3621. ROSEMARY, BACON and GARLIC BRAISED OXTAIL

serves 2-4


1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee, or grassfed butter
4 ounces bacon, cut into 2 inch pieces
1-2 pounds beef oxtail, cut up
2-3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 celery stalks, chopped roughly
1 medium yellow onion, chopped roughly
1 head garlic, outer paper layer removed and top cut off to expose garlic cloves
1 cup dry white wine
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
½ cup beef or pork bone broth
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In an oven safe dutch oven or braising dish with lid, melt oil or butter. Add bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp but not burnt. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon and set aside. Salt the oxtail, and sear it in the bacon fat, turning frequently, until crisp on all sides (about 10 minutes). Remove oxtail and set aside. Add carrots, celery, onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for about a minute, then add white wine and let it bubble for another minute or so. Return oxtail and bacon to the pan and toss in rosemary and bay leaves. Cover and place in oven to braise slowly. After about an hour of braising, check the pan and add broth if it has started to become dry. Braise for another 1-2 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 30 minutes or so and add more liquid if necessary. Remove the oxtail and let it cool so that you can easily handle it. Pull the meat off the bone and return to the dutch oven and reheat on the stovetop if necessary. Serve with a starchy vegetable, such as squash, potatoes, or sweet potatoes.


bacon recipe source: Jaime Hartman, Gutsy By Nature (@gutsybynature), September 9, 2013