Black Girl Chef’s Whites

The Superbowl is just around the corner, and recipes are starting to appear everywhere.  I am in the Featured Publisher program at Foodbuzz, and the “flavor” of the month is Superbowl, sponsored by Pace Picante Sauce.  My family are big Pace Picante fans, so much so that I buy the industrial size vat from Costco.  So when Foodbuzz asked if I was interested in receiving a free sample of product from Pace as part of the Tastemaker program, I jumped on it.

I am not a big sports fan, so to be honest Superbowl Sunday is just another day.  Now, my late father was such a huge sports fan he would have the picture in picture watching two games on the TV, and then have another on the radio at the same time!  And he would be reading the sports page too!  So this recipe is for him…and all the other football loving fans in the world.

I wanted to make something a bit different, but that would fit on a Superbowl Party spread.  Pizza, potato skins, tacos, chicken wings and chips and guacamole are all commonly found at Superbowl parties across the USA.  As opposed to carne asada or carnitas, I decided to make a Mexican spiced braised oxtail, which could then be de-boned and shredded, and the succulent meat used for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos or whatever you want. If you would like an oxtail recipe using more traditional spices, see my previous post for Braised Oxtails.

Mexican Spiced Oxtails

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dark chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle chile powder

2 1/2 lbs oxtails

1 TB olive oil

1 cup mild Pace Picante Sauce

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

In a small bowl combine all the spices. Rub the oxtails with the spice mixture, and let them marinate for at least six hours.  I did mine overnight to really let the flavor penetrate.

In a large, heavy pan heat the olive oil.  Brown the oxtails well on all sides, including the fat. Oxtails have a generous fat cap on them. I do not remove it as the fat adds flavor to the broth.  The fat can be skimmed after cooking.

Be sure not to crowd the pan, so the oxtails get good caramelization, which you want for flavor, along with the fat.  Once all sides are browned, remove the oxtails from the pan.  Add the Pace Picante Sauce and the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the caramelized bits off the bottom.  Return the oxtails to the pan, bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.

Leave the oxtails alone and go do something else. Really.  No peeking, no prodding, so stirring!  Do not lift that lid for at least one hour, then turn the oxtails over and leave them alone again.  After the second hour, test the tenderness of the oxtails with a fork, and see if the meat has begun to pull away from the bone.  It will take between 2 – 3 1/2 hours for the oxtails to become tender and succulent.  The picture below shows how much the meat shrinks from the bone when the oxtails are done.

Remove the oxtails for the pan and let them cool.  When cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bone and shred it.  The bones can be wrapped and frozen to make stock, or given to a happy puppy like our neighbor’s rottweiler Alice.

At this point you can use the meat as a filling for any number of dishes.  Serve it at your Superbowl party with warmed tortillas, grated cheese, avocado slices, guacamole, diced red onion, shredded lettuce, lime wedges and Pace Picante Sauce, of course!

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I seem to have been on a braising jag as of late.  I realized I was trying to braise and stew as much as I could before the hot weather sets in.  I have an antique stove that is made of cast iron, and the last thing I want to do in the summer is heat it up.

I was browsing in Whole Foods the other day (some women go to Macy’s to browse, I go to Whole Foods) and wandered into the meat section.  I just love to look at all the lovely cuts of meat to choose from, although I usually just pick up chicken and turkey.  But this day the beef short ribs were calling to me.  And being in a braising state of mind, I decided to buy some.

Short ribs are very fatty, and if you choose to you can trim them before cooking.  I keep the fat on while cooking, then skim the fat from the sauce.  My philosophy is Fat = Flavor!  I also prefer to cook meat on the bone, as that also lends flavor and texture to the sauce. You can usually find short ribs cut into 3 inch lengths, with a generous chunk of meat attached to the bone.  The meat is fairly tough, so they are best cooked low and slow, such as braising or even grilled over low, indirect heat.

Short Rib Ingredients

Melt in Your Mouth Short Ribs

6 beef short ribs

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 TB ancho chile powder

2 TB olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup demi-glace (I used a concentrated demi-glace called Demi-Glace Gold found at cooking and gourmet stores) or 1 1/2 cups beef stock

1 12 oz. bottle lager beer

2 TB tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 tsp dried thyme

Season the ribs with salt, pepper and ancho chile powder.  In a large, deep pan heat oil over medium high heat.  Brown the ribs on all sides, in batches if needed.  Remove the browned ribs from pan, and reserve.  Add the onion and carrots to pan, and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the ribs back to the pan along with the remaining ingredients.  Stir to dissolve the tomato paste, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook the ribs 1 hour, then turn over and continue to cook until the ribs are extremely tender and the meat is pulling away from the bone.  This will take about 30 – 60 minutes.

Braising Ribs

Once the ribs are tender, remove them from the pan.  As you can see from the above picture, there will be a copious amount of fat on the top of the gravy.  Skim the fat off with a spoon, and dispose of it in the trash.  In a blender or food processor, blend the gravy until smooth.  Return the gravy to the pan, and adjust the seasoning as needed.  If the gravy is too thick, add some water or stock to thin it to your desired consistency.

Make sure to serve these ribs with some buttery mashed potatoes so you can spoon this lovely and flavorful gravy over them.

Short Ribs with Gravy

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Oxtails?  That is often how people react when I mention cooking oxtails.  What are they exactly?  An oxtail is actually the tail of a steer, which means they are beef. An oxtail has a large bone, and is very gelatinous,which makes them perfect for stewing or braising.  They are also often used for making stock.  Oxtails are eaten the world around, from China and Korea to Jamaica and the USA.

Although I call oxtails a poor man’s meat, they are no longer as inexpensive as they used to be.  I buy mine at Costco, which sells them for about $3.99 a pound.  Another place to find them is Asian  or Hispanic markets.  Oxtails are often sold in packages which weigh between 2-4 pounds.  Look for a mix of large and smaller oxtails, not just small, as these are almost all bone.

This recipe for braised oxtails is simple.  Once the prep work is done, you just walk away from the stove and let them cook for a few hours.

Braised Oxtails

4-5 lbs oxtails

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 TB oilve oil

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 cup red wine

4 cups beef or chicken broth

1 medium bay leaf

Season the oxtails with salt and pepper.  In a large, deep pot such as a dutch oven, heat oil.  Brown the oxtails in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan.

Once all the oxtails have been browned, saute the onion about 3 minutes, until softened.  Add the garlic and thyme, saute 1 minute, then add red wine to deglaze the pan.  Stirring constantly, scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pan while wine reduces by half.  Return oxtails to pan, add stock and bay leaf.  The stock should almost cover the oxtails.  Add more or less, as needed.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover pan.

At this point you can walk away from your stove.  Check in with your oxtails every once in awhile, making sure they are happily simmering away.  After 1 1/2 hours of cooking, turn the oxtails over.  Cover the pan again, and walk away.  Cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until meat is very tender.  Remove the oxtails from the pan, and if necessary reduce the liquid until slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I like to serve the braised oxtails with rice or mashed potatoes as a side dish, because they both soak up the braising liquid so well.  And like most braised or stewed dishes, it will taste even better the next day.

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