This Jamaican Oxtails Recipe is fall off the bone tender and full of amazing flavor. It can be made in about an hour with your pressure cooker or cook it low and slow in a slow cooker.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
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If you ever ask me what my favorite Jamaican dish is, I’ll probably say oxtail. It’s a recipe that my mom would make for special occasions. I wish we could have eaten it weekly, but oxtail can be so darn expensive. So it became one of those special Sunday dinners or “let’s celebrate something” dinners.
Oxtails usually take hours to cook. But wow, the flavor and the tenderness the oxtail brings are worth it. Lucky for me, I’m a pressure cooking fanatic and found that using a pressure cooker cuts the time of cooking oxtail by a ton. For this recipe, you can use a pressure cooker or even a slow cooker.
Ingredients Needed
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Oxtail - Choose beef oxtail that is medium in size and of similar size. Try and choose oxtail pieces that do not have too much fat on them.
- Marinade Ingredients - Brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, allspice.
- Other Ingredients - vegetable oil, yellow onion, green onion, garlic, carrots, scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero), beef broth, thyme, cornstarch, water, butterbeans
How to Make Jamaican Oxtails and Gravy
First, I mise en place my ingredients by chopping my onions, garlic, and scotch bonnet or habanero pepper. Make sure to remove the seeds and membrane from the hot pepper, or your oxtail will be too spicy.
Then prepare your oxtails by cleaning them with a little bit of water and vinegar, and then dry them off with some paper towels. I know I know, they say not to wash your meat but my mom would literally cuss me out if I didn’t. So I do.
Next, season your oxtails with brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, allspice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and browning. Use your hands and mix, ensuring that your oxtail pieces are fully covered.
Now you can decide at this point if you feel like marinating or not. If I’m pressure cooking or slow cooking, I usually skip this step, and the flavor is still pretty amazing. If you choose to marinate, marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
Pressure Cooking Instructions
Turn the pressure cooker on the “high sauté” setting. If using an Instant Pot, select “Sauté and press the “+” button until it is the “more” setting. Once your Pressure Cooker is “Hot”, add your vegetable oil to the pot.
Next, add your larger oxtail pieces to the pot, flat side down about ¼ inch apart, and brown on each side for about 2 minutes. Make sure you’re watching the oxtails at this browning stage, as you don’t want to burn the oxtail. If you do, your oxtail gravy will taste bitter later on.
You can choose to brown all your pieces of oxtails but I usually only brown the larger pieces of the oxtail. The smaller pieces usually don’t need browning.
Once you’ve browned your oxtail, deglaze your pressure cooker by adding about 2 Tablespoons of beef broth to the insert. Take a wooden spoon and deglaze your pot by removing the brown bits at the bottom. Then add your yellow onions, green onions, carrots, garlic, and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions have softened.
Add dried thyme, oxtails (and the liquid from the marinade), remaining beef broth, and ketchup to the pressure cooker insert. All the broth will not cover the oxtail. You don’t need it to.
Press “Cancel” on your pressure cooker. Cover with lid, making sure the valve is set to “Seal.” Set your pressure cooker to cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes.
Once your timer goes off, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release. All this means is that you don’t touch it. If you’re like me, you may anxiously stare at the pressure cooker waiting for your oxtail goodness. After about 25 minutes, all of your pressure should have been released. Double-check by making sure that the pin button has dropped or switch the valve to “Venting” to ensure all the pressure has been released. Press “Cancel” on the pressure cooker and then open the lid.
Remove the oxtail pieces and vegetables from the Pressure Cooker and place in a bowl and set aside. I use a spider strainer for this step.
Then press the “Sauté button on your pressure cooker.
Once your liquid starts to boil, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking the cornstarch with water in a separate bowl. Slowly stir in the slurry into the pressure cooker. Add drained butter beans to the pressure cooker as well and stir them in. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little and the butter beans are warmed.
Return oxtails and vegetables to the pressure cooker. Serve and enjoy.
Notes on Pressure Cooker Oxtails
- It’s best if all your oxtails are medium sized oxtails that are similar in size. If you can’t get them the same size, no worries. It’ll still work.
- Oxtail that is too fatty will lead to fatty gravy. You want some fat, just not too much fat. If your oxtail is extremely fatty, use a paring knife to remove some of the excess fat.
- Scotch Bonnet is typically used for this recipe. If you can’t find a scotch bonnet, a habanero can be substituted. You could also use about 1-2 teaspoons of this scotch bonnet pepper sauce.
Looking for recipes to serve this Jamaican Oxtails with? Try these out:
- Jamaican Rice and Peas (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
- Jamaican Rum Punch
- Sauteéd Jamaican Cabbage
Other popular Jamaican recipes:
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If you've made this oxtail recipe or any other recipe on the blog, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment below. Your feedback is always appreciated!
The BEST Jamaican Oxtail Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs oxtails
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon browning
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 Tablespoon garlic chopped
- 2 whole carrots chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper seeds and membrane removed and chopped
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 16 oz can Butter Beans drained
Instructions
- Rinse oxtails with water and vinegar and pat dry. Cover oxtails with brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, all-spice, and browning and rub into oxtails.
- Set Pressure Cooker on High Sauté and once hot, add vegetable oil. Next, add your larger oxtail pieces to the pot, flat side down about ¼ inch apart, and brown on each side.
- Remove oxtail after browning and place in bowl.
- Deglaze your pressure cooker by adding about 2 tablespoon of beef broth to the insert. Take a wooden spoon and deglaze your pot by removing the brown bits at the bottom. Then add your yellow onions, green onions, carrots, garlic, and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions have softened.
- Add dried thyme, oxtails (and the liquid from the marinade), remaining beef broth, and ketchup to the pressure cooker insert.
- Press “Cancel” on your Instant Pot. Cover and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Once timer is done, allow pressure cooker to naturally release.
- Once all pressure has released, open lid and remove oxtails and vegetables, leaving liquid behind. Turn Pressure Cooker on sauté. Once liquid begins to simmer, create a corn starch slurry by combining corn starch and water to a separate bowl. Stir into simmering liquid. Add drained butter beans into pressure cooker and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, until liquid is slightly thickened and butterbeans are warmed.
- Add oxtails and vegetables back to the pressure cooker. Serve and enjoy 🙂
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Prepare the recipe as instructed up until the oxtails need to be browned. Brown oxtail over medium-high heat on the stovetop in a skillet. Once oxtail are browned, deglaze skillet by adding 2 tablespoon of beef broth. Add onions and carrots to skillet and stir until onions have softened. Add these ingredients to the slow cooker as well as all remaining ingredients, except the butter beans. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or until oxtail is tender. 30 minutes before serving, create a cornstarch slurry by combining corn starch and water to a separate bowl. Stir into slow cooker along with the drained butter beans.
Stove Top Instructions
- Follow the instructions above and then rather than placing in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, cook it on the stove on medium low heat for about 3 hours, stirring occasionaly or until oxtails are tender. Add the butter beans when there is about 30 minutes left on the cook time.
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Notes
- It’s best if all your oxtails are medium sized oxtails that are similar in size. If you can’t get them the same size, no worries. It’ll still work.
- Oxtail that is too fatty will lead to fatty gravy. You want some fat, just not too much fat. If your oxtail is extremely fatty, use a paring knife to remove some of the excess fat.
- Scotch Bonnet is typically used for this recipe. If you can’t find a scotch bonnet, a habanero can be substituted. You could also use about 1-2 teaspoon of this scotch bonnet pepper sauce.
Mercedes says
I made this on the stove top and it was so amazing! My family is from Jamaica and I’m a first generation American. I haven’t made many of my home dishes but I’m glad I found this one! Will definitely use again and I won’t be changing a thing! It’s just so delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing!
RO KEL says
This recipe was absolutely on point and delicious! Your instructions were very detailed. This receipt is a keeper. My mom is a picky eater and she went back for seconds😁 thank you so much for sharing…I also made your rice and peas. VERY TASTY!
Tanya says
Thank you Ro Kel 🙂
Michelle says
I want to use homemade browning, can you please tell me how much to use? Thanks!
Tanya says
Hi Michelle, you would use the same amount in the recipe.
Kyle L says
Made the instapot recipe, increased it to serve 6-8. It was delicious. This is now my go to recipe for ox tails.
Tauheedah says
This recipe is outstanding! The only thing I did differently was cook them on top of the stove and I didn't brown the oxtails first but still an outstanding recipe. So delicious 😋
CJ says
This recipe is amazing so thank you for sharing. I’m just not that experienced cooking with a pressure cooker. It seems that the ox tails take way more time to cook than 45 mins; hours. Is it set on the sauté setting when cooking at 45mins? Otherwise I just set the time and let it do its thing.. but again that takes hours but the finished result is always amazing.
Tanya says
Hi CJ, thank you. It should be set on the pressure cook setting to cook for 45 minutes. If the oxtail pieces are larger, they will need a little longer to cook on the pressure cook setting.
MaryAnn Coy says
@Tanya, Tana, If this lady says it’s taking hours in a pressure cooker, and it’s taking hours, it’s slow cooking, not pressure cooking. She says she’s inexperienced with pressure cooking. Is it possible she isn’t sealing it properly, or perhaps not setting the pressure properly before hitting the start button? If she is using an Instant Pot, which can slow cook and pressure cook, she might be confused, especially with so many buttons to choose from. I’ve used basic pressure cookers for years, but I’m new to the Instant Pot and find it confusing if I don’t keep the Instruction book in front of me while I set it up, I still need to stop and think on the choice of pressure release. Standard pressure cookers don’t give a choice. It sounds like she can open the cooker without issues to check the stew over the hours. It sounds like perhaps there is little to no pressure to be released. Perhaps a more detailed answer with some questions on how she is setting things things up and releasing pressure. It could even be possible the pressure cooking function on her cooker is malfunctioning. I’m just offering thoughts that occurred to me, when I read her response.
Melissa says
I am a white girl with a Jamaican boyfriend:) I have learned how to jerk chicken, curry chicken and make rice and peas. He loves oxtail, so I figured out I should try it and ran across your recipe - he absolutely LOVED it. Said it was better than any of the Jamaican restaurants around here. And it was so easy in the pressure cooker. Thank you SO much I will make this again for sure - I am going to try your curry goat next!
Sherry says
@Melissa, yesss girl hands down the best I'm from NYC and the bronx has the best I'm I. York pa we have 4 restaurants here a d we don't like any of them this recipe is the best I'm making it today 😋
MsFred says
Thank you, Tanya! This recipe is simply delicious and so easy to follow!! I’ve made it several times over the past 2 yrs now and plan to make it again today! I only commented now cause I realized I kept forgetting to share my experience! 😁 The only part I struggle with is thickening the gravy. My gravy is cloudy like regular gravy over mashed potatoes. I prefer the look of your pics so I’m gonna cut the cornstarch down to 2 tsp and see how that works. Thanks again!!!
Ebony says
@MsFred,
Maybe add a splash of browning ?
Shay V says
I love this recipe! I’ve used it many times in a slow cooker. Today is my first day trying by pot and I wish the instructions were a little more clear with Stove Top. I got a little confused and panicked. Hope it comes out good!
Crystal says
This is my go to recipe for oxtails!! Actually, any caribbean meal!! This is an all time fave! Love this recipe!
Carol says
Will definitely make this. Used to make oxtail soup & forgot about it somehow. Thank you for reminding me how good it is!
Angela says
This is the best oxtails recipe ever! I have made this several times for my family. And when I visited my extended family in Miami, I made it for them and they loved it! The pressure cooker is a life saver, I hate standing over a stove for a long period of time. Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe!
Tanya says
Thanks Angela! So happy you like the recipe 🙂
cameron says
Great recipe although I would recommend browning the ox tail with just oil (add the other ingredients later) also there's no way 1 cup of beef broth is enough liquid. I would suggest 4 cups
Tanya says
Thanks for your feedback Cameron. 4 cups of beef broth would make this more of a soup consistency rather than an oxtail stew, especially if you're making it in a pressure cooker.
MsFred says
@cameron, please don’t take offense but I just couldn’t resist responding…it seems you misread. She DOES state to brown your oxtails with just vegetable oil, then take them out and deglaze with some broth, then add veggies.
Toni says
@Tanya,
Wonderful video and instructions! I can’t wait to try it!! Thank you. 🙏🏽
Megan says
I have made the recipe a few times and It is definitely the best recipe I have found for oxtails I don't even like oxtails from restaurants because after having the recipe their oxtails aretooc tough... THANK YOU
Lisa says
Hi Tanya,
Recipe looks amazing but is the allspice whole or powdered in this recipe?
Tanya says
Great question, it's ground allspice.