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If you’re looking for something a little different to try for dinner tonight, why not try this great Oxtail Soup? A common staple on the farm, this soup is hearty and filling for a post-work meal. Prefer to use a slow cooker? Here’s how to make slow cooker Oxtail Soup.
What is Oxtail?
Oxtail is exactly what it sounds like, cow tail. It does not, however, come exclusively from an ox. Both genders are perfectly viable. You can find it for relatively cheap at your local butcher and if you are looking for something a little heartier than your average soup, it’s a good option.
The Best Pressure Cookers
Instant Pot – 6 Quart (what we use)
This is what Oxtail looks like prior to cooking:
How to Make Oxtail Soup in the Instant Pot
To prepare this is pretty simple, you are first going to toss the oxtail in a combination of flour, salt and pepper to coat it thoroughly. While you don’t normally flour meat for a soup, Oxtail is very fatty so we recommend doing so to cut down on the grease otherwise it will take over the soup.
Once done, turn your Instant Pot to the sauté function, add a little oil to the bottom of the pot and fry the oxtail until it’s well browned.
Once this is done, drain off that excess fat from the bottom of the Instant Pot and add in the rest of the ingredients. Cook according to the instructions in the recipe card.
The Best Instant Pot
Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart
Love soups? Try our Slow Cooker Macaroni Hamburger Soup Recipe or Crockpot Polish Sausage, Cabbage and Potato Soup.
Happy Cooking!
The Fast & Slow Team
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Slow Cooker / Instant Pot Oxtail Soup
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Course
- Soup
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 506
- Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Author
- Fast & Slow Cooking
Ingredients
Oxtail
- 2 pounds of oxtail cut into pieces by the butcher
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Soup Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3-4 carrots washed and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 large russet potatoes cubed
- one 7 ounce package white mushrooms sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/3 cup pearl barley
- fresh parsley to garnish if desired
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. Toss the pieces of oxtail in the mixture until coated. Shake off the excess.
- In the bottom of your Instant Pot, heat the oil using the saute button. Add in the oxtail and cook until browned. Once done, drain the fat and oil from the bottom.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and then stir until combined. Use the soup button and cook for 45 minutes. Let the pot naturally release for 20 minutes while you prep anything else you need to serve. Stir and serve.
Recipe Notes
- This is thicker, and you can make it into a stew by adding more barley.
- Oxtail is VERY fatty. You have to enjoy a fatty type of meat if you are going to enjoy this soup! Try browning it a lot to get rid of some of the fat.
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Barb says
This was an excellent base recipe to start from, but now that I’ve made it I would make some twerks. I’d start off with 30 minutes at pressure and check to see if I should cook it any longer, since 45 left the veggies mushier than I like. That, and I’m going to have to find low-sodium beef broth because it was just too salty for my tastes. With those changes this would be a 5-star recipe! I made this last night and chilled the pot, I know it will be better today once I skim the solid fat off the top.
Ann R says
Great recipe! I added a small bag of frozen mixed veggies (in lieu of the potatoes) towards the end of cooking time. The barley has enough starch/carbs to fill you…so I cut out using potatoes.