Slow Cooker Grandparents Day Oxtails: Making oxtails in the slow cooker is a great choice when you want a meal that’s easy to fix but still feels special. Oxtails are known for their rich, deep beef taste, and they turn super soft and tender after cooking low and slow for a long time.
This dish only needs five simple ingredients, so you won’t need a big shopping list to get all that tasty flavor. You can get everything ready early in the day, let the slow cooker do the work for hours, and have a warm, hearty meal waiting when your family is ready to eat.
Serve these soft, sticky oxtails over mashed potatoes, buttery egg noodles, smooth polenta, or plain white rice so the sauce has something to soak into. A simple green veggie, like steamed green beans, roasted carrots, or a crunchy salad, helps balance out the rich meat. Warm dinner rolls are also great for scooping up every last bit of that tasty glaze.
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 1/2 pounds raw beef oxtails
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Slow Cooker Grandparents Day Oxtails: Directions
- Prep the oxtails. Use paper towels to pat the raw oxtails dry on all sides. Drying the meat first helps the sauce stick better and gives the oxtails a nicer texture as they cook.
- Layer the slow cooker. Spread the sliced onion evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the oxtails right on top of the onion slices, arranging them in a single layer if you can so they cook evenly.
- Mix the sauce. In a measuring cup or medium bowl, stir together the beef broth, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Keep stirring until the mixture looks smooth and well blended, with no streaks left.
- Pour it over the meat. Slowly pour the sauce mixture over the oxtails, making sure it spreads evenly and touches all the pieces of meat as much as possible.
- Cook low and slow. Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. The oxtails are ready when the meat feels very soft and is almost falling off the bone.
- Skim and coat. If you want a lighter sauce, use a spoon to skim off any extra fat sitting on top. Then gently turn each oxtail in the sauce so every piece gets a nice, even coating.
- Taste and adjust. Give the sauce a quick taste before serving. Spoon extra sauce over the meat if you’d like more flavor on each piece.
- Serve warm. Plate the oxtails hot, alongside mashed potatoes, rice, polenta, or noodles. Spoon plenty of the oniony sauce over each serving so nothing goes to waste.