Jamaican Oxtail Stew

Step 1

Place all of the green paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to a smooth but still a bit chunky paste. Set aside.

Step 2

Now put the oxtails in a large bowl and cover with water. Move the around with your hands to wash off any blood and other impurities. Place the oxtail pieces on a paper towel and tap dry.

Step 3

Pour the dried meat into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and the juice of two limes, the black pepper and allspice. Mix well to coat the meat and then cover with the green paste stirring well to combine. Allow to marinate for at least an hour or overnight. The longer the better.

Step 4

When ready to cook, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When visibly hot, scrape off as much of the marinade as possible and retain the marinade. Add the meat to the pan and cook in batches to brown it for about 5 minutes. I like to see a nice char on both sides of the meat.

Step 5

Add the retained marinade and stir well to cook out the rawness and then add the remaining ingredients up to and including the ketchup. Stir well to coat and the add just enough water or beef stock to cover. Bring to a simmer over a medium high heat and the lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and allow to simmer gently for 3 hours.

Step 6

After three hours of simmering, the beef should be fall off the bone tender, if it isn’t, continue simmering with the lid off until it is tender to your liking. Stir in the butter beans.

Step 7

This stew should have a nice thick sauce that clings to the meaty chunks of oxtail. If the sauce is too thin, you can make a slurry with the cornflour and water and then add it in small amounts to the simmering sauce to thicken some.

Step 8

Taste the broth and add salt to taste if needed and a few cranks of finely ground black pepper. Add more lime juice to the finished sauce for a tarter flavour if you like.