - I only tested this recipe in the slow cooker.
Miranda says
This oxtail stew was superb. So rich and flavorful! My entire family loved it - we had no leftovers! Next time, I'll double the recipe. 🙂
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Miranda! Thank you for leaving a comment.
M. Hager says
I just made this last night. The only changes I made were to add 2 cups of water because I was using frozen oxtails and the Crock Pot manual said to add at least a warm cup of water to prevent thermal shock and I added 2 Tbs of table salt because I doubled the recipe and forgot the amount was different for table salt. Oops!
I let it go until the meat was falling off the bones, then pulled all the meat off and portioned it for my meals. While doing that, I couldn't resist sucking on all of the bones.
The only thing that didn't go right for me was the sauce at the end. Because I doubled the recipe, I also doubled the cornstarch that I added. I suspect I didn't need near as much. Either that or the drippings needed to be allowed to separate more before trying to reduce it. It essentially turned into fats and tar. The tar tasted good, but no way to mix it in with the meat.
Had one serving for lunch today and the meat was incredibly rich and wonderful. This recipe will be done again.
I may try it with other meats/cuts of meat.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I just made it this week. It's a family favorite. I suspect the glaze separated because too much fat remained in the cooking liquids. Sometimes it helps to place the cup with cooking liquids in the freezer for a few minutes. It enables the fat to solidify somewhat, and then it's easier to remove. I'll go ahead and add this tip to the recipe notes.