Smoked Oxtail (Jamaican-Style Recipe)

Plate of smoked oxtail with rice and peas, garnished with thyme sprigs.

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Smoked Oxtail (Jamaican-Style Recipe)

This smoked Jamaican oxtail recipe is inspired by the traditional slow-cooked classic. The oxtail is smoked low and slow, then finished in a Dutch oven with thyme, Scotch bonnet, and butter beans for a rich, fall-off-the-bone sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time6

Marinating Time4

Total Time10 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Caribbean, Jamaican

Servings: Servings

Calories: 634.79kcal

Author: Sarah Hill

Equipment

Dutch oven
Pellet Smoker

Ingredients

3-4 pounds oxtail trimmed
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
1 yellow or white onion chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped or minced
1 small scotch bonnet pepper habanero, diced
2 scallions diced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons gravy master (or other browning sauce)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (we use Lawry's brand)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 cups beef stock or broth enough to cover the meat
1 15 ounce can butter beans

Instructions

Wash trimmed oxtail with ¼ cup vinegar and ¼ cup lemon juice in a bowl then drain and rinse. (optional but traditional way)
3-4 pounds oxtail, ¼ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup lemon juice
To the bowl with the oxtail, add all the remaining ingredients aside from stock and butter beans. Rub the marinade all over the oxtail, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight.
1 yellow or white onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 small scotch bonnet pepper, 2 scallions, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 tablespoons gravy master, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, Salt to taste, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees while you allow the oxtail to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
Place the pieces of oxtail on the smoker (keep the marinade in the bowl for later) for 1 ½ hours, flip then allow them to smoke for another 1 ½ hours.
Move the oxtails to a large oven/smoker safe Dutch oven along with the marinade and beef broth. Turn the smoker up to 300 degrees and place the covered Dutch oven in the smoker.
4-6 cups beef stock or broth
Cook for 2 ½ hours, stir the butter beans into the pot and cook for another 30 minutes until the meat is tender.
1 15 ounce can butter beans

Notes

Smoke first, braise second. That combo builds flavor depth and guarantees tender, fall-off-the-bone meat.
Control the smoke. Use clean, steady smoke (not white or billowy) to avoid bitterness in your sauce.
Let it rest before serving. Ten minutes off the heat allows the sauce to thicken and the flavors to settle.
To make this without a smoker: Brown the oxtail in a Dutch oven, then braise covered in a 325°F oven for 3–4 hours until tender.

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