Oxtail Stew

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg oxtail, cut into joints, excess surface fat trimmed
• For the marinade
• 2 tbsp Jamaican browning sauce, caramelised sugar-based colouring
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli, whole, pierced once
• 4 green onions (scallions), bruised and roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, for browning
• 500 ml water or beef stock, for braising
• 400 g butter beans, tinned, drained and rinsed

Method

1. 1
   Combine the oxtail pieces with the browning sauce, allspice, thyme, scotch bonnet, and green onions in a non-reactive bowl. Turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for a minimum of 4 hours. The marinade should colour every surface a deep mahogany.
2. 2
   Remove the oxtail from the marinade and pat the pieces dry, reserving all marinade aromatics. Heat the oil in a Dutch pot or heavy-based casserole over high heat until shimmering. Brown the oxtail in batches — do not crowd the pot. Cook each batch without moving until deeply mahogany on all sides, building a dark fond on the base of the pot. This is where the dish lives or dies: the Maillard reaction on the bone-and-meat surface creates the complex base from which all subsequent flavour is drawn; pale meat at this stage cannot be corrected.
3. 3
   Return all oxtail to the pot along with the reserved marinade aromatics. Deglaze with the water or beef stock, scraping up all fond from the base. The liquid should reach roughly halfway up the oxtail. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and braise for 3 to 4 hours, turning the pieces occasionally. The oxtail is ready when the meat yields entirely to a gentle press and pulls cleanly from the bone.
4. 4
   Remove the oxtail pieces to a tray and skim the surface fat from the braising liquid thoroughly. Return the pot to a medium heat and reduce the liquid until it coats a spoon and holds a clear line when a finger is drawn across it. A clean sauce, free of pooled fat, is the mark of the dish.
5. 5
   Return the oxtail to the reduced sauce. Add the drained butter beans. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. The beans should be tender and swollen with sauce while still holding their shape — they must not dissolve. A bean that collapses between the fingers has cooked too long.
6. 6
   Remove from the heat and allow to stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving. The sauce should be viscous and coating; if cooled completely overnight and reheated, it will have set to a wobbly jelly — the definitive test that the collagen has fully converted to gelatin and the dish is properly made.