Gullah Oxtails with Ham Hocks

FotW's own HistoricFoodie (Brook) is a tremendous researcher and writer; I always find much interest in his projects, and enjoy reading and learnng about his chosen topics. Brook's work on the Gullah culture, which descends from runaway slaves who settled on the islands off the southeast coast of the United States, is packed with good things to know. You can read about the Gullah and their foodways here:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...grits_topic4408.html

One of the recipes that came up in Brook's research was an oxtail dish with ham hocks that immediately appealed to me, on many levels. First, there is a lot of worthwhile history here, much of it undiscovered, and quite important to our nation's heritage. Also, I have an interest in oxtails, ever since I discovered just how tasty they are, with so much flavour, if they are cooked with a little care and a lot of love. Finally, I know from experience that if Brook recommends something, I can almost always count it as excellent advice, because of his great experience in our common interests.

Here is the recipe:

quote:

Gullah Oxtails with Ham Hocks

2 ham hocks split in half
8-10 oxtail pieces
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the ham hocks and ox tails in a medium pot two thirds filled with water and boil 15 minutes. Drain and rinse the meat under running water. Return the meat to the pot and refill with water as before. Add the bell pepper, celery, and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Boil until the meat is tender, 2 hours or more. You may have to add more water before the meat is done, but don’t add more than 2-3 cups, because you want the gravy to be rich.

I was finally able to try these oxtails this past Saturday; first and foremost, I want to say that this recipe has a veritable TON of flavor! The ingredients list might be short, but don't let that keep you from trying this dish; even in spite of a couple of potential problems on my part, it was, simply, amazing.

The first problem arose from the meat itself. I took out two oxtails for this preparation; a little more than called for in the recipe, but I figured it would be okay. Unfortunately, one of the packages was older and the packaging had apparently ripped sometime; as a consequence, it was badly freezer-burned. Because of this, I was only able to use one oxtail for the recipe, but since there weren't many of us at home that day, it worked out just fine. Additionally, the package of ham hocks that I bought contained three, rather than two, so it all worked out and everyone got plenty of both beef and pork.

The preparation work for the dish went fine; we followed the recipe to a "T" - except for the fact that we used a red bell pepper, rather than a green one, due to personal preference. The celery and onion are the only other ingredients, so the work went quickly, and it was soon time to get started.

I prepared this dish in my enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. Before boiling the oxtails, I considered searing them first, but chose not to for two reasons:

First, I prefer to follow a recipe the first time, in order to get some perspective on what the author intended; the only time I deviate this would be if there are any glaring errors in the recipe, or any ingredients that I cannot find or won't use (in this case, green pepper). Once I've prepared a recipe as (or as closely as possible to) the original intent, I am not shy about modifications or changes, but then I will have a baseline.

Second, I stopped and considered that the essence of Gullah cooking is much flavor and nourishment, with little in the way of refinements or elevation. Would someone in the Gullah culture take the time to sear the oxtails first? Maybe, but it seemed just as likely - or more - that this would not be done, based on my (admittedly little) knowledge of the foodways.

With this in mine, I elected to proceed as the recipe was written and brought the water to a boil. Once the boil was reached, I reduced the heat and simmered the meats at a slow boil, barely more than a simmer, for 15 minutes. This served to remove a lot of the excess fat while also carrying away many of the proteins(?) and other "gunk" in the form of foamy scum, ensuring a pure, clean-tasting base for the final product. After 15 minutes, I drained and rinsed the meats, then began again, as instructed by the recipe.

Once the Dutch oven was at the second boil, I committed my primary execution error. I should probably have kept the Dutch oven on the stovetop, uncovered, at a slow simmer. Brook and I discussed the wording of the recipe, and we both agreed that a full-on, hard boil was not intended. However, out of habit arising form preparing so many other similar dishes, I put the pot in the oven at about 275, with the cover only partially on/off. I wanted the oxtails to cook slowly and evaporate off much - but not all - of the water, about half; and I figured this would be a good way to achieve those twin goals.

This might have worked, had I kept the pot completely uncovered, but instead, after three hours, I had more of a soup than a dish swimming in rich gravy. Since I'd never made this before, I wasn't sure how thick it should be, but I suspect that it should have been thicker than this.

No worries, though - it was a cold, wintery day, and a perfect one for soup! I adjusted the salt and pepper, then served this in bowls, rather than on plates.

Excellent! Outstanding! Delicious!

Those are only three words to describe the result. I really enjoyed this, and so did the family. Even The Beautiful Mrs. Tas, who has never been enthusiastic about my previous oxtail projects, said this had really nice, wonderful flavor. I would never have believed it, except I was there!

The best part - for me - is that I can get locally-raised-and-butchered oxtails for free...or, at the most, for 3 dollars each; so, I can make this again, and soon!

For the next preparation, I plan to do everything exactly the same, except I will use a little less water and cook them either longer in the oven or on the stovetop - uncovered - until I get the consistency that I am looking for in the liquids. My goal will be to have something that is thicker than a soup, closer to a stew or gravy. If the oxtails aren't quite tender by then, I'll simply cover the pot and let them ride until they are just right. But, I must stress again, the thinner consistency did not take away from the absolutely wonderful flavor in the slightest; those oxtails really pay off in that department. If I end up with soup again, I will not be disappointed at all.

If you have even a passing interest in oxtail recipes, or in trying oxtails for the first time, I strongly recommend this recipe. Even if you make a mistake or two, it will turn out great, as long as you remember low, slow cooking in order for the oxtails to become tender, melt-in-your-mouth pods of deliciousness.

Ron

Well, I'm from SC and very familiar with Gullah food - delicious! Heavy African influence. The only improvement I can recommend is to use a pressure cooker. It extracts every essence of flavor from the tails and hocks. The added benefit is that it takes only 1/4 the time to create the flavorful dish.

Bob

When I was getting home raised beef I always asked for the tail. They asked why and would try it if they were given a recipe. Their response ? WOW ! I start out browning the floured sections of tail [code de bue ] .add soffrito [chopped onion, celery ], and carrot .Also add tomatoes , chopped some wine to adjust liquid, herbs like parsley. It's important to simmer till the meat starts to fall from the bone. That may take 3 or more hours . Yes I warn that it has TONS of flavor !
Serve with pasta of smashed potato.

I've never mixed that with pork hocks .For that I'd prefer hocks with lentils !

Tried this today, Ron.

Ox tail soup is one of my favorites. A tradition the day after any buffalo (that and tongue). Only thing better is eland tail soup!

Thanks for the comments and the feedback, guys!

quote:

Originally posted by WannabeBwana:
Tried this today, Ron.

How did you like it?

Not bad, though I found the ham hocks overpowered the oxtails a bit. It was hard to tell which was which in the final product (I separated all from the bones and shredded the meat with a fork). It might have done to brown the oxtails a bit before firing them into the boil.

But I’ll make it again. It cooked down really nice and the “gravy” soaked right into the rice with no waste. Not a scrap of anything left on the bones.

That looks incredible - great job! I will borrow your photo and comments (if that's ok) to post at FotW etc. So folks can see this dish in action.

The rice is a perfect side dish for this meal; it is central to the Gullah foodways and - as you noted - it soaks up the liquids beautifully!

As for the ham hocks, mine were rather small - maybe cut back to one hock or use smaller ones next time?

No matter what, though, impressive!!

Be my guest, Taz.

Definitely a smaller hock next time, plus I’ll score the skin first so it separates into pieces as it cooks down.

Dang, you guys are going to make me FAT !!!!!!!!!!!!

Another pearler here that I can't wait to try.

What about sinking this in a pressure cooker for an extended period of time ?
Low and slow ?????

Hi, Paul -

A pressure cooker would be great for this, I think. I am not sure how long it would cook for, but the instructions for your unit should tell you. If those instructions don't mention oxtails specifically, you might try seeing if they mention pork shoulder, brisket or some other "tough" cut of meat that benefits with long cooking and pays off with beautiful flavor ~