Oxtail Ragu

Name: Oxtail Ragu
Ingredients: 4-5 lb oxtail; 200 g onion; 200 g carrot; 100 g celery; 2, 28 oz cans Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes with Basil; 4 g fresh bay leaves ((4-5 leaves) (substitute dry bay leaves)); 6 g thyme ((stems included)); 236 mL dry white wine like Pinot Grigio ((1 c / 8 oz)); 700 mL water ((3 c / 24 oz)); 1 Parmesan rind ((optional during reduction)); 1/2 tsp espelette pepper powder ((optional) (substitute cayenne pepper)); 5 g granulated sugar (1 tsp); 6 g 1 tsp pink Himalayan or sea salt finely ground ( (1 tsp)); Black pepper (to taste); 2-3 tbsp oil ((to saute aromatic paste))

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Oxtail Ragu

Chef Way

Classic Italian beef ragu made with oxtail in place of ground beef.

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Equipment

blender
Pressure Cooker
Immersion Blender
12 in Carbon Steel Skillet
5 Quart Stainless Steel Saucier
Spider Strainer
4 oz ladle
Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

4-5 lb oxtail
200 g onion
200 g carrot
100 g celery
2, 28 oz cans Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes with Basil
4 g fresh bay leaves (4-5 leaves) (substitute dry bay leaves)
6 g thyme (stems included)
236 mL dry white wine like Pinot Grigio (1 c / 8 oz)
700 mL water (3 c / 24 oz)
1 Parmesan rind (optional during reduction)
1/2 tsp espelette pepper powder (optional) (substitute cayenne pepper)
5 g granulated sugar 1 tsp
6 g 1 tsp pink Himalayan or sea salt finely ground (1 tsp)
Black pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp oil (to saute aromatic paste)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Season the oxtail to your liking. I used salt, black pepper, MSG, granulated garlic and granulated onion. Place the oxtail on a baking sheet preferably lined with a rack. Put the oxtail in the oven until golden brown and crispy, about 30-45 minutes.
While the oxtail brown, blend the onion, carrot, celery in a food processor until very finely minced (this is a mirepoix). Into a preheated skillet pour 2-3 tbsp of oil. Let the oil come up to temperature. Next pour the mirepoix into the skillet and cook the moisture out of the paste over medium high heat, about 5-7 minutes. The mirepoix should turn pale and have a drier texture when finished.
Next pour the tomatoes into a blender and blend until smooth. If using an immersion blender, pour the tomatoes into a bowl or container then blend until smooth.
After the oxtail finish browning, place them in the cooking vessel of your pressure cooker with the wine, tomato purée, bay leaves, thyme, water and the mirepoix. Season with black pepper and MSG (optional but recommended) to taste. Do not season with salt. Gently mix everything in. Cook the oxtail for 2 hrs on high pressure. When finished allow the steam to naturally vent for 20 minutes then manually vent the rest. When the oxtail is finished use a spider to remove the oxtail, bay leaves and thyme from the ragu. Pick the meat off the bones of your oxtail and remove any large pieces of fat and bone pieces from the meat. Set the pulled oxtail meat to the side.
The ragu’s fat should have settled to the top while you pulled the oxtail meat. Using a ladle skim the vast majority of the fat off the top of the ragu. Preheat your 5 qt saucier or stock pot to medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the ragu to the saucier. Add the oxtail meat to the ragu. Bring the ragu up to a vigorous boil and optionally add a Parmesan rind to the ragu to infuse the ragu as it reduces. If adding a Parmesan rind, let it infuse until the Parmesan rind begins to soften considerably, then remove it. Do not let the Parmesan rind get stuck to the bottom of the saucier.
Reduce the ragu by ⅓. Reduction time will vary based on the temperature of your pan. Use higher heat if more experienced but be sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching. Once the reduction is complete season the ragu with salt, pepper and espelette powder. Add more of each spice and/or sugar according to your tastes. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Cool the ragu completely, preferably overnight in fridge.