Oxtail and Butter Beans

This hearty, warming recipe is inspired by Jamaican and West Indian oxtail stews. Oxtail is a cut that benefits from a long cook time: Here, it falls off the bone and is surrounded by an incredibly rich gravy with a lot of body. Worcestershire sauce is traditional and balances the dish’s earthy, spicy and sweet flavors. The butter beans add a slight bite to counter the tender meat. But back to that gravy: Sop it up with naan or roti, or serve it over coconut rice and peas.

Ingredients

• 4

  pounds oxtails

• 2

  teaspoons coarse kosher salt

• 2

  teaspoons black pepper

• ¼

  cup vegetable oil

• 4

  scallions, trimmed and chopped

• 2

  large yellow onions, chopped

• 2

  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 2

  tablespoons Jamaican curry powder

• 2

  teaspoons smoked paprika

• 12

  whole pimento seeds (allspice berries)

• 4

  fresh thyme sprigs

• 2

  Scotch bonnet peppers, pierced through the flesh with a paring knife

• 2

  tablespoons chicken stock concentrated paste or 1 chicken bouillon cube

• 2

  tablespoons tomato paste

• 4

  teaspoons browning sauce, preferably Grace brand

• 4

  large garlic cloves, grated

• 1

  teaspoon freshly grated ginger

• 2

  (15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

Preparation

1. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large pot over medium, heat oil. Add the oxtails in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, and brown, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes per side. (You want a deep-brown crust to form on the outside.) Drain some of the oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan, and move oxtails to a plate.
3. Add scallions, onions, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, paprika, pimento seeds and thyme, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add Scotch bonnet peppers, bouillon, tomato and browning paste, and stir for 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté for another 30 seconds.
4. Add oxtails to the pot, along with enough liquid to completely cover the meat. Bring to a boil and let simmer until tender (depending on the oxtail size and preference), about 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Once oxtails are tender, add butter beans to heat through, about 5 minutes and up to 10 or 15, if you like a more tender bean. Remove the thyme sprigs and Scotch bonnet peppers; remove the pimento seeds as you see them, or if you like. Taste and adjust seasoning, and serve hot with rice and peas, and sweet plantains.