Jamaican Oxtail Stew with Butter Beans (Slow-Braised Recipe)

Deeply savory oxtail braised until gelatinous with butter beans, browning sauce and a whisper of allspice — this is Jamaican oxtail stew the way it should taste, rich enough to coat the back of a spoon.

It’s one of the 20 recipes inside our Caribbean Cookbook, and we’re sharing it in full so you can taste the standard before you buy the book. The hands-on work is small; the reward is meat that slides clean off the bone.

Why this recipe works

The searing builds a deeply mahogany crust that dissolves into the gravy, while the whole scotch bonnet perfumes the pot without shredding heat through the dish. Adding the butter beans only at the end lets them thicken the sauce into a glossy gravy without turning to mush.

Ingredients

For the stew

• 700g oxtail, cut into 3 cm rounds, excess fat trimmed
• 1 tbsp browning sauce (burnt sugar caramel)
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, pricked (kept whole)
• 1 tsp ground allspice (pimento)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large carrot, cut into 2 cm rounds
• 1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 750 ml beef stock

Optional garnish

• Sliced scallion greens scattered over the top

Serves 2 · Prep 20 min · Cook 2 hr · 680 kcal per serving

Instructions

1. Season and sear. Pat oxtail dry, rub with allspice, soy sauce, browning, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Sear in a hot heavy pot with oil on all sides until deeply mahogany, about 10 minutes. Remove.
2. Build the base. Lower heat, saute onion and garlic in the rendered fat for 5 minutes until soft and golden. Scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
3. Pressure braise. Return oxtail, add thyme, whole scotch bonnet, carrot and stock. Pressure-cook 45 minutes (or stovetop braise covered for 2 hours) until meat slides off the bone.
4. Finish with beans. Release pressure, stir in butter beans and simmer uncovered 10 minutes to thicken the sauce to a glossy gravy. Discard scotch bonnet, adjust salt, serve with rice and peas.

Chef’s tip

Chill the stew overnight and skim the solidified fat next day — reheated oxtail is richer, cleaner-tasting and the gravy turns silky from the collagen.

Get the full Caribbean Cookbook

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