Had an Impulse... Oxtail Rigatoni

And it's a beautiful day out there... what am I doing making oxtail?  It felt like a good idea on Monday when I bought them.  And they still are, but it also feels like we should break out the charcoal and celebrate this long awaited amazing warm day outside.  I'm having a little sticker shock at the price of oxtail these days.  It seems not long ago, they were almost giving them away.  Their rise in popularity must be driving up the price.  I think I learned that in Econ 101, oh, a few years back.


You know, one of the great things about blogger is you can view your stats.  What post is viewed the most, by how any people, how many people in each country visit your blog, etc.  By far, the most clicked on and viewed post is the one about the oxtail David Chang made on Anthony Bourdain's holiday cooking show.  Yes... of all things.  Well, that was some darn good oxtail.  So, I got to thinking what variation could I do?  
6 large oxtail pieces
1 pear, quartered
1 granny smith apple, quartered
1/2 onion, quartered
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 bay leaf
2/3 bottle red wine
2 cups beef stock
3 tbsp dark soy sauce


Salt and pepper the oxtail, place on a roasting pan, and roast at 500f until browned on all sides. This should only take 10-15 minutes with the high temp of the oven.  Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients into a medium sized braising pot or dutch oven.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Add in the browned oxtail, reduce heat to low, cover and braise until the meat is pull of the bone tender, about 3 hours.  Flip the oxtail a couple of times trying to make sure they are submerged in the sauce.  Once tender, remove oxtail to a baking dish and cover until cool enough to handle.  Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and return to pot.  Skim off any fat, or use a fat separator.  Bring the sauce back to a boil.  To the sauce, I added 2 carrots finely diced.  Simmer the sauce until carrots are just tender.  Then turn the heat up to reduce the sauce by about 1/3 to 1/2... depending on how much you have.  You want it thickened but not too dry. 


Once  the oxtail is cool enough to handle, remove the meat with a fork, shredding it with your fingers.  Return the oxtail to the sauce and reheat.  To finish, a smidge of cream found its way into the pot.  Serve over rigatoni or your pasta of choice.



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