McCloud’s Sunday Oxtail Stew Recipe

Hey, PBJs! I’m back with another delicious and easy-to-make recipe. I’m going to show you how to make my favorite stew of all time.

It’s very basic but delicious, and my grandpa used to make it all the time. When people think of oxtails, Jamaican oxtails or smothered oxtails and gravy come to mind.

So I’m sure you were caught off guard by the red tomato sauce. Lol! It’s definitely a unique oxtail dish, different from most you’ve seen.

It’s not every day you come across oxtail stew made with veggies, egg noodles, and tomato sauce. It’s not like most oxtail recipes out there, which is another reason you should try it.

This oxtail stew is one of my favorite things to make during the fall and winter. I make it about four to five times a year, from late October to around early March.

I call it my football dish because I make it on Sundays during the NFL season. During this time of year, nothing beats a filling stew that warms you from head to toe.

So if that’s what you’re looking for, this recipe is perfect for you. This oxtail stew is delicious and hearty, and it hits the spot every single time.

McCloud Sunday Oxtail Stew

This recipe is a modification of my step-grandfather McCloud’s oxtail stew. He didn’t have a recipe for it, but he made it the same way every time.

It was easy for me to recreate this dish because I watched him make it a thousand times. I made it so many times over the years, but like McCloud, I never measured anything.

So I finally created a recipe for this dish by determining exact amounts for each ingredient. I made a few changes, switched things up, and was surprised by how good it turned out.

It was just as good as I remembered McCloud’s being, maybe even better. You might be wondering what changes I made to make it mine.

Well, McCloud would season the oxtails and simmer them in plain water. I decided to use a combination of water and broth to enhance the flavor.

I also added a pinch of sugar to the sauce and tossed in a few extra seasonings he didn’t use. I didn’t want to create a recipe that was just a carbon copy of McCloud’s oxtail stew.

I wanted to upgrade it and take it to a whole other level of deliciousness. Now, I’m sure those of you who follow me on social media are familiar with McCloud.

I learned so much about cooking as a teen from watching him cook all the time. All the basic things I know about cooking, I learned from him, my Nana Alice, and Grandma Gwen.

Those are the three names you’ll hear me mention a lot on my blog because they had the biggest influence. When I was a teen, I lived with McCloud, who was married to my grandma, Val.

A few of my aunts also lived with us, but he was basically the cook of the house. Lol! If there’s one thing he loved, it was cooking, and if he was home, he was probably in the kitchen.

That man lived in the kitchen and was always either eating or cooking up something good. Lol! He didn’t play when it came to Sunday dinner. He made a meal every Sunday after church.

He grew up in the South, and so Sunday dinner was a family tradition for him. He always seemed to make the dishes I loved most on Sunday, right after church.

He inspired quite a few of my recipes, and this delicious oxtail stew is one of them. My mother loved his oxtail stew as well, so she gets excited whenever I make it.

Here are some other McCloud-inspired recipes I think you might want to try:

• Easy Smothered Beef Short Ribs
• Easy Baked Smothered Porkchops
• Smothered Steak And Onions
• Easy Homemade Scrapple

I remember how I used to sit on the couch devouring his oxtail stew while watching the Eagles play. I would eat every piece of meat off the bone and lick all the sauce out of the bowl. Haha!

It was so darn good, and just talking about this creates a strong feeling of nostalgia. It just brings back so many childhood memories for me.

My grandma Val passed away many years ago, and McCloud just passed away this year. Creating recipes out of the dishes he made is a way for me to keep his memory alive.

I’m a generous guy, so I couldn’t keep this delicious recipe all to myself. Scroll down and print out this free recipe, and try it for yourself.

Trust me, this won’t be the last time you make McCloud’s oxtail stew.

Watch Me Make It

What Makes This A Good Recipe?

• It’s hearty: It’s the perfect comfort food to fill and warm you up on cold days during the fall and winter.
• It’s simple: although it takes about 4 hours, it’s a straightforward, easy-to-follow recipe. A 14-year-old can make this, so don’t worry about messing it up!
• All-in-one-dish: You don’t need any sides because you get your protein from the oxtails, your carbs from the starchy noodles, and your veggies all in one dish.

Recipe Ingredients:

• Meat: Oxtails are the main ingredient for this stew. Make sure when you order your oxtails from the meat market, you ask for 3lbs and request a variety of different-sized pieces.
• Liquid: We’ll use a mixture of water and chicken broth to simmer the oxtails until they’re tender. Make sure to use a low-sodium chicken broth.
• Vegetables: Yellow onions are added to the oxtails at the very beginning. We let the oxtails simmer for 4+ hours with onions, and we’re going to throw the mixed vegetables in at the very end.
• Starch: We add egg noodles once the liquid has reduced. I use thin egg noodles, but if you prefer wide, do you.
• Sauce: The traditional tomato sauce is added at the very end. I recommend using name-brand sauce like Prego or Ragu; those two are the best in my opinion.
• Seasonings: We’ll be using seasoning salt for taste, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning for depth of flavor, parsley flakes for aroma and aesthetics, black pepper for a little heat and warmth, and white sugar to cut the sauce’s acidity.

Prepping The Oxtails

Whenever my folks cooked oxtails, they boiled them first to remove impurities and kill bacteria. They did the same thing whenever they baked pig’s feet or grilled pork ribs.

You’ll see brown foam, aka scum, rise to the top after a few minutes of boiling them. The foam isn’t harmful; most people remove it for aesthetic reasons.

Because we’re boiling the oxtails, soaking them in a homemade cleaning solution isn’t really necessary, but I still prefer to do it.

I find that soaking my meat in a solution helps it look fresher and taste better. I usually do this when I’m preparing meat that I’m not pre-boiling, like fried chicken or fish.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for prepping oxtails:

1. Remove excess fat: With oxtails, you want to keep the fat because it’s what gives them flavor. But use a sharp knife to remove any dangling or yellow pieces of fat you may see.
2. Soak in solution: You’re then going to soak your oxtails for 15–20 minutes in a cleaning solution. You can soak them in salt water, lemon water, or white vinegar and water. I use 2 tbsp of salt, lemon juice, or vinegar per 1 quart of water; stick with that ratio.
3. Preheat water: Get a large pot, fill it with 2-1/2 quarts of cool water, and place it over high heat.
4. Boil oxtails: Once the water begins to boil, add the oxtails and let them simmer for 10–15 minutes. You will notice the brown scum rising to the top.
5. Remove foam: Drain the hot water.
6. Rinse well: Add the oxtails to a colander and rinse thoroughly with cool water.
7. Set aside: Place the oxtails in a large bowl.
8. Clean the pot: Clean the pot thoroughly, making sure to remove all the brown foam from the sides of the pot.

How to make McCloud’s Oxtail Stew

1. Place a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the oxtails, broth, and water.
3. Add the onions and seasonings, then stir well.
4. Cover with a lid, leaving a small crack on the side.
5. Simmer for 4 hours.
6. Stir in the egg noodles.
7. Cook for 10 minutes.
8. Reduce the heat to low.
9. Add the sauce.
10. Add the sugar.
11. Add the mixed vegetables, and stir well.
12. Cover with a lid, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cooking Tips:

• Leave a crack on the side: Make sure to leave a crack on the side when covering it with a lid so the liquid doesn’t bubble over.
• When you can’t add all the liquid at once: If your pot isn’t large enough to hold all the liquid, let some of it cook down before adding the remaining liquid.
• Stir periodically: Make sure to stir periodically after adding the sauce; it tends to stick, and we don’t want that.

Oxtail Stew Variations:

• Add cheese: If you wanna switch things up, add a cup or two of sharp cheddar cheese. I sometimes add cheese to my spaghetti and meat sauce, and it tastes really good. Cheese and sauce pair well together, so I imagine it’ll be a good addition to this oxtail stew as well.
• Replace egg noodles with potatoes: If you’re not a fan of egg noodles, you can use potatoes instead. If you decide to use potatoes, go with red or Yukon Gold potatoes. Peel and dice them into uniform medium-sized pieces, then add them to the pot after 3 hours.

How to Store and Reheat Oxtail Stew

• How to store oxtail stew: You can leave it in the pot covered with the lid or place it in a Tupperware bowl. Make sure to cover it tightly with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil, then store it in the fridge.
• Can you freeze the oxtail stew? Yes! Just make sure to seal it tightly in a Ziploc bag to prevent freezer burn.
• How to reheat oxtail stew on the stove: Place it in a pot over medium heat and add a splash of water if needed. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, or until hot, stirring periodically.
• How to reheat oxtail stew in a microwave: Place the stew in a microwave-safe dish and cook on high for 3 minutes. Stir after a minute and a half so it’s hot all the way through.

Oxtail Stew FAQs

• Where do you get oxtails from? You can find oxtails at your local butcher shop/meat market. They don’t usually sell them in big chain supermarkets. You may come across some at a major supermarket, but they’re usually very large and come in packs.
• How do you cut oxtails? I usually get them from a butcher shop/meat market because they have oxtails that come in a variety of sizes. For this recipe, I recommend getting a variety of oxtails, from small to large.
• What’s a good chicken broth alternative? If you don’t have broth, combine water with chicken bouillon cubes. Since we’re using 2 quarts of broth, you will need 8 bouillon cubes and 2 quarts of water to create chicken broth. Boil them together over high heat in a medium pot until the cubes dissolve.

Alright y’all… I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you do, please share, give me a 5-star rating, and leave a review below. Also, please subscribe so you get an email notification every time I post a new delicious, easy-to-make recipe.

Enjoy, later.

Pbj! 

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