This Chinese Braised Oxtail recipe was one of the very first recipes we posted on the site. At the time, however, our photo-taking skills weren’t so great.
On the one hand, I felt like this post was sort of lost in the archives, and I wanted to bring it back. On the other hand…I just felt like making this dish. It’s that good!
Note: This recipe was originally posted in March of 2015. We have since updated it with clearer images, recipe notes, metric measurements, and clearer instructions. Enjoy!
A Chinese Braised Oxtail
If you like oxtails (and there are quite a few oxtail stew and oxtail recipes on the internet), you’ll love this preparation.
Oxtails are a pretty tough cut of meat, and so they generally need to be stewed or braised to cook them through and draw out their flavor.
This Chinese version is drier than oxtail stews in other cultures. I actually cook off the liquid at the end so the rich sauce coats the oxtails themselves rather than serving them in a stew-like consistency or pools of sauce.
I braise the oxtails with soy sauce and spices until they’re extremely flavorful (and deliciously sticky with rice!).
While oxtails were once an inexpensive cut of meat, their price has skyrocketed due to greater demand. It seems that everyone’s now wise to how delicious they are!
While we don’t make oxtails often, they’re a special treat. I like to make them for holidays and family gatherings especially!
If you’re interested in more Chinese-style oxtail recipes, check out our Chinese Oxtail Soup!
Oxtail cooking times
I like my oxtails to have a bit of bite/chew left to them after they’re cooked, rather than having them completely falling off the bone. I think they have more flavor when cooked this way, and a more pleasing texture.
However, I know that many people like their oxtails to be fall-apart tender (as some of you have commented in the past).
If you like your oxtails cooked like me, use the lower range of cooking time I suggest (2 1/2 hours). If you like your oxtails more tender, cook them for 3 1/2 hours (or even longer if you like—just add more water if needed).
Chinese Braised Oxtails: Recipe Instructions
Clean the oxtails and pat them dry. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat and brown them on all sides.
Remove the oxtails and set aside on a plate. To the pot, add the ginger, garlic, star anise, cloves, and bay leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Now it’s time to add Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rock sugar, water, and salt (careful with the salt, as the soy sauce is already quite salty).
Add the oxtails back to the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low.
Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, depending on how tender you like your oxtails. (Add more water during this process if needed.)
Uncover, and continue simmering for another 30 minutes until the meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
As it simmers, stir occasionally and add additional water if necessary to avoid sticking.
Don’t forget to serve those sticky, delicious oxtails over steamed rice!
Chinese Braised Oxtails
Ingredients
- 3 pounds meaty oxtails (cut into 2 to 3 inch thick pieces)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 half-inch thick slices of fresh ginger
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3-4 pieces star anise
- 6 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar (you can substitute regular sugar)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Clean the oxtails and pat them dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and brown them on all sides.
- Remove the oxtails and set aside on a plate. To the pot, add the ginger, garlic, star anise, cloves, and bay leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Now it’s time to add cooking wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rock sugar, water, and salt (careful with the salt, as the soy sauce is already quite salty).
- Add the oxtails back to the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, depending on how tender you like your oxtails. Check halfway through and add more water if needed.
- Uncover, and continue simmering for another 30 minutes until the meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally, and add additional water if necessary to avoid sticking. Serve!
I made this today, and maybe I simply don’t like oxtail. The flavour was wonderful and the meat tender, but there was a weird mouthfeel to it. Not fatty or oily, more like a slightly sticky viscosity that I didn’t care for at all. Almost like eating lube. (Sorry.) I’m guessing it was collagen? Anyway, I won’t blame the recipe – sometimes you just don’t like a thing.
Will keep trying your other recipes. I must have tried at least 30 of them so far and loved the results!
Hi Allie, Oxtails do have a lot of collagen and fat so they are very rich and have a different texture than most cuts of beef. If you liked the flavor, for next time, try the same recipe with some short ribs instead of the oxtail. Happy cooking!
Hi Allie, you are right, it’s the collagen and I love that stickiness :-)
At my job, we have vegan oxtails & I think I wanna try this with our version.
Hope you like it after trying :-)
MERCY! This sounds and looks “to die for”! THIS is how, if and when, I ever get the oxtails and Daikin, I will make the oxtail soup recipe; cutting back on the sweetness! I’ll bet the cloves add an interesting dimension! Be still my heart… patience, Joan ! 🤣🌟 Thank you for this great recipe! 💖
You are very welcome, Joan. The recipe will be here when you are ready :-)
Found a small package! Oven baked them as in another of the recipes, now today going into the pot! Sadly, no daikons! Nor some of the exotic spices of the other recipe.
So delicious! The best oxtail I’ve ever had! And I’ve had a lot of oxtail in my life, at restaurants and mostly with family, but always the Western-style stew-like recipes. This was really next level, thank you!
Wow, thank you for your high praise.
What do you serve it with ?
Hi Kathleen, I’d serve it with a leafy green stir-fry, like any of these:
https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-bok-choy-recipe/
https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-watercress/
https://thewoksoflife.com/water-spinach-garlic-ginger-fermented-tofu/
https://thewoksoflife.com/garlic-baby-bok-choy/
I KILLED your recipe 😃 It was soooo good!!! Side of white rice and your stir-fried bok choy. Thank you for all that your family does to keep this site going with the great content.
That’s awesome, Scott!
If oxtails are out of reach this recipe works beautifully with chuck or brisket or short ribs.
Nice! I do love short ribs.
I have some beef striploin. Is it a good idea to cook this cut of beef following this recipe? If so, roughly how long should I braise the meat?
Yes, Jill, you can. You should shorten the cooking to about 75 – 90 minutes until fork tender.
IMO, one can probably use the IP cooking time from their recipe
https://thewoksoflife.com/instant-pot-braised-beef-radish/
We Chinese recognize the beef as “ngau nam” / rough flank, a cut of beef which also requires a long cooking time.
Hehehe…I do love my InstantPot.
Omg major lovers for this recipe! Oxtail tastes good with all that collagen goodness to boot! Could you include a blurb for IP cooking please as I tried cooking oxtail on the stove last week for 3 hours and somehow it was not as tender as the IP oxtail.
You are right, Stephanie, I should do a recipe using IP, I can’t say without trying it :-)