Southern Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails (2024)

These Southern-style slow cooker smothered oxtails are cooked in a flavorful homemade onion and garlic gravy until they are fall-off-the-bone tender!

Table of Contents

1. What Are Oxtails?
2. Ingredients for Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails
3. How to Make Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails
5. Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtail Recipe Variations
6. What to Serve with Southern Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails
7. Southern Smothered Oxtails

There’s something about Southern smothered oxtails and gravy that just comforts my soul. If I’m not feeling well or had a bad day, just the simple thought of oxtails and rice makes me feel better. My mom used to make oxtails all the time, especially for Sunday supper. She’d serve the oxtails with her infamous southern-style potato salad, mixed greens, and corn muffins. We’d tear up dinner like there was no tomorrow! The only thing left on our plates would be the bones and not a bit of meat! Smothered oxtails were, and still are one of my soul food dishes.

Over the years, I’ve made smothered oxtails in plenty of ways—smoked oxtails, traditionalJamaican oxtails, and even BBQ oxtails. But I finally found a recipe that I’m going to stick with. No more revising, no more adding ingredients or steps. I finally have a go-to recipe forSouthern smothered oxtails.

What Are Oxtails?

Despite the name, oxtails don’t come from oxen—at least, not anymore! Oxtails are simply thetail of beef or veil, skinned and cut into pieces. The tail is a rich cut of meat. It’s fatty and flavorful and to die for delicious when slow-cooked. Today, you’re likely to find oxtail on the menu of fancy restaurants. Yes, they’re pricy, but so worth it! Because oxtails are a bit on the expensive side, it’s best to save them for special occasions or when you’re REALLY craving a good ol’ Southern-style meal.

What Does Oxtail Taste Like?

Oxtail tastes like beef, but the meat is super tender because of the amount of bone, cartilage, and fat in the tail. Oxtail has a deeply rich beef flavorthat infuses into the broth or sauce it’s cooked in. Taste and texture-wise, oxtails are similar to super fatty beefshort ribs. Eating oxtail tastes like a luxury experience—one well worth having at least once in your lifetime!

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails

Thisslow cooker oxtail recipeis super simple. Unlike a lot of other soul food-style oxtails, I don’t use a ton of ingredients. I keep my seasonings simple—garlic, salt, and onions for the oxtails and gravy. And to make it even easier, I use my slow cooker. Not only is this thebest waytocook oxtails, but it prevents me from standing in the kitchen all day.

Here’s what you need for my simple slow cooker smothered oxtail recipe.

• Beef Oxtails: this recipe calls for two and a half pounds ofbeef oxtails.
• Flour: to coat the oxtails for browning and to thicken the gravy.
• Worcestershire Sauce: adds depth and flavor to the oxtails.
• Kosher Salt&Black Pepper: simple seasonings for the oxtails. I also add parsley flakes because I love parsley, but that is totally optional.
• Vegetable Oil: to brown the oxtails before slow cooking, sealing in all those yummy juices and flavors. You could also use olive oil or neutral cooking oil of your choice.
• Beef Brothor Water: the liquid base of the gravy. The beef broth will add more flavor to your gravy, but water will work perfectly fine if you don’t have it on hand.
• Onion & Garlic: add flavor to the gravy.

Where to Buy Oxtails?

You should be able to find oxtail in the meat department at your local grocery store. However, if you don’t see it there, a specialty butcher shop should have oxtails available. This recipe calls for two and a half pounds of beef oxtail, but you can easily double it if you want more meat. (Keep in mind that oxtails typically have less meat than the average cut of beef.)

The Best Seasoning for Smothered Oxtails

If you want the best seasoning for thisslow cooker oxtails recipe, you have to try my very ownRosamae Seasonings oxtail seasoning! My oxtail seasoning is handcrafted to bring out the natural umami flavors of beef. It’s made with simple ingredients and is perfect for slow-cooked recipes like this one. But it’s not just an oxtail seasoning. The perfectly balanced flavors of salt, pepper, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and more bring out the best in any beef dish. You have to give it a try!

How to Make Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails

Okay, Cousins, are you ready to see how I make myslow cooker oxtail recipe? Here’s a quick overview of the steps! For complete instructions and exact ingredient measurements, scroll down to the printablerecipe cardat the bottom of the post. You can also watch my step-by-step YouTube video to see the recipe in action!

Here’s how to make smotheredSouthern oxtailsin the slow cooker:

1. Prep the oxtails. First, wash them with cold water. Then it’s up to you whether you want to trim the excess fat.
2. Season the oxtails with salt, pepper, parsley flakes, andWorcestershire sauce. Then coat the oxtails with all-purpose flour.
3. Brown the oxtails in a pan with oil overmedium heat. Make sure to rotate to brown each side of the oxtails. Then remove thebrowned oxtailsfrom the pan and put them into the slow cooker.
4. Start the oxtail gravy by adding theremaining flourgradually to the oil. Whisk continually until the flour is brown and chunky, then add the water orbeef brothslowly, stirring constantly.
5. Add the sliced onions and minced garlic cloves once the gravy is at a full boil. At this point, the gravy should have started to thicken. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, or other seasonings of your choice (like my oxtail seasoning) and do ataste test.
6. Pour the onion and garlic gravy into the slow cooker over thebrowned oxtails. Make sure the oxtails are completely coated with that thick gravy!
7. Cover the slow cooker and let those smothered oxtails cook on high for 8 hours.

When these babies are done, they are so tender, y’all. They will fall off the bone without you even trying! All that fat and gelatin in the oxtails melts away into the gravy, creating the most rich, flavorful gravy. Serve your slow-cooked oxtails over rice, mashed potatoes, or grits, and you’ve got yourself a truly luxurious soul food meal.

Smothered Oxtail Recipe Tips & FAQs

What tenderizes oxtail? How do I get fall-off-the-bone tender, smothered oxtails?

Slow cooking is the way to get the most tender oxtail meat. Braising oxtail in broth or gravy for several hours allows all the fat to melt away, bringing out the cartilage and bone marrow flavor from the oxtail bones. If your oxtails aren’t tender after 5-6 hours, your slow cooker might not be hot enough. This is why it’s so important to slow-cook oxtailson high instead of low. So don’t be afraid of setting that Crockpot on high and letting those babies cook—don’t try to rush it!

Do you have to brown oxtail before cooking?

No, you don’thaveto sear oxtail before cooking, but in this recipe, I highly recommend it. Why? Browning or searing the meat beforeslow cookinglocks in all the flavors and juices in the meat. Plus, we season the oxtails with our seasonings andWorcestershire saucebefore browning, which seals even more flavor into the meat. It’s not anecessarystep, but one that’s well worth doing.

How to Store Leftover Smothered Oxtails

Leftover smothered oxtails are even better thenext day. All those flavors jive together in the fridge and become even more intense! I highly recommend making extras to have leftovers, but this recipe is so dang good it might be hard to keep everyone from eating it all up! Here’s how to keep leftover oxtails:

• In the fridge: allow leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I’d recommend storing the leftovers separately from any rice or other sides you serve them with.
• In the freezer: once completely cooled, store in freezer bags or a freezer-safe container. Frozen smothered oxtails will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and should be completely or partially thawed before being reheated.
• To reheat leftovers: slow-cooked oxtails are best when reheated on the stovetop or in the oven. Use aDutch oven(in the oven) or a large saucepan (on the stovetop) to heat up the oxtails and gravy until bubbling and hot throughout. Add morebeef brothto loosen up the gravy.

Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtail Recipe Variations

There are plenty of ways to adjust this recipe based on your tastes. While I think this recipe is thebest wayto make oxtails, you do you, boo boo! Any Southern family will tell you their grandma has her own recipe for soul food-style oxtails. Here are some popular recipe variations for slow cooker smothered oxtails:

• Add more herbs to the gravy for added flavor. You can use dried orfresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, orbay leavesto infuse flavor into the gravy.
• Instead ofWorcestershire sauce, usesoy sauceorred wineto flavor the oxtail and gravy. Both soy sauce and red wine bring out beef’s savory, umami flavors.
• Add veggies to the slow cooker, like potatoes and carrots, for a hearty oxtail stew-like dish. The vegetables will slow cook in the gravy and be absolutely delicious when done, making theSouthern smothered oxtailsa complete meal.
• Add some heat! Most oxtail recipes are delicious with a kick of heat. Serve with a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce, or spice up the gravy with red pepper flakes, some cayenne pepper, or add hot peppers into the slow cooker with the oxtails.

What to Serve with Southern Slow Cooker Smothered Oxtails

Smothered oxtails are perfect served over mashed potatoes, rice, or grits for true Southern flavor. You also serve oxtails withcollard greens, cornbread, or potato salad. Make homemade biscuits or dinner rolls to scoop up that onion and garlic gravy!

More Soul Food-Style Slow Cooker Recipes

If you loved this Southern smothered oxtail recipe, try some of my other slow cooker recipes!

• Slow Cooker Smothered Roast
• Easy Slow CookerShort RibsRecipe
• Southern Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks
• MississippiPot RoastRecipe

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