Grandma’s Classic Beef Oxtail Soup
Memories and Comfort, In A Bowl
Grandma’s Classic Beef Oxtail soup is rich, hearty, and packed with deep, slow-simmered flavor. It is the ultimate comfort food.
This is a classic recipe from my Grandma that I only learned to appreciate as an adult. Tender, fall-off-the-bone oxtails simmers for hours with aromatic vegetables, garlic, and herbs, creating a nourishing broth that warms the soul.
Perfect for chilly days or whenever you need a wholesome, nourishing bowl of goodness.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Ox
Truth be told, I loathed this soup as a child. My Grandmother and Mom both liked to make this soup and I dreaded this dinner every time.
As an adult, I love this soup. Making it reminds me of my happy childhood and the love and comfort that went into making this soup.
We lived in Chicago on the Southwest side near Midway airport. We lived in classic Chicago two flat buildings which were like two homes stacked on top of one another.
These homes always had a back porch that was not heated or cooled. We all used this as our second refrigerator.
I can remember this pot on that porch in the Winter, waiting to come in and be heated on the stove.
Not Scientific, Just Good
My Grandma believed this soup is what kept us from getting sick. She believed the bone broth helped your digestive system and added much needed nutrients to your body.
It’s funny that now we all drink bone broth for health, so she was obviously on to something. I rarely, if ever, was sick as a child.
I have no memories of sick days at home missing school. Maybe she really was on to something?
Beef Oxtails
Back in the day, beef oxtails were very, very cheap. This is yet another reason my family used them to make soup.
Today, I was shocked to see how much oxtails cost. They are worth the cost, I was just surprised how much they are.
If you are not familiar with beef oxtails, they are just that: the tail of the cow that is cut into meaty rounds. When cooked low and slow, like in this soup, the meat is very tender and very flavorful.
This meat is very rich in collagen. They are also a very good source of iron and vitamin B12.
How To Choose Your Tail
I easily find beef oxtails at most stores. When you find them, be sure to pick a package with a lot of marbling.
I like to use two packages. You will see the oxtails in large rounds and small rounds.
I buy a mix of the two. Some other people like to use both as well but they take the meat off the bigger bones and add it back to the soup and then leave the smaller bones IN the soup.
I like to have no bones left in my soup.
Roast The Beef and Garlic
Roasting these oxtails is a key step in adding flavor to this soup. This step helps bring out all the good stuff from the bones that you want in your broth.
This step also adds a layer of flavor from the meat slightly caramelizing in the oven. Roasting the garlic also adds a wonderful layer of flavor to the soup broth.
Let It Sit
I really like to have this soup sit overnight in the fridge so that the fat rises to the top and solidifies. You will easily be able to scrape this fat layer off with a spoon.
Some people leave this in the soup. I find it to be too greasy.
I take most of it off and throw it away. A little bit is left for flavor.
Meat Jello
After your soup sits overnight, you will notice that the broth is gelatinous. This is what you want.
This means you got out all the delicious and healthy collagen and nutrients from the meat bones. Make sure you heat this and see your broth getting brothy again before thinking you need to add more water.
Grandma Recipes Are The Best
My Grandma recently passed away at the wonderful old age of 92. I remember her through a lot of her recipes.
This soup is one of the things she really loved. In fact, she loved oxtails so much that she asked me to make her some towards the end of her life.
I made her this Beef Oxtail Recipe, and it turned out to be one of the last meals of her life that she really enjoyed.
This recipe is more of a braised beef oxtail you would serve with mashed potatoes or rice. These are also very delicious.
Grandma's Classic Beef Oxtail Soup Recipe
This is the kind of soup that fills your kitchen with warmth, bringing back memories of home-cooked meals made with love.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 lbs of Beef Oxtails
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- 1 large, yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups of finely diced celery (use some of the leaves)
- 2 cups of finely diced carrots
- 1 cup of sliced carrots
- 1 can of of Cannellini beans (16 ounces) *drained
- 2 cups of frozen corn
- 2 cups of frozen green beans
- 2 cans of diced potatoes *drained
- Approximately 10 to 12 cups of water
- 3 tablespoons of beef bouillon (Better Than Bouillon Brand)
- 1 can of tomato paste (6 ounces)
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 teaspoons of dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon of coarse salt
- 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil of your choice
Instructions
- Remove your beef oxtails from the packages and pat them dry with paper towels. Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Rub the oxtails with the cooking oil of your choice and then season the oxtails on all sides with coarse salt, black pepper, and the garlic and onion powders. Place on a baking sheet.
- Cut the top of the whole bulb of the garlic, leave the peel on, drizzle oil on the top of the garlic bulb and add a sprinkle of salt. Place this on the pan with the oxtails, place in oven and bake 30 minutes.
- While the oxtails bake, add a tablespoon or so of the cooking oil of your choice, add the diced carrots, diced celery and the onion. Slowly sauté these while the oxtails roast.
- When the onions, celery and carrots are soft and slightly browned, season with the dried thyme, salt and black pepper (this can be to taste, not my specific measurements) add onion powder, white pepper and some garlic powder. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add the can of tomato paste and sauté this with the veggies, do not let this burn but let it caramelize slightly with the veggies.
- Add the Beef Better Than Bouillon, use the measurements listed as a guide, but you can add more or less. You can also add more later if you think the soup needs this. Sauté this for a couple of minutes.
- Remove your oxtails and garlic carefully from the oven. Add the beef oxtails to the pot, then carefully squeeze the roasted garlic bulb over the pot so the cloves go into the pot. Be careful not to burn yourself.
- Add your water. I fill up the pot almost to the top. I do not really measure this, it is usually about 12 cups, it can be a little more or a little less.
- Add the bay leaves, then bring this all to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 3 hours stirring occasionally. Make sure this isn't boiling, just a slow bubble.
- At the 3 hour mark, carefully remove the bay leaves and disgard. I remove the oxtails and carefully remove the meat from all the bones. This will be hot so use caution. The meat should really fall off the bone at this point. *some people leave the bones and meat in the soup. After your remove the meat from the bones, discard the bones and shred or chop up the meat into smaller pieces. Add this back to the soup. Taste your broth and decide if you need to add more Better than Bouillon. You may also decide to add more water AND bouillon for the last stage of simmering.
- Add your frozen corn, green beans, canned potatoes (drained), the beans (drained and I rinse) and the sliced carrots. Simmer this for one hour. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- You can eat this right away, but I like to make this, then put it in the fridge overnight so that the fat solidifies at the top and you can skim it off with a spoon. Some people like to leave the fat. You will notice that when cold, the soup broth gets solid, like a jello. This is the nutrient dense gelatin from the oxtails. You may see your soup and think it needs more water, it usually does not. Heat the soup up before adding more water and you will see that it thins out as it heats.
- Serve on its own or you can add a scoop of cooked rice, cooked barley or noodles to your bowls. Don't add a grain to the soup as it will suck up all the broth.