Braised Oxtails with Rice and Gravy

Ingredients

• 4 lb oxtails, cut into 2-inch sections
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 5 cups beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

Before you cook

• Trim any large caps of hard fat from the oxtails and pat them dry.
• Season the oxtails all over with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
• Let the seasoned oxtails sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Dust them with the flour just before browning.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the oxtails in three batches, giving each piece 3 minutes a side, and move them to a bowl.
3. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of fat.
4. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until it darkens.
7. Pour in the beef broth and scrape every browned bit loose.
8. Return the oxtails and any collected juices to the pot.
9. Add the bay leaves, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce and bring the liquid to a bare simmer.
10. Cover the pot and cook over the lowest heat for 2 hours and 45 minutes, turning the pieces once at the halfway point.
11. Check that the meat gives way when pushed with a spoon, and cook longer if it resists.
12. Move the oxtails to a platter and skim the fat off the gravy.
13. Boil the gravy uncovered for 8 minutes to concentrate it, then pour it over the oxtails and serve with the rice.