How to Cook Oxtails and Rice Together

Oxtails and rice is the best beef one pot meal. We will show you how to cook ox tails frozen or fresh to tender made in a pot on the stove with long grain white rice and peas if you want too

Rice and oxtails on the stove is a great meal my family loves. If you are new to cooking this cut of beef we will help you along so you can see how delicious it really is. Combining your side dish, main meal and even some vegetables in the same pot means dinner is easy and cleanup is easier. (affiliate links present)

How to Cook Oxtails and Rice

Let’s start with the basics, what are these things? Well, like it’s name they are slices of tail. Used to come from ox but nowadays they typically come from cows. Yes there is a bone in the center, fat and meat too. Some pieces will have excess fat that can be trimmed off but honestly only if it is like a lot. Fat = flavor so it is better to trim more when it is done.

To get the protein to become tender it does take some time and it needs to be cooked low and slow to begin with. I have instructions for doing this step in a large pot on the stove below but you could alternatively start with our slow cooker oxtails recipe and then transfer to a Dutch Oven or pot from there to add the grains.

Oxtails Rice and Peas

If you choose to slow cook to begin with it will take longer, but it is a hands off process. Now as far as oxtail seasonings go you can leave somewhat simple or really load it on. I will tell you that if you have never made these before they do need some help. It has a strong gamey sort of flavor if you don’t use quite a bit of something to tone that down.

You could go with the seasonings we used to make our oxtail curry instead. Your choice, we have kept it relatively simple below with a bit of a heavy hand on the garlic end. Because….I am obsessed with that stuff, let’s be honest. 😉

Ingredients

• 1 lb oxtails fresh is best but frozen works
• 2 tbsp olive oil, the good stuff
• 1 onion diced or sliced
• Minced garlic is a must
• 1 tsp salt and pepper are basic seasonings
• Beef broth is better than water
• Red cooking wine we love, or broth
• White rice uncooked, long grain
• 3/4 cup of frozen peas if you want those too

If you are super opposed to using any sort of wine, or just don’t want to buy another ingredient you could double up on the broth, flavors just won’t be as intense. If you wanted to make this into an oxtail stew when done you would want more broth on hand for that. You always have the option of making pressure cooker rice on the side if you have picky eaters at home. 😉

Let’s talk about the other star of the show, the rice. There are tons of options out there and for the most part as long as it is long grain, Jasmine or Arborio rice you should be fine. Brown, black or wild will take much longer and need more liquid so there would need to be an adjustment for those.

How to Make Oxtails with Rice

• Trim excess fat from oxtails.
• Rinse and pat dry.
• Set aside.
• Add oil in cooking pot and heat to medium
• Cover oxtails with salt and pepper, brown on all sides in your skillet or pot.
• Chop onions, add to oxtail, and cook until onions are soft.
• Add red cooking wine and 1 cup beef stock.
• Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer
• Cook this covered for 1.5 hours.
• Lift lid and sprinkle in your rice.
• Add 2 remaining cups of beef broth. Add garlic.
  • if you are adding frozen vegetables do so at this time, about 3/4 cup will work
• Cook on low for about 1 more hour or until oxtails are tender and rice is cooked.

Then you can serve in bowls as is where you can pick the meat off with a fork yourself, or do it beforehand. If you have kids I suggest you take it off for them and mix with together so it is easier to eat.

How long does it take for oxtail to be cooked?

Just the meat submerged in liquid on the stove you are looking at a few hours to reach the fall off the bone tender status you want. If adding rice you will want to wait until the last hour to add your grains in so everything is done at the same time.

Southern Oxtail Recipe

Some traditional Southern oxtail recipes also include vegetables such as carrots, celery, and potatoes, which are added to the pot during the last hour of cooking. You could add these diced instead of the grains. The result is a hearty and flavorful stew that is often served over rice (then cooked separately) or with cornbread.

Ox tail is a popular comfort food that is enjoyed by many in the southern United States areas, particularly during the colder months of the year. You may not be able to find it in restaurants year round there. With these instructions though you can make it yourself whenever you want! You’re welcome 😉

Often times there you will have the option for oxtails and gravy. The only difference is that when this is done you’d have 1/4 cup of a thick brown onion gravy ready to be poured over the top. In this case I would definitely remove the meat so every bite can be enjoyed.

If you don’t want to make this on the stove when the meat is done you can use a rice cooker to make that separately and then incorporate together. Personally I love a one pot meal like our oxtail soup with everything combined but the other would be a bit quicker.

Ox Tail Side Dishes

Cooking two things at the same time is a game changer. From here we went on to make lentils and rice in one pot and that paired well with ox when cooked separately on other nights.