Oxtail Croquettas

This recipe is inspired by the oxtail croquettas we had as a family at Jose Andres’ Bazaar almost three years ago. Why did I wait all of this time to make these? Intimidation was likely the cullprit because it wasn’t hard to make by any means, albeit, a labor of love. To date, that remains one of our top five trips of all time. It was a short trip. meant to make up for Jacob not having gone on his safety patrol trip as a result of the Covid shut down in 2020. Jose had a work training just outside of DC in Maryland so we made it a one stop shop trip and killed all of the birds with one stone. We saw all of the DC monuments, museums, travelled to Mount Vernon and had a shopping excursion in Georgetown, in our rented “clown car” aka, Mitsubishi Mirage. We laughed so hard going over the bumps everywhere we went because it was truly like riding a roller coaster in a tiny box. Anywho, I hope you enjoy these as much as we did then in DC and now at home.

Oxtail Croquettas

Ingredients

Braised Oxtail

• 2 pounds oxtail
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves

For Oxtail Croquettas

• 1/2 cup rendered sauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• About 2 cups shredded braised oxtail
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

Prepare

Making the Braised Oxtail

1. Season the oxtail with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, until shimmering. Add the oxtail pieces in a single layer, without overcrowding the pot. Sear the meat, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove the oxtail pieces and reserve.
2. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Pour the water, Better than Bouillon, and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, scrapping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
3. Return oxtail to the pot. Cover, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is falling apart tender. Remove the oxtail pieces and shred the meat, discarding the bones and any large pieces of fat. Reserve.
4. Bring the remaining sauce in the pot to a boil to reduce, over medium high heat, for about 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove the bay leaves. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices and discard. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If the sauce is too bitter, you can add a pinch of brown sugar to balance it out. Reserve.

Making the croquettes

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the rendered sauce, milk and the flour.
2. Combine the shredded meat with the sauce/flour mixture in the dutch oven. Cook, over medium heat, until it comes together and starts releasing from the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the stove and let it cool to room temperature. Grind the meat down sing your meat grinder of choice. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for one hour. Remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and form 2-inch logs.
3. In a shallow bowl, whisk two eggs. In another bowl, place the breadcrumbs and season with salt. Working with one croquette at a time, dip in the eggs and coat with breadcrumbs.
4. Heat 2-inches vegetable oil in a medium saucepan, until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350 degrees F. Working in batches, fry the oxtail croquettes until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes per batch, turning as needed.
5. Transfer the fried oxtail croquettes to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve and enjoy!