Anyone ever smoked oxtails?


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
As title implies, I stocked up on cheap oxtails (not shanks commonly referred to as oxtail). I do like them in a slow cooker or pressure cooker application. But recalling I saw them used on one of those BBQ contest shows once. Not much mention there of if they worked nicely, technique and so on. But my curiosity is piqued.
So if anyone has tried doing them please chime in. I am thinking of giving them a go (weather permitting tomorrow)
 
Where'd you find cheap oxtails?, store's price those things like prime.
I did them on the WSM. We used to go in on whole cows and split or quarter.
Those were medium size, about 275 for 2.5 hrs. I used hickory and oak, not much.
 
timothy said:
Where'd you find cheap oxtails?, store's price those things like prime.
I did them on the WSM. We used to go in on whole cows and split or quarter.
Those were medium size, about 275 for 2.5 hrs. I used hickory and oak, not much.
Click to expand...
Sam's Club (because of the "pandemic") for awhile was selling oddball cuts of meat VERY cheap. These were part of that "purge" they were doing. I got them incredibly cheap and I sort of hoarded a few (actually I think more than a few) :D packages of varying sizes. They were already vacuum packed so I cooked one or two in a braised config, but VERY curious about smoking them.
Were they good eats?
 
The smallish ones we snacked on but saved the larger ones for barley soup.
I dint try but you could smoke / braise in BBQ sauce.
 
I wouldn‘t try smoking them personally, it is an insane tough piece, I would bet that it would never turn out tender.
But I don’t know….we have some black angus I think pack of tails….they look good.
From past experience all I know is I sear them good and them braise them in a soup or similar for a long time and they fall apart.
This is delicious food, the flavour is insanity.
 
Would be interesting to throw a few on while you smoked something else - there is enough tissue and fat etc they might turn out not too bad or dry. If they do not turn out great, you could then throw them in a braising pot to finish.

That said, they are so pricey here I don't even purchase them...insane. Used to be the "throwaway" parts. I blame the TV cooking industry that made cooking so popular... All the things I used to purchase cheap (chicken wings, oxtail, beef cheeks, pork belly etc) are now some of the most expensive pieces.
 
I did them not too long just to try them. I smoked them for 2-3 hours. Put them in a metal pan with some onions, beef broth and a little Worcestershire sauce. I thought they turned out pretty good but took a while in the braise to get tender. I’ve always thought a little red wine in there would have been good too. Got to try these again.
 
They look like the ones I bought at Sam's Club. That looks like an interesting "hybrid" prep. I might just try that!
 
Karl Quist said:
I'm following this thread. I have only ever cooked them in a pressure cooker as part of a soup. Never really thought about smoking them, but now I'm interested.
Click to expand...
I may give them a go this weekend. Weather cooperating. And for those wondering where to get a deal. Check this out at Sam's Club today

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