Instant Pot Red Wine Oxtail Stew – a must try!

Oxtail stew!

Learn to make this incredible Instant Pot Red Wine Braised Oxtail Stew! It is to-die-for! This is one of my favourite home-cooked recipes and I am excited to share it with you!

We all know that stews are total comfort foods. Oxtail stews are out of this world delicious when you can get the oxtail to be extra tender. Whenever I see oxtail stew at a restaurant, I often order it. Now it is time to make restaurant-quality oxtail stew at home!

The sauce is FULL of flavour and the oxtail is tender, with chunky potatoes and carrots to make this an extra hearty meal.

The sauce has deep complex flavours from red wine, strained tomatoes, and beef stock simmered in the Instant Pot along with the oxtail. The seasoning for the stew has a touch of ground allspice (aka pimento), which gives it an extra complexity with a hint of cinnamon and clove flavour. The dish is cooked in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) to help make the oxtail extra tender and to shorten the cooking time, but this recipe can be adapted for the stovetop.

Talk to me about oxtail!

Oxtail is the tail of beef cattle/ox. If you are buying it from the butcher, it is best to ask them to cut it into 1.5 inch to 2-inch pieces for this recipe. The oxtail is also sold pre-cut (fresh or frozen). 

Once the oxtail is cooked for a sufficient amount of time, it can be fork tender! The flavour is beefy and rich, which makes it a popular choice for a good beef soup or a braised dish.

You can use the technique and ingredients in this recipe for a beef stew using stewing beef, bone-in beef ribs, or a different cut, and adjust the timing accordingly. Smaller beef cubes for example are cooked in less time than the oxtail. 

Steps to cook the oxtail stew

The oxtail is first blanched to get rid of impurities, before it is browned. Like many meat stews, browning the meat first helps to add a golden colour to the meat, but it also makes the stew more flavourful from the caramelization. 

Equipment for the stew

I used both my Le Creuset French oven and my 8 qt Instant Pot for this recipe. The French oven (dutch oven) is used for browning the meat and the Instant Pot is to help shorten the cooking time. 

I know that this is an Instant Pot recipe, but I prefer to use my French oven to brown my meat, as there is a larger surface area, and it is easier to clean. Of course, you can use the Instant Pot for the entire recipe if it is more convenient to use one pot.

After the meat is browned, the aromatics are sautéed, before all the ingredients are combined, and cooked in the Instant Pot. As for the wine, choose a good wine that you would drink as it really makes a difference in the outcome of the sauce. I suggest a full bodied one like a Cabernet Sauvignon. Before serving, thicken the stew with a slurry to your desired consistency. 

I have been making this oxtail stew for my family countless number of times for many years. The dish is a hit every time and my kids absolutely love it.  It is perfect with rice and topped with your favourite fresh herbs or hot sauce!

If you have leftovers, cook the stew down until the oxtail falls off the bone completely. You can make yourself the best oxtail ragu to serve with pappardelle. The potatoes will break down into the sauce to make it extra thick. 

Bon Appetit! 

RECIPE

5 from 4 votes

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Instant Pot Red Wine Oxtail Stew

Learn to make the heart warming oxtail stew in the Instant Pot braised in red wine.

Servings 4 people

Author Mary Tang

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds oxtail (1 large tail, cut into 1.5-2-inch pieces)
• Oil for cooking
• Salt and black pepper, to season
• 2 (60g) small shallots, peeled, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 (660 g) small or 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled, 1 x 1-inch dice
• 2 carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch sliced and then halved
• 1.5 cups (375ml ) red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 3 cups (750ml) beef stock
• 1 (660 ml) bottle strained tomatoes
• ⅓ cup (80ml) soy sauce
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 2 tsp flour

Seasoning

• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh thyme (3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 tsp of dried thyme)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Salt, to season

Slurry

• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup (80ml) water

Instructions

Prep oxtail:

1. Take out the oxtail at least an hour before cooking it to get it to room temperature. Heat up a large pot with water and blanche the oxtail for about 1 minute. Drain and pat dry.

2. In a large pot, pan, add oil and turn up the heat. Season both sides of the oxtail with salt and pepper and brown all sides. If using an Instant Pot, press the saute function, Brown in batches as needed. Remove and leave aside.

   

Prep remaining ingredients:

1. In the Instant Pot, press the sauté function, and add oil. Sauté the shallots followed by the garlic.

2. Add the oxtail, carrots, and potatoes to the sauce. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the knob to “sealing’. Using the manual mode, set the time for 50 minutes on high pressure. Once the timer is up, turn the Instant Pot off, and do a natural release.

3. Turn the knob to “venting”, open the lid.

4. In a bowl, add cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Press sauté on the Instant Pot and add the slurry to the stew and mix well. Serve.

Recipe Notes

The recipe can be adjusted to the stove top. Cook the oxtail until tender (about 4 hours).

Check out my other Instant Pot recipes:

• Instant Pot Chicken Congee
• Turkey and Mushroom Soup

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